Then in the playoffs, as he had done so many times before, Roethlisberger rallied Pittsburgh from a halftime deficit to edge out the Ravens yet again in the teams' third matchup of the season.
Still, he shrugged off a couple of interceptions and kept fighting to get Pittsburgh back in the game. Roethlisberger's second touchdown pass and successful two-point conversion pulled the Steelers to within late in the fourth quarter. The Steelers' maligned defense needed to come up with a stop, something they hadn't done much of all day. A three-and-out would have been nice. By the time the Steelers defense held, there was little more than two minutes remaining and the deficit was now six, Roethlisberger had done it before under similar circumstances, but this time it was not meant to be.
Steelers fans were left to ponder what might have been had the defense given the ball back with more time and only a field goal being the difference. But ultimately, more damaging were the three costly turnovers.
The last one was the back-breaker with Rashard Mendenhall's fumble coming as the Steelers were driving in Packers ' territory towards the go-ahead touchdown and appearing ready to seize control of the game.
Three interceptions for a man who still ranks among the all-time leaders in lowest interception percentage for his career. O'Donnell was off the entire game, often throwing balls high and off the mark. It had been a career year for O'Donnell and his efficient passing had carried the offense all season.
Few Steelers fans will ever forget the long, picture-perfect pass along the sideline to Ernie Mills that set the Steelers up inside the 5-yard line in the closing moments of their spectacular come-from-behind victory.
O'Donnell's scatter-shot performance in the Super Bowl ruined an incredible day by the scrappy, undersized Steelers defense. Experts figured the Cowboys ' mammoth offensive line would push the Steelers' smallish front all over the field and established Dallas as point favorites.
They were wrong. Pittsburgh's lightning quick defenders were all over the field making plays and holding the league's leading rusher Emmitt Smith to only 49 yards on 18 carries. The Steelers took everything the mighty Cowboys could dish out and they just would not go away. Thanks to a gutsy, surprise onside kick call from coach Bill Cowher and some power running from big Bam Morris, the Steelers found themselves down only with remaining. They had the ball, the momentum and the Cowboys on the ropes.
They were actually going to pull this thing off. It was going to be one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history. On second down from the Steelers' yard line, Andre Hastings went inside, O'Donnell threw outside into the waiting arms of Dallas defensive back Larry Brown and the dream was over.
This loss was particularly tough to swallow for Steelers' fans being that it was the franchise's first loss in Super Bowl play and it came to the hated Cowboys. The Steelers were believed by many to be the best team Pittsburgh ever put on the field. Few can argue with the absolute dominance they displayed over the final nine games of the season.
After stumbling out of the gate at and losing Terry Bradshaw to a cheap shot from Cleveland 's Joe "Turkey" Jones, the Steelers turned to their rushing attack and a ferocious defense to turn the season around.
They led the league by churning out yards per game on the ground with both Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier going for more than 1, yards. Over the remaining nine games, the defense shut out five opponents and allowed 28 points in the other four games combined. Opposing teams struggled to get first downs and sustaining drives was nearly impossible. It was arguably the most dominant stretch of defense ever played by any team in NFL history.
The Steelers rolled into the playoffs on a nine-game winning streak and looking every bit unstoppable. Their opponents in the divisional playoff, the brash, young Baltimore Colts were not impressed. The Colts maintained that the Steelers had not played anyone and certainly had not faced a team with an offense like their top-ranked unit.
The victory came at a heavy price. Both Harris and Bleier were lost to injuries. That left Pittsburgh with only one healthy running back for its showdown with the rugged Oakland Raiders. Coach Chuck Noll and his staff were forced to install a whole new offense, a one-back attack featuring four receiver sets, for the AFC Championship Game and they would have one week to learn it.
Understandably, this put the Steelers at a huge disadvantage. Right from the start, the Steelers offense appeared out of sync, sometimes confused. The Raiders took full advantage and jumped to a lead. Terry Bradshaw played valiantly, and with some clutch third-down passing in the second quarter he lead the Steelers on a long touchdown drive that cut the deficit to But the Raiders were able to take advantage of a defensive holding penalty on the Steelers on what would have been a third down incompletion that set them up with a first down inside the Steelers' 5-yard line just before the half.
Ken Stabler's touchdown pass on the next play made the halftime score instead of In the third quarter, the Steelers' offense continued to struggle and the vaunted Steel Curtain defense began to wear down from constantly being on the field. Oakland's long touchdown drive against a tired Steelers defense made the score and effectively put this game out of reach.
