Tag Archives: Pittsburgh Steelers

1997 Game 173 (Week 13) Pittsburgh at Philadelphia

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Steelers snap a 3-game losing streak in Philly

The game wasn’t pretty, but the Pittsburgh Steelers snapped their 3-game losing streak in a 17-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at Veteran’s Stadium.

The story of this game was the unrelenting pressure from the Steeler defense. They harassed and sacked Eagles’ QB Bobby Hoying all day long. The Steelers sacked Hoying six times, one which caused Hoying to lose a fumble. The Steeler defense also picked Hoying off once because of a big pass rush.

On the offensive side, the Steelers pounded the rock. RB Jerome Bettis rushed for 108 yards on 29 carries. Conversely, the Eagles rushed for 91 yards with Ricky Watters rushing for 42 on 18 carries and a TD.

QB Kordell Stewart had a so-so game. He only threw for 44 yards but tossed two TD passes to WR Yancy Thigpen. On the season, Thigpen has caught 76 passes for 1,397 yards and 11 TDs.

The Steelers, now 8-4, are trying to catch the Bengals for the division lead, but currently have an AFC Wildcard position. Next Sunday, the Steelers travel to Phoenix to take on the Cardinals at Sun Devil Stadium. As for the Eagles, they are now 5-7 and will host the Bengals at Veteran’s Stadium.

1997 Game 173 Stats

1997 Game 153 (Week 12) Cincinnati at Pittsburgh

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Bengals shock the Steelers in OT; Take Division Lead

Five weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers were running away with the AFC Central division, had an undefeated season, and were among the elite in the NFL. Then they met up with a 3-3 Cincinnati Bengals team and lost, 26-11. Since then, the Steelers have been going in one direction, while the Bengals were going another.

On Sunday, the two teams faced off each other again, but this time it was for the lead in the AFC Central. The Steelers lost 3 of their last four and were 7-3, while the Bengals won 5 of their last six and were coming into the game at 6-4. The winner would take control of the division.

To start the game, Steelers’ QB Kordell Stewart was horrible. He threw two picks on the Steelers’ first two drives, and they were down immediately 13-0. The Bengals scored on RB Corey Dillons’ 4-yard run and then QB Jeff Blake hit WR Carl Pickens on a 24-yard TD pass. Pelfrey missed the extra point on the first drive, so the Bengals held a 13-0 lead.

The Steelers usual explosive offense was held to just 82 first half yards and the Steelers trailed at halftime 16-3. The Steelers got a field goal in the third to make it 16-6, but the action picked up in the final quarter.

Jerome Bettis caught a short 4-yard pass from Stewart and blasted through for a touchdown cutting the lead to 16-13. Then the Bengals answered when Kijana Carter raced through the Steelers’ defense for a 62-yard touchdown run, 23-13. After a Steeler field goal, the Steelers tied the game on another Bettis receiving touchdown with 2:30 minutes remaining to send the game into overtime.

In the extra period, both teams squandered their first drives, but the Bengals didn’t disappoint on the next. On a third and long, Blake hit tight end Tony McGee, who broke free and ran down to the Steeler’s 2-yard line. The Bengals didn’t mess around. They sent in Doug Pelfrey, who calmly kicked the 19-yard game-winning field goal.

The Bengals are now in first place in the division tied with the Steelers with a 7-4 record, but the Bengals have the tie breaker due to winning both head-to-head matchups. Next week, the Bengals host Jacksonville, while the Steelers, now losing 4 out of the last 5, head to Philadelphia to try to right the ship.

1997 Game 153 Stats

1997 Game 149 (Week 11) Baltimore at Pittsburgh

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Ravens shock the Steelers on Sunday Night Football

Not too many experts gave the Baltimore Ravens a shot at beating the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night at Three Rivers Stadium. The Ravens have dropped four straight games, and the Steelers were angry after getting pummeled last Monday Night at Kansas City. Many experts thought the Steelers would take their frustrations out on the Ravens, but that’s not what happened. The Ravens shocked the football world and beat the Steelers 13-6.

The Ravens got some power running on offense and their defense bent but didn’t break. The Ravens racked up 131 yards on the ground and controlled the ball; however, the Steelers moved the ball but went 0-5 in scoring TDs in the Red Zone and that was the difference in the game.

The Ravens’ defense did give up some big plays to the Steelers in the pass game, however, they held the Steelers to just 29 yards on the ground. The Ravens stuffed Steelers’ running back Jerome Bettis as he carried the ball 14 times but netted only 18 yards of rushing.

The Ravens finally got their ground game going with the two-headed monster of RBs Bam Morris and Earnest Byner. Morris rushed for 63 yards and the lone TD in the game, while Byner chipped in 52 yards on 14 carries.

Ravens’ QB Vinny Testaverde didn’t have a great game, but he managed to not turn the ball over and that was huge. Testaverde threw for just 160 yards and completed just 44% of his 32 attempts.

As for Kordell Stewart, he continued to impress with his abilities. He threw for 310 yards on 22 of 32 passing; however, he did make a huge mistake midway through the fourth quarter. He thew an interception in the endzone to thwart another Steeler drive.

The Ravens’ defense had a goal line stand, an interception in the end zone and held the Steelers to 2 out of 3 field goals in the Red Zone. That was the key to victory.

On a side note, WR Yancy Thigpen continues to have a career-year. He caught 8 passes for 137 yards in this game. On the season, Thigpen has 70 receptions for 1,361 yards and 9 TDs in just 10 games this year.

The Steelers are now 7-3 on the season but they have lost 3 of their last four games. Next week, they have a humongous showdown for control of the AFC Central as they host the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are just one game out first place with a 6-4 record and they beat the Steelers, 26-11, three weeks ago. The winner will take control of the division.

As for the Ravens, they have a favorable schedule down the stretch of the season and might have a chance to climb into the Wildcard hunt in the AFC. They are 4-6 now and they host two NFC East opponents in the next two weeks in Philadelphia and Arizona.

1997 Game 149 Stats