Game 119. Pittsburgh at Kansas City
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Tag Archives: Pittsburgh Steelers
Game 106. San Diego at Pittsburgh
Game 88. Pittsburgh at N.Y. Giants
1997 Game 198 (Week 15) Denver at Pittsburgh
Defenses dominate the day in Broncos/Steelers matchup
With talent like John Elway, Kordell Stewart, Jerome Bettis, Terrell Davis, Rod Smith and Yancy Thigpen on the field on Sunday at Three Rivers Stadium, many predicted a high-scoring game as the 11-2 Denver Broncos took on the 9-4 Pittsburgh Steelers; however, that wasn’t the story. The two defenses showed up and the Game of the Day turned into a defensive war with the Steelers winning 13-3.
The top two running backs in the AFC coming into the game were Terrell Davis and Jerome Bettis. With the defenses focusing on the superstars, they both had their lowest outputs of the season. Davis was held to just 30 yards rushing on 16 carries. Bettis didn’t fare any better as he was held to 21 yards on 16 carries.
The backup running backs proved to be the difference in the game. Steeler running back George Jones had 51 yards on 10 carries, while Fred McAfee had the only TD in the game on the 4-yard plunge.
Bronco QB John Elway was pummeled all day long. He was sacked twice but the constant pressure forced him to throw three interceptions. One of the interceptions was costly as it occurred deep in Steeler territory. Elway was limited to just 183 yards on 14 of 38 passing.
The Steelers did get some big plays from QB Kordell Stewart who threw for 217 yards, but he was sacked four times, had a fumbled lost and intercepted once. Yancy Thigpen did have five catches for 110 yards to continue his awesome season.
The Broncos are now 11-3 on the season and travel to San Francisco next Monday to take on the 49ers in another heavyweight fight. The Steelers retook the AFC Central lead as the Bengals lost on Thursday night. The Steelers are now 10-4 and will travel to New England for a big-time showdown with the Patriots.
Game 74. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
1997 Game 192 (Week 14) Pittsburgh at Arizona
Defense keeps Steelers in pace with the Bengals
Earlier in the day, the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, so the Pittsburgh Steelers had to beat the Arizona Cardinals in the desert to keep pace with the division-leading Bengals. The Steelers did thanks in part to their defense as they are now 9-4 with a 28-20 victory.
The Steelers have lived on two things all season long…big plays from QB Kordell Stewart and a dominating defense. They got both on this Sunday.
The first big play came with the Steelers trailing 3-0 in the game. Stewart scrambled right and threw a bomb deep into the Cardinal endzone. WR Courtney Hawkins ran under the pass for a 41-yard TD reception giving the Steelers a 7-3 lead in the 1st quarter.
The second big play came when the Steelers were trailing 10-7 in the second quarter. Stewart avoided a sack from DT Eric Swann and scrambled through the Arizona defense for a 49-yard touchdown run giving the Steelers a 14-10 lead at halftime.
The third big play came when the Steelers were in trouble as they were trailing 20-14 midway through the fourth quarter. After the defense forced a Cardinal punt, Stewart threw another bomb! This time WR Yancy Thigpen ran under this one and raced 82 yards for a touchdown to give the Steelers a 21-20 lead!
The final big play came from the Steelers’ defense. After the Thigpen TD, the Cardinals took over and was forced with a third-down play. QB Jake Plummers’ pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage, and it was picked off by cornerback Donnell Woolford, who returned the pick 16-yards for a touchdown. The Steelers won the game 28-20.
With the victory, the Steelers are tied with the Bengals for the AFC Central lead, but the Bengals hold the tiebreaker because the Bengals swept the Steelers in their head-to-head meetings. The Steeles have a huge game next week as they host the Denver Broncos. The Cardinals are now 2-11 and will face the Redskins at home in a huge game for the Skins.