Afterwards, Joe Greene was adamant about the fact the Steelers would have won this game had they been at full strength. Jack Lambert wanted to play the Raiders again the following day. The fourth quarter started with a successful Steelers drive that chewed up the clock and culminated in a Franco Harris touchdown run. Dallas fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Bradshaw hit Swann on the next play for an yard touchdown pass. The Steelers had scored two touchdowns in less than a minute and led the Cowboys 35—17 with left in the game.
But the Cowboys came storming back. Staubach marched his team downfield and scored with a seven-yard pass to tight end Billy Joe DuPree. Dallas recovered the onside kick, and again Staubach willed his team down the field as the clock ticked.
Wide receiver Butch Johnson hauled in a touchdown pass with 22 seconds left in the game. Another onside kick attempt failed, and the Steelers eked out one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever played with a 35—31 win. Today, many Steelers fans regard this game as the greatest win in team history. The Rams of the s were somewhat of a low-key powerhouse.
Only the dominance of the Cowboys and Vikings kept them from reaching the big game more often. But reach the big game they did in After finishing 9—7 in the regular season, they defeated the Cowboys and the Buccaneers in the playoffs and earned the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
Rams starting quarterback Pat Haden led the team to a 5—5 record before breaking his finger. Backup Vince Ferragamo stepped in and posted a 4—1 record, good enough to get Los Angeles into the playoffs.
The Steelers were in their prime in Though the team had struggled with injuries during the regular season, by the time the Super Bowl kicked off, all hands were on deck. Bradshaw had thrown for an incredible 3, yards during the regular season.
Harris had rushed for 1, yards and 11 touchdowns. Receiver John Stallworth had hauled in 70 catches for over 1, yards and made his first All-Pro team.
A veteran defense, packed with future Steelers Hall of Famers, stood ready to demolish an underdog Rams offense. Most football pundits and oddsmakers agreed: By the time halftime came around, the Steelers were thought to be shoo-ins for their fourth Super Bowl ring.
Pittsburgh countered with a Franco Harris touchdown dive in the second quarter. The Rams put together a field-goal drive, forced a Steelers punt, and then plodded down the field for one more field goal. At halftime, the Rams led the Steelers 13— Bradshaw connected with Swann on a yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter to put Pittsburgh ahead.
Undaunted, the Rams pulled a trick out of their helmets on the next possession when halfback Lawrence McCutcheon threw to wide receiver Ron Smith for a touchdown. Frank Corral missed the extra point, and the third quarter ended with the score 19—17, Rams. One could only imagine the discussions on the Pittsburgh sidelines as the fourth quarter began. Whatever was said, the Steelers responded. Bradshaw connected with Stallworth on a yard scoring pass.
Later in the quarter, linebacker Jack Lambert intercepted Ferragamo as Los Angeles moved the ball into Pittsburgh territory. The Steelers closed out the game by plowing over an exhausted Rams defense with running backs Harris, Rocky Bleier, and Sydney Thornton.
Harris plunged into the end zone for the final score of the game with left on the clock. Though the Rams had proven that they were worthy opponents, the Steelers had won their fourth Super Bowl in six years with a final score of 31— Philip G. They dominated in the regular season with a 13—3 record and then defeated Washington and Carolina in the playoffs.
The Seahawks were a fitting opponent for the underdog Steelers who had made the playoffs as a wild-card team and reached the Super Bowl by defeating the Colts, Broncos, and Bengals, arguably the three best teams in the AFC. Alexander had rushed for an impressive 1, yards and 27 touchdowns in the regular season behind the bone-crushing blocking of Strong and a powerful Seattle offensive line.
They would face a Pittsburgh defense that was ranked third in the NFL against the run and fourth in points against. Today, Ben Roethlisberger is known as one of the top quarterbacks in Steelers history, but back in , he was a mistake-prone, second-year quarterback who needed a lot of support from a strong Steelers rushing attack and a stingy defense.
The running game and the defense both needed to step up as they had in the AFC playoffs to give Pittsburgh a shot at winning the Super Bowl. Both teams struggled to move the ball in the first quarter, until Seattle managed a yard field goal by kicker Josh Brown. Defense dominated the second quarter as well, until Roethlisberger put together a string of completions to receivers Hines Ward and Cedric Wilson that put the ball on the Seahawks' one-yard line.
