New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady scrambles out of the pocket during the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium. PICTURE: USA TODAY Sports

By Ed Bouchette/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Tom Brady could not be stopped by Roger Goodell or the Steelers defense, which said it had a plan to throw his All-Pro tight end, Rob Gronkowski, off his game.
Their plan did not include him catching three of the four touchdown passes Brady threw as the Patriots rubbed the NFL’s noses in Spygate, Deflategate and anything else anyone could dig up by beating the Steelers yet again, 28-21. Brady ran his record to 8-2 all-time against the Steelers, and 4-0 at home.
“It was a pretty special night, so I was excited,” Brady said. “Our whole team was excited. We haven’t had one of these games for a long time.”
Midway through the fourth quarter Patriots fans chanted loudly “Where is Roger,” in reference to the NFL commissioner whose four-game suspension of Brady for his alleged involvement in deflating footballs last season was thrown out by a federal judge, allowing the quarterback to play in the opener. Goodell did not attend the NFL’s Kickoff Classic.
And did he ever play. Brady completed 19 straight passes at one point, a franchise record. In the meantime, Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier told ESPN last week that the key to stopping Gronkowski was to jam him and throw him off his rhythm.
That did not happen, not nearly, as Gronkowski lit up the scoreboard. He caught five passes for 94 yards.
Brady completed 25 of 32 for 288 yards and no interceptions.
The Steelers made it look closer when Ben Roethlisberger threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown with two seconds to go.
DeAngelo Williams played well in the Steelers loss with 21 carries for 127 yards while starting for the suspended Le’Veon Bell. Another newcomer, kicker Josh Scobee, missed his first two field goal attempts from 44 and 46 yards, although he made his next two. Roethlisberger completed 26 of 38 passes for 351 yards and one fourth-quarter interception. Brown caught nine of them for 133 yards. Scobee, who missed both in the first half, kicked his second in a row, from 24 yards, as the Steelers cut New England’s lead to 21-14 with 11:39 left in the game.
They failed to make it closer, however, after getting a first down at the one.
The Patriots came right back for a score behind Gronkowski again. Brady found him wide open on the first play of the next drive for a 52-yard pass completion. Then, on a 19-yard pass to former Pitt back Dion Lewis, safety Mike Mitchell stripped the ball from him but Gronkowski pounced on it. It was first ruled a touchdown but replay put it back at the one.
No problem. On third down from the one, Brady threw a fade to Gronkowski, who hauled it in over linebacker Terence Garvin for his third touchdown and a 28-14 New England lead with 9:20 to go.
The Steelers scored their first touchdown of the season but trailed the 21-11 after three quarters.
Brady’s 16th consecutive pass completion marked his third touchdown toss of the night, a 1-yarder to tight end Scott Chandler. That put New England in front 21-3 in the third quarter.
It completed another long drive of 80 yards on nine plays to open the second half. The biggest play was a 28-yard pass interference penalty against cornerback Cortez Allen that put the ball at the one. Allen did not start in favor of Antwon Blake but played in the nickel defense Thursday.
The Steelers scored their first touchdown of the season with 6:43 left in the third quarter. Williams got things going with a 28-yard run and then Ben Roethlisberger connected with Brown for another 33 yards.
Williams ran it down to the one on three straight plays from the 34 before Will Johnson banged it in from there.
Roethlisberger’s pass to Markus Wheaton converted the two points and New England led 21-11.
Gronkowski caught two touchdown passes from Brady to give New England a 14-3 halftime lead.
The Steelers went nose-to-nose with the Patriots on offense, piling up 212 total yards to 200 for New England. But mistakes and a strange call on offense that had Brown attempting a pass on the first series that had momentum set them back as did Scobee’s two missed field goals.
Gronkowski caught touchdown passes of 16 and six yards, one over cornerback Antwon Blake and the second over safeties Will Allen and Mike Mitchell.
The favored Patriots led 14-0 as Scobee missed his first two field goal tries in the first half, one from 44 and the second from 46, both wide right.
They let him try a third time and he made it from 44 yards with three seconds left in the half. That came two plays after Darrius Heyward-Bey caught Roethlisberger’s 26-yard pass in the end zone -- except his right foot was just out of bounds as he hauled it in and waived off.
The first quarter was scoreless, but the Steelers cost themselves points on their opening drive that started with so much promise. They reached a first down at New England’s 24 behind the running of Williams and two Roethlisberger pass completions.
However, on first down from there, they tried a trick play. Instead of having Roethlisberger throw it, he handed off to Brown, who tried to pass but was sacked for a loss of eight. A holding penalty on the next play put them back to the 42.
Scobee eventually missed a 44-yarder to end that series.