PITTSBURGH -- The New England Patriots' improbable win over the Pittsburgh Steelers was capped off by Duron Harmon's interception of a tipped pass by cornerback Eric Rowe, which had the defenders recapping the stunning turn of events in a joyous, postgame, locker room scene.

Some were expecting a spike on the play, but they were prepared for anything.

"There was a lot of urgency on that last play," recalled Rowe of the Steelers' rushing to the line and snapping the ball on third-and-7 with nine seconds left. "Everybody was in panic mode trying to get lined up, and I see Big Ben fake it, and I was like, 'Oh, they are running a play.' I got my eyes on the receiver and noticed he was doing a slant. I didn't really think he was going to throw it because I was right on his hip. He threw it, and I was like, 'I need to break this up. Boom!'"

Rowe explained that he was supposed to be the inside corner (called the "star"), but since he was the only player wide on the defensive left side, he stayed on the outside receiver, as fellow cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Malcolm Butler were on the opposite side of the formation.

Rowe got his hands on it but feared the worst.

"I thought they caught it, I was like, 'Oh my god," he relayed. "But we came down with it. I was ecstatic."

Harmon, who seems to have a knack for closing out big wins, gathered in the ricochet.

"Eric Rowe made a great play, and I was just there to clean it up," he said, before adding: "Everyone was aware, no one took a play off, everybody was locked on their man, and that's all you can ask for."

Roethlisberger wondered after the game if the Steelers should have spiked the ball. From the Patriots' perspective, they viewed the play as a fake spike, which they see at times in practice.

"I think us just being alert helped us out a lot," safety Devin McCourty said. "There are only a couple of routes they can do. It's either got to be an incomplete pass or a touchdown. You just really want to get on your guy because if they hold it too long, it's a tough play to make because you can't take a sack."