The Seahawks stopped Bettis twice, then Roethlisberger carried the ball around left end on third down for the score. It was a controversial play, but after review, the touchdown stood. The Steelers took a 7—3 lead into halftime. On the second play of the third quarter, Steelers running back Willie Parker blasted off right tackle and outran the Seahawks' defense for a record-setting yard touchdown run.
This put Pittsburgh up 14—3, but Seattle stormed back later in the quarter when Hasselbeck connected with tight end Jerramy Stevens for a yard touchdown pass. With left in the game and holding a tenuous 14—10 lead, the Steelers hammered the final nail in the coffin.
On first down and with the ball on the Seattle yard line, Parker took a pitch and started left, then handed off to wide receiver Antwaan Randle El on a reverse. As he raced around right end, Randle El tossed a deep pass without breaking stride. Receiver Hines Ward hauled it in for a spectacular gadget-play touchdown.
When the clock ran down to zero, the Steelers had won their fifth Super Bowl in franchise history with a score of 21— In the decades before , the Cardinals had suffered as one of the worst teams in the NFL. Formerly hailing from Phoenix, and before that making their home in St. Louis and Chicago, "the Cards" took their lumps, year after year. That changed in when former Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt took over as head coach.
Within a year, the Cardinals had won their division, defeated the Falcons, Panthers, and Eagles in the playoffs, and made it to the Super Bowl. Arizona had added some serious offensive firepower in the years leading up to their Super Bowl appearance. In , they drafted Larry Fitzgerald, a wide receiver who would become one of the best in NFL history. In , he had earned All-Pro honors by hauling in 96 passes for 1, yards and 12 touchdowns. Fellow receivers Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston had caught 89 and 77 passes respectively, both for over 1, yards.
At the origin of those passes was Kurt Warner, an aging but still-dangerous quarterback who had been a key part of the Super Bowl-winning Rams team nearly a decade earlier. To stop the Arizona passing attack would take everything Pittsburgh had. In , the Steelers team that won the Super Bowl in remained largely intact, but with a handful of notable changes. Most significantly, Coach Bill Cowher had retired in He had taken over for the legendary Chuck Noll in After 15 seasons, Cowher had become a legend himself and played a key role in Steelers history.
For the season, Mike Tomlin—another young and fiery first-time head coach—took over. The Steelers opened the scoring with an yard Jeff Reed field goal, the only points of the first quarter for either team.
Early in the second quarter, the Steelers put together a drive that ended with a touchdown run by back Gary Russell. Warner and the Cardinals answered with a touchdown drive of their own, culminating in a one-yard scoring pass to tight end Ben Patrick. The teams traded punts, and just before the two-minute warning, Arizona linebacker Karlos Dansby intercepted Roethlisberger at Pittsburgh's yard line. Warner moved his team down to the Steelers' one-yard line and, with seconds to go in the half, seemed poised to score.
What happened next has gone down as one of the most unbelievable plays in Super Bowl history. With 18 seconds on the clock, Warner took a shotgun snap and fired the ball left to a receiver running a slant route. A convoy of Steelers ran interference, preventing the Cardinals from getting a hand on the big man as he plodded down the field. Cardinals wide receivers Fitzgerald and Breaston finally caught him at the one, and the trio collapsed into the end zone for a Steelers touchdown as time expired.
Instead of going into halftime ahead 14—10, Arizona was down 17—7. Jeff Reed added another field goal near the end of the third quarter to put the Steelers up 20—7. The championship's fourth quarter turned out to be one for the ages. Warner marched his team downfield and scored with left on the clock, making the score 20— The Steelers needed first downs but could do nothing with their next possession.
The Cardinals took over, and the Steelers' defense held, forcing a punt. Arizona punter Ben Graham pinned Pittsburgh to their one-yard line. Three plays later, Steelers center Justin Hartwig was called for holding. Warner and Fitzgerald made the Steelers pay with a yard scoring strike. With left in the game, the Steelers were suddenly down 23— Their lead, and a sure victory, had vanished.
Roethlisberger went to work, chipping away yardage with short passes to Holmes and wide receiver Nate Washington. Valuable seconds ticked away, but the Steelers were moving the ball. They eventually found themselves with first and goal on the Cardinals' six-yard line and 48 seconds on the clock. On second down, Roethlisberger came back to him once more with a perfectly placed ball, and Holmes made an incredible catch for the score.
The Steelers were ahead 27— But, Warner still had 42 seconds to work with.
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