PITTSBURGH — The New England Patriots didn't totally silence Anthony Smith.

Despite a 34-13 loss Sunday to New England that revealed significant flaws in the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense and their game plan, Smith says he is certain they will see the Patriots again in the playoffs.

That raises this question: If that happens, will the Patriots hear the Steelers again?

Smith, the Steelers' free-talking free safety, guaranteed a win over New England but couldn't deliver on it. By doing so, Smith helped reignite a Patriots team that, after barely winning at Baltimore the week before, was starting to look weary and worn down by its pursuit of a perfect season.

With Smith's words clearly on their mind, quarterback Tom Brady and some other Patriots yelled at Smith throughout the game, and coach Bill Belichick tossed in some well-chosen words of his own afterward.

Asked about how Smith was tricked into allowing a long touchdown catch by Jabar Gaffney on a gadget play, Belichick said, "The safety play at that position was pretty inviting."

Give Belichick five yards for piling on.

Even worse for the Steelers: The trick play, which began with Brady flipping the ball to Randy Moss behind the line of scrimmage before getting it back to throw downfield, was a mirror image of one Pittsburgh ran while beating the Bengals 31-17 in a playoff game two years ago.

Losing to the Patriots was bad enough for the Steelers. Losing on their own play made it even worse.

Still, Smith wasn't reluctant afterward to discuss his much-publicized remarks, which led some of the remaining fans in Gillette Stadium to chant "guar-an-tee, guar-an-tee" as the game wound down.

Smith's take: the Steelers didn't play well, but there's always next month.

"We will see them again," Smith said.

However, the Patriots' second-half domination during their sixth victory in seven games against Pittsburgh exposed the size of the gap between the two teams. After leading only 14-13 late in the second quarter, the Patriots outscored the Steelers 20-0 the rest of the way.

"If that (game) is the measuring stick, we're not close," coach Mike Tomlin said.

"If we come back (to New England), we are going to be ready, I know that for sure," right tackle Willie Colon said.

Before they concern themselves with that, the Steelers (9-4) probably should be worrying about coming back strong Sunday against Jacksonville (9-4) in the first of two games in five days. They play again at St. Louis (3-10) in a Thursday night game on Dec. 20.