Tom Brady and Heinz Field go together like ketchup and fries, and New England's quarterback painted this town red again.

Hines Ward tied the score yesterday with his second touchdown catch with 1:21 left, way too much when it's on Brady time. The two-time Super Bowl MVP completed all 12 of his fourth-quarter passes, including three for 37 yards on the drive that set up Adam Vinatieri's 43-yard field goal with one second left and a 23-20 New England victory.

"They're the Patriots," was Ward's explanation for what happened. "That's why they're champions. ... They just have Brady back there. He's the man. He's definitely the best in the league."

Brady didn't throw a touchdown pass and was sacked three times and threw one interception, but his performance was dominating. He completed 31 of 41 passes for 372 yards on a day in which his ground game produced only 79 yards and a 2.6-yard average.

But it certainly wasn't unusual, and it has happened before at Heinz Field. Brady won for the third time in four games in Pittsburgh, four in five overall against the Steelers. If there was any consolation for the Steelers, at least this loss did not come in the AFC championship game as happened twice previously against Brady's Patriots, most recently Jan. 23.

"Better now than the AFC championship or the playoffs," said Steelers halfback Willie Parker.

Parker was bottled up for the first time in his young career. His streak of 100-yard games ended at three as the Patriots opened in a 4-3 defense and stayed with it most of the game. They held Parker to 55 yards on 17 carries.

Another streak, 16 winning games in the regular season, ended for the Steelers, who fell to 2-1 to match the Patriots' early record.

"It was a great run, but, for us, it's all about where we end up for the season," Ward said. "If this loss is going to make us better, so be it."

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, under tremendous pressure from a blitzing, confusing Patriots defense, completed 12 of 28 passes and was sacked four times. But those dozen covered 216 yards, and he threw touchdown passes of 85 yards and 4 yards to Ward. He also didn't throw an interception.

The 4-yard touchdown pass ended a 51-yard drive that tied the score when all seemed lost for the Steelers. But a 23-yard interference penalty on former Steelers cornerback Chad Scott, his second of the game, came on fourth-and-11 to put the ball at the 4.

"We gave ourselves a chance to win the ballgame," Ward said.

Ward was involved in many of the key plays as both teams scored on their first possession and then spent much of the first half squandering scoring chances with turnovers.

The Patriots converted their first drive when Corey Dillon scored from the 4.

It took the Steelers precisely 15 seconds to tie it. Roethlisberger quickly snapped off a pass to Ward, who got behind the Patriots' secondary and was never touched on his way to the longest pass play in Heinz Field history at 85 yards.

"Overall, we made plays when we had to," Ward said. "We didn't make enough, though."

Ward also set up the next score. Roethlisberger threw toward him to the left, and Scott was whistled for pass interference for a 25-yard penalty. That led to Jeff Reed's 33-yard field goal and a 10-7 lead in the first quarter.

Then came a series of strange twists and turns that produced no points but plenty of drama.

The Patriots methodically marched 14 plays through the Steelers to the 14. On play No. 15, Brady completed a screen pass to Kevin Faulk on the right side with blockers and open space in front of him. But linebacker Clark Haggans fought off guard Stephen Neal's block, reached out and stripped the ball from Faulk. Larry Foote picked it up on a bounce and ran it 27 yards to the 35.

On second down, Roethlisberger struck. Antwaan Randle El caught a short pass and weaved neatly through New England's defense. Finally hemmed in near the 15, he spotted Ward following on the play and pitched him the ball. The surprised Ward, though, couldn't handle it, and New England safety Eugene Wilson recovered at the 11.

"We made eye contract," Randle El said. "If I could do it again, I think I would have kept it and tried to go in and score."

Later in the second quarter, Roethlisberger spun away from a tackle and threw the ball away, but linebacker Don Davis landed on him. Roethlisberger writhed on the ground, and it appeared his left arm was injured. He stayed down for several minutes, then slowly walked off the field.

Reed came on and kicked a 47-yard field goal. Tackle Barrett Brooks, however, was called for a false start, a 5-yard penalty. Cowher let Reed try again, but his 52-yarder was low and to the left, snapping his team record of 22 in a row.

"I slid a little bit, tried to overpower it maybe little bit," Reed said. "I'm not really worried about the streak. Breaking the record is great, but losing the game is more important to me."

The Patriots turned the ball back after reaching the Steelers' 5 when end Kimo von Oelhoffen tipped a Brady pass into the air and safety Chris Hope came down with it just before the half.

The Patriots, stung by turnovers in their loss to Carolina the previous week, continued their errant ways in the third quarter. Vinatieri, one of the most dependable kickers in the league, sent a 53-yard field-goal try wide to the left.

Then the Haggans shell exploded again. He hit Faulk on a draw, causing his second fumble of the game. That turned into a 13-7 Steelers lead when Reed started a new streak, hitting a field goal from 24 yards.

Vinatieri didn't miss the next time. He hit from 48 yards -- after a 28-yard punt return by Tim Dwight against very giving Steelers' kick coverage. That closed the Steelers' lead to 13-10 late in the third quarter.

The Patriots jumped on top, 17-13, with 10:37 to go on Dillon's 7-yard touchdown run and stretched it to 20-13 on Vinatieri's 35-yarder with 3:19 left to set up the final dramatic back-and-forth finish.

"Their quarterback, Brady, has been there before," coach Bill Cowher said. "Unfortunately, he did what he's done many times before."

A lot of those times in Heinz Field.