PITTSBURGH – The New England Patriots arrived in Pittsburgh wearing the mantel of defending Super Bowl champions, and then last Sunday night they played up to that standard.

The Patriots took control of the AFC Championship Game early by building a 24-3 halftime lead, and they withstood every Steelers challenge in the second half along the way to a 41-27 win and a berth in Super Bowl XXXIX on Feb. 6 in Jacksonville.

In an eerie bit of irony, the Patriots’ first half lead was identical to the first-half lead the Steelers built in the Oct. 31 game between the teams that they won, 34-20.

One week after throwing two interceptions against the New York Jets, Ben Roethlisberger had another difficult outing against the Patriots. This time he threw three interceptions, one of which was returned 87 yards for a touchdown by Rodney Harrison, and that gave the Patriots that 24-3 halftime lead.

"That was at least a 10-point swing, maybe more," said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. "Rodney undercut the tight end on the out-route, and he got a nice block from Mike Vrabel at the end (of the return). Rodney has been a big player for us all year, and he stepped up again in the big game and made another one."

Another player who came up big for the Patriots was quarterback Tom Brady. After throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble in the Steelers regular season win over the Patriots, Brady played more like the two-time Super Bowl MVP that he is.

Brady completed 14-of-21 for 207 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He was especially effective on his deep passes, with Deion Branch catching one for 45 yards and another for a 60-yard touchdown. Brady now is 8-0 as a starting quarterback in the playoffs.

"Tom, to me, is kind of the same guy every day and every game," said Belichick. "Not every play is perfect, but most of them are pretty good, and he’s very well prepared. He’s a smart and tough guy and a great competitor. He seems like he’s always ready to play. I don’t think the magnitude of the game or the crowd noise or the situation bothers him. He’s able to focus on what he has to do, and usually does a pretty good job on it."

Roethlisberger came into the conference championship game riding a 15-game winning streak as the starting quarterback, but it all fell apart quickly against the Patriots.

His first pass of the game was high and behind Antwaan Randle El, and Patriots safety Eugene Wilson made the interception that set up the Patriots on a field goal drive that gave them a 3-0 lead. Things didn’t get appreciably better for him during the rest of a first half in which he completed 5-of-10 for 77 yards, a first half that also included Harrison’s interception return for a touchdown.

"Ben did some things well, but you can’t throw three interceptions, not in a game of this magnitude, and not one for a touchdown," said Coach Bill Cowher. "When you get into the red zone, you would like to think you would come away with a minimum of three points. We got down there, and we gave up seven. That’s like a 10-point swing at that point. The kid will learn. He’s going to be a good quarterback."

Brady already is a good quarterback, and he has a chance to quarterback the Patriots to three Super Bowl championships in four years.

The Steelers had hoped to avenge their loss to the Patriots in the 2001 AFC Championship Game at Heinz Field, and things seemed to be falling in place for them to do just that.

The Patriots were coming off an emotional win over the Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional Playoffs, while the Steelers needed a couple of missed field goals by Doug Brien to get past the New York Jets.

The Steelers were riding a franchise-best 15-game winning streak, and they had become one of just four teams in NFL history to finish 15-1 in the regular season. Add to that the fact they had defeated the Patriots handily in the regular season, and it seemed incongruous that they were underdogs for an AFC Championship Game they were playing at home.

"Going into the game, I really felt like it was our time to win," said Joey Porter. "It’s one of those games where I wish I had the answers for you, but I really don’t. They out-played us today. That’s the first time this year I can say we were outplayed by a team.

"It just happened at the wrong time. We had everything we needed. The game was at home. We had a great game plan. It’s just real hard for a team to fight back after being down by 21. It was kind of the reverse of what we did to them in the first game. They got all the turnovers and the returns for touchdowns. We jumped on them pretty quick (in the regular season game), and that’s what they did to us this time."