The winner will go to the Super Bowl for the ninth time…most in NFL history. If there is a better barometer for continued excellence, I don’t know it.

The Steelers did their best to neutralize Gronk for most of Sunday’s game but at crunch time in the second half, he made key plays in the Patriots win.

The Patriots and Steelers will kick off the 2015 NFL season with a primetime Thursday night game. Pittsburgh boasts one of the league’s most potent offenses