PITTSBURGH — THIS DAY IN SPORTS…October 31, 2004:
The longest winning streak in modern NFL history comes to an end at 21 games when Pittsburgh brings down New England, 34-20. Rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw two first quarter touchdown passes as the Steelers built an 18-point lead, and the game was never in doubt. Former Boise State defensive tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen contributed three tackles and a quarterback pressure that forced a key interception thrown by New England’s Tom Brady.
The Patriots’ run had encompassed their Super Bowl XXXVIII championship—they’d recover from this setback to beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. The streak had started with a 38-30 win over the Tennessee Titans more than a year earlier. The 2007 Patriots would almost do it again, as they went 16-0 in the regular season and won their first two playoff games before being upset 17-14 by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.
Which brings us to this: the previous NFL record had been held by the 1972 Miami Dolphins (unless you count 18-game streaks by the Chicago Bears in 1933-34 and 1941-42). The Dolphins did something that hasn’t been duplicated since the AFL-NFL merger, going 17-0 and finishing the undefeated season with a 14-7 victory over Washington in Super Bowl VII. It was even more remarkable when you consider that star quarterback Bob Griese was injured in Week 5, and Earl Morrall stepped in to help win the next 10 games. Griese didn’t return until the AFC Championship game—and then started the Super Bowl.
Who remembers that the Green Bay Packers are now second in NFL history with a 19-game winning streak? The Packers did it in 2010-11, wrapping it around their win in Super Bowl XLV over Pittsburgh. That is still quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ only championship. Former Boise State stars Daryn Colledge and Korey Hall were both in on the first six of those wins, but both signed with other teams after the Super Bowl (Colledge with Arizona and Hall with New Orleans).
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
Watch more Sports:
See KTVB sports coverage in our YouTube playlist:
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET NEWS FROM KTVB:
Download the KTVB News Mobile App
Apple iOS: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Watch news reports for FREE on YouTube: KTVB YouTube channel
Stream Live for FREE on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching 'KTVB'.
Stream Live for FREE on FIRE TV: Search ‘KTVB’ and click ‘Get’ to download.
