The Steelers will face the Denver Broncos on Saturday for the 8th time in the playoffs. That is the most times they have faced any team in the Post Season.
The Steelers beat the Broncos this season with a second half comeback. But that was against Brock Osweiler who most likely will be riding the bench this week. The Steelers will be very banged up and Ben Roethlisberger is hurting. That being said, look for a great game as the Steelers and Broncos seem to bring out the best in each other.
Here it is by the numbers:
Steelers are 11 wins against 18 losses with 1 Tie (In 1974 http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197409220den.htm)
They are 5-9-1 in the Mile High City and are 3 and 5 against the Broncos in the playoffs!
Denver 34 – Steelers 21 @Denver 12/24/77
Their first meeting was on Christmas Eve 12/24/1977 in Denver. The Broncos won a 34-21 shootout with the Broncos scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter. A pair of fourth-quarter field goals by Jim Turner broke a 21-21 tie, and Craig Morton threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Jack Dolbin to send Denver to their first AFC Championship Game against the Raiders. They would win and lose to Dallas in the Super Bowl.
Terry Bradshaw turned the ball over 3 times, twice being picked off by Tom Jackson. (Now of ESPN fame) The local papers in Denver had described this game as the “Passing of the Torch” from the Steel Curtain to the Orange Crush! It was; if you don’t count Super Bowl victories and what happened the next year!
The box score: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197712240den.htm
Steelers 33 – Denver 10 @Pittsburgh 12/30/78
In a rematch of the 1977 showdown the Steelers unloaded and routed the Broncos. Franco Harris and John Stallworth, turned in recordbreaking performances to carry the Steelers into the AFC title game with a 33-10 rout of the Denver Broncos. Harris, a six-time 1,000-yard rusher, set an NFL record of 12 career playoff touchdowns by scoring on runs of one and 18 yards. Stallworth, set a then division playoff record with 10 receptions for 156 yards, Including a leaping 46-yard TD grab in the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach.
Terry Bradshaw redeemed his poor play from the year before and lit up the Broncos for 272 yards!
“Terry Bradshuw was incredible. We knew if he got hot we’d be in trouble. And he got hot,” said Lyle Alzado, the Broncos Defensive End and Long Island Native said after the game.
* Side note the same day Woody Hayes was fired from Ohio State for punching a Clemson player!
The box score: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197812300pit.htm
Steelers 24 – Denver 17 @Denver 12/30/84
Six years to the day from their last playoff meeting the Steelers battled the Broncos again with a trip to the AFC championship on the line. The game plan was to run the ball and keep pressure on Future Hall of Famer John Elway. This was one of Chuck Noll’s greatest performances as a coach. Frank Pollard rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns, and Walter Abercrombie added 75 yards. The Steeler defense sacked Elway four times and intercepted him twice, including safety Eric Williams’ 28-yard return that set up Pollard’s clinching score with 1:59 remaining to give the Steelers the victory!
The Steelers would move onto the AFC Championship but would get mowed down by Dan Marino and the Dolphins. This would mark the last Steelers playoff appearance for 5 years.
Box Score: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198412300den.htm
Denver 24 – Steelers 23 @Denver 1/7/90
In what was the most unlikely Steelers playoff team of all time, they started the season with two losses getting crushed 92-10! The Steelers met the Broncos, after a huge upset victory over the Houston Oilers and their big mouth, moron coach Jerry Glanville. Who for reasons no one could understand thought he was a better coach than Chuck Noll!
Steelers, who had a league-low 251-yard-per-game average in the regular season gained 404 against the Broncos, who allowed the league’s fewest points. Bubby Brister matched Elