The Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots are not traditional rivals, but over the past quarter century the two franchises have been part of some memorable games that have usually had Super Bowl ramifications. 

Before the two teams face off in Foxborough on Sunday night, let's take a look at some notable Steelers-Patriots games that helped shape what has become a modern-day rivalry. To watch the matchup between the only two NFL franchises with six Super Bowls, the game will be shown on NBC at 8:20 p.m. ET, and you can stream on Fubo TV (try for free) and follow on the CBS Sports App.

1974: Steelers dynasty begins with momentum-altering victory

There were several notable games during the early '70s that altered the Steelers' fortunes forever. Franco Harris' Immaculate Reception in 1972 that gave Pittsburgh their first playoff victory is one of them. The Steelers' victory over the Oakland Raiders in the '74 AFC Championship Game -- the first of four AFC championship wins for the Steelers during the decade -- is another game longtime Steelers fans point to when discussing when the team's dynasty truly began. 

But another game that should be mentioned with these two is Pittsburgh's victory over the Patriots in New England during Week 13 of the '74 season. After an ugly loss at home to the Houston Oilers, Joe Greene, the team's leader who would win his second Defensive Player of the Year honor that season, was so disgusted that he temporarily quit the team. But after an offensive assistant talked him out of it, Greene returned and was on the field when Pittsburgh faced a talented Patriots team in Foxborough with a division title at stake. 

After falling behind early, the Steelers would go onto score 21 of the game's final 31 points while clinching their second AFC Central division crown in three years. Pittsburgh's Steel Curtain defense held the Patriots to under 200 total yards, while Harris gashed New England's defense to the tune of 136 yards and a score on 29 carries. 

The win not only gave the Steelers a division title, it gave Pittsburgh the confidence it needed heading into the postseason. 

"It felt so wonderful," Harris said of that win during a 2006 interview with NFL Films. "It was like a big load off our shoulders." 

"I think what we were happy about was not necessarily winning the division," Greene added, "but beating a good team on the road and looking good doing it." 

The game was also significant because of the changes Pittsburgh made to their lineup. After spending the season shuffling quarterback Terry Bradshaw in and out of the lineup, head coach Chuck Noll stuck with Bradshaw -- a future first ballot Hall of Famer -- from that point forward. 

"There was just a new spirit," Harris said. "Now we're starting again; a brand new season. Plus we have our people in place. Win or lose, this is who we have." 

The Steelers wouldn't lose again, defeating O.J. Simpson's Buffalo Bills, John Madden's Raiders and Bud Grant's Minnesota Vikings en route to winning the franchise's first of six Vince Lombardi Trophies. 

1996: Patriots crush Steelers in first playoff matchup 

The Steelers' troubles with the Patriots didn't begin when Bill Belichick took over the reins as New England's head coach at the turn of the century. They began on Jan. 5, 1997, when Belichick was an assistant on Bill Parcells' staff that blew out Pittsburgh in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. 

While the Steelers were the defending AFC champions, they were no match against a Patriots team that would go onto represent the AFC in Super Bowl XXXI. While talented, the '96 Steelers lacked a franchise quarterback following Neil O'Donnell's departure the previous offseason. Pittsburgh was also playing without All-Pro linebacker Greg Lloyd, who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1. The Steelers' biggest acquisition that offseason, running back Jerome Bettis, was playing through an injury. 

New England, playing in its first-ever home playoff game, exploited each of Pittsburgh's weakness throughout their 28-3 victory. They started by testing Rod Woodson, a Hall of Fame cornerback who was not quite himself that season after coming back from a serious knee injury. On New England's first offense snap, Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe went right at Woodson, with rookie sensation Terry Glenn getting behind him on a 53-yard pass. The play not only set up Curtis Martin's 2-yard touchdown run, but it also set the tone for a game that was controlled by the home team from start to finish. 

The Patriots scored touchdowns on three of their first four possessions to put the game on ice less than five minutes into the second quarter. Martin, a Pittsburgh native, scored all three touchdowns while rushing for a franchise playoff record 166 yards. 

The Steelers, like the weather that day, were in a fog throughout the contest. And while the Patriots maintained their dominance throughout the game, Pittsburgh linebacker Chad Brown confirmed to Sports Illustrated afterwords that the game's opening minutes is what truly decided the outcome. 

"They," Brown said of the Patriots, "became the dictators."

1997: Steelers settle the score 

Pittsburgh's sour end to the 1996 season remained with the team at the start of the '97 season. The Steelers, one of the preseason favorites to emerge as the AFC champions by season's end, stumbled to a 1-2 start behind the erratic play of new starting quarterback Kordell Stewart. But after a rocky start, Stewart and the Steelers found their footing and would enter their Week 15 matchup in New England with a 9-4 record. 

The Patriots, with Pete Carroll in his first season as head coach, were also finding their way after a slow start to the season. After a 6-5 start, the Patriots reeled off three consecutive victories entering their home date with Pittsburgh in a game that would decide which team would remain in the running to receive one of the AFC's two first-round playoff byes. 

New England, like it had months earlier against the Steelers, roared out of the gates, taking an early 14-0 lead despite playing without an injured Martin. But unlike January's playoff game, Stewart, Bettis and the rest of the Steelers fought back, cutting their deficit to one point with 13 minutes remaining. 

And that's when things really got interesting. 

With the Patriots needing a spark, Dave Meggett, the smallest player on the field at 5-foot-7 and 190 pounds, delivered it when he caught a pass that wasn't even intended for him. While the intended receiver, Shawn Jefferson, was blanketed by a Pittsburgh defensive back, an unguarded Meggett darted in front of Bledsoe's pass, caught it, then proceeded to out-muscle Steelers linebacker Levon Kirkland -- arguably the NFL's biggest linebacker -- into the end zone to give New England a 21-13 lead. 

While the Foxborough Stadium crowd celebrated, the Steelers received the gift of all gifts when the Patriots elected to throw on third-and-6 from midfield with just over two minutes left. Bledsoe's pass was picked off by Kevin Henry, who returned it to the Patriots' 18-yard-line. 

Stewart -- who failed to complete each of his 10 pass attempts in January's playoff debacle -- and receiver Yancey Thigpen continued the drama when the duo connected on a fourth down pass with just over a minute left. Following Stewart's 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Bruener three plays later, Thigpen tied the score when he made a sliding catch on Pittsburgh's 2-point attempt. 

Foxborough Stadium, which was in a frenzied pitch for most of the night, watched in stunned silence as Stewart's 41-yard completion to wideout Courtney Hawkins set up Norm Johnson's game-winning field goal attempt in overtime. Pittsburgh, which would go onto secure the AFC's second playoff bye, would later defeat Carroll's Patriots in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. 

2001: A Patriots dynasty is born

To say the Steelers overlooked the Patriots prior to the 2001 AFC Championship Game would be an emphatic understatement. Pittsburgh, 13-3 during the regular season, was a double-digit favorite to defeat Belichick's Patriots (who needed the Tuck Rule to escape Jon Gruden's Raiders in the divisional playoff round) to advance to Super Bowl XXXVI. 

Little did anyone know what was to come. 

The fired-up Patriots raced out to a 21-3 lead that included two touchdowns on special teams. Their only touchdown on offense came from the right arm of Bledsoe, who replaced an injured Brady after Tom Brady was hit low during the first half. Bledsoe, who lost his starting job to Brady after suffering a serious injury in Week 3, hit David Patton for a touchdown that gave New England a shocking 14-3 halftime lead. 

Pittsburgh, playing with a banged up Bettis at running back, eventually got off the canvas, as Stewart led two third quarter scoring drives to pull Pittsburgh to within four points. 

That was as close as the Steelers got, as two late interceptions sealed New England's upset victory and first Super Bowl appearance of the Belichick era. 

"You never disrespect anybody," Patriots safety Lawyer Milloy said of the Steelers' premature Super Bowl plans, via The Boston Globe. "You just make it hard on yourself. I'm just surprised the veterans on that team didn't shut the younger guys' mouths on that team. It was a momentum-builder for us. We rallied around that, and in the end we were the AFC champions."

The Patriots followed up their victory over Pittsburgh with an even more improbable upset win in Super Bowl XXXVI. A 14-point underdog to the St. Louis Rams, the Patriots unleashed a physical defense that held the Rams to just three points through three quarters. The Patriots withstood the Rams' comeback bid when Adam Vinatieri drilled a 44-yard, game-winning field goal as time expired. It would be the first of three Super Bowls in a four-year span for New England. 

2004: Big Ben strikes midnight on Patriots' historic streak 

New England was a dynasty in the making heading into their matchup with the Steelers midway through the 2004 season. On Halloween, the visiting Patriots put their record 21-game winning streak to the test against the Steelers, who were off to a surprising 5-1 start with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the midst of a record setting rookie season. 

Pittsburgh, motivated to show it was a team on the rise, immediately took advantage of a Patriots team that was playing without injured playmakers Corey Dillon and Deion Branch. Brady was unable to overcome the absence of his top two weapons, as his pick-six to Pittsburgh corner Deshea Townsend gave the Steelers a 21-3 second quarter lead. 

While Brady was playing without a full house, Big Ben was armed with a stacked deck. Complemented by an offense that featured Bettis, fellow running back Duce Staley and receivers Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress, Roethlisberger threw two quick touchdown passes to Burress while setting the tone for the game. 

With Heinz Field in a celebratory mood, the Steelers sat on their lead in the second half, with Bettis and Staley gaining most of Pittsburgh's 196 rushing yards the Steelers' 34-20 victory. Pittsburgh's win is not only remembered as Big Ben's coming out party, it also signified the end of the Patriots' historic winning streak. 

While the Steelers would finish the season with a 15-1 record, the Patriots would have the last laugh in the AFC title game, defeating Pittsburgh with ease before winning their third Super Bowl of the decade. 

2017: The touchdown that wasn't 

The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New England Patriots in Week 15 of the 2017 season. Until they didn't. 

Pittsburgh, trailing by a field goal and facing first and goal at New England's 10-yard-line with 34 seconds left, appeared to score the game-winning touchdown when Jesse James crossed the goal line after reeling in Roethlisberger's pass. After initialing signaling a touchdown, the game's head official -- upon further review -- determined that James did not "survive the ground" while overruling the initial call on the field. 

The Steelers never recovered. Two plays later, a hesitant Big Ben threw an errant pass that was tipped and intercepted by Duron Harmon, sealing New England's 27-24 win. The Patriots ended up securing home field advantage throughout the playoffs, while the Steelers would earn the No. 2 seed before being upset at home by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the divisional round of the playoffs. 

James' overturned touchdown would influence a rule change during the ensuing off-season, with the league's owners voting unanimously to eliminate the need for a receiver to "survive the ground" to make a legal reception.