Tom Brady, Patriots Start Season of Revenge with Statement Win over Steelers

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The chants came midway through the fourth quarter Thursday night of a fairly easy 28-21 Patriots victory over the Steelers. They were clear and loud and obnoxious. More than anything, perhaps, they were symbolic.

"Where is Ro-gah?" Clap, clap...clap, clap, clap.

Where is Roger? As in, Commissioner Roger Goodell, who declined to attend the game. Goodell, the man Patriots fans view as a Sith lord.

The chants went on for several minutes, and Tom Brady, who is being portrayed in these parts like he wears a cape, left prison with Nelson Mandela and slays dragons, didn't react when the chants were made. There was no smile. No waving. Nothing. He played on.

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That is what Brady has done throughout this insane story: played on. When the accusations of deflating footballs first erupted...he played on. When the Super Bowl came and his integrity was questioned...he played on. He won another Super Bowl by...playing on. An offseason, a preseason, a court season...play on, play on, play on.

Brady's game Thursday night wasn't just a simple matter of a football contest against the Steelers. This wasn't even solely about raising a Super Bowl banner. Sure, there were elements of celebration and joy, but more than anything, this was another indicator of what Brady and the Patriots do best, which is when the fingers are pointing, the wagons get circled. They play on.

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Oh, and yes, this game was also about revenge. If you don't think this season is about revenge, then you don't understand the mentality of this organization. Getting even is its sustenance. It hides underneath a cool exterior, but it is there.

The score will say Patriots 28, Steelers 21.

But the score really says something different. It says Patriots 28, Steelers 21, Goodell 0.

What has happened now is the fans and team have become one, forged by outside attacks, with Brady serving as Winston Churchill, rallying the team as the devils come over the hill.

Make no mistake what else this game was. This was a piece of vindication for Brady and, layered into that, also a giant middle finger to the league. Really, to the world outside of New England.

And the team is going to be fired up again after it hears what Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after the contest. He was asked about a report there was a problem with Pittsburgh's headsets.

"That's always the case," Tomlin replied.

Here, he was asked?

"Yes," he said.

When asked to clarify, Tomlin said, "I said what I said." Then when asked if his headsets went out at other stadiums, Tomlin changed the subject.

When Tomlin was asked exactly what happened, he said the coaches on their coach-to-coach headsets were listening to the Patriots' team radio broadcast for the majority of the first half.

This will again cause Patriots ire to burn like a million suns, especially since after the game Bill Belichick said the Patriots had headset issues, too. The NFL released a statement saying the Steelers' headset issues were caused by a "stadium power infrastructure issue, which was exacerbated by the inclement weather."

That sounds like some sort of warp core breach, but essentially, Tomlin's saltiness (at least for this game) isn't justified. It sounds like the headset malfunction was just that, a malfunction. Especially since the NFL is the one that provides the headset equipment, not the Patriots.

Headsets aside, Brady was, well, brilliant. He finished 25-of-32 for 288 yards and four touchdowns. He had that Brady accuracy we've always seen. It was as if nothing called Deflategate had ever happened.

The only thing that likely distracted Brady was the way Pittsburgh played Rob Gronkowski, who finished with five receptions for 94 yards and three touchdowns. The Steelers tried a novel approach in allowing Gronkowski to just roam free across the field, mostly free of jams.

Pittsburgh's defense is Jacksonvillian, this is true. The Steelers secondary couldn't cover Ted Wells. Yet it's likely Brady would have obliterated any opponent on this day. Brady and the Patriots were almost destined to win.

Consider this:

The win also means Brady set the NFL record for most wins as a starting quarterback for the same team, passing Brett Favre with 161.

Brady will always deny that extra motivation is a factor (so will the Patriots). But remember the last cheating scandal involving this team? Another 'gate? After that, the Patriots went 18-1.

After the game, Brady was calm and descriptive when talking about certain moments in the contest. But there was no trace of anything other than business. His quotes were downright boring.

What isn't boring is Brady's play. He continues to be, to me, the best to ever play the position.

And make no mistake about it: Brady and the Patriots want revenge.

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report.