JuJu Smith-Schuster’s 69-yard catch and run couldn’t save the Steelers vs. the Patriots

The Pittsburgh Steelers faced long odds after the New England Patriots took a 27-24 lead with less than a minute left in their AFC-deciding showdown. Then a rookie made them much, much shorter.

JuJu Smith-Schuster took a simple short crossing route 69 yards to baffle the Patriot defense and set the Steelers up with a first-and-goal situation with 34 seconds to play.

The Steelers appeared to have taken the lead on the next play when tight end Jesse James crashed into the end zone, but replays showed he failed to control the ball all the way to the ground. Instead of giving the Patriots the ball down by three or four points with 28 seconds to play, Pittsburgh had to try again.

The next play was a short pass over the middle that kept the clock running, and the follow-up was a disheveled slant into the end zone that got batted up into the air and then into Patriot safety Duron Harmon’s hands, effectively ending the game.

That decision will leave a big “what-if” for the Steelers heading into the postseason. Roethlisberger could have spiked the ball to stop the clock and kick a field goal to settle for overtime, but the Patriots’ offense was clicking, and a bad coin toss could have extinguished Pittsburgh’s hopes of victory before they even touched the ball. Instead, the veteran quarterback took a calculated risk. It just failed to pay off.

What this means for the Patriots: New England clinched its ninth-straight AFC East title by improving to 11-3 on the season. More importantly, it sent its biggest conference rival a message by escaping a hostile Heinz Field with a win. The Patriots now hold the No. 1 seed in in the AFC and control their own destiny with games against the Bills and Jets looming at Gillette Stadium.

What this means for the Steelers: The Steelers still own the AFC North title and have a great opportunity to earn a first-round bye by winning out to finish the 2017 regular season. Losing to the Patriots, the team they’ll likely face in the conference title game, is a frustrating blow, but not one they can’t overcome. Sunday’s loss is the kind of defeat that could fuel Pittsburgh to a long postseason run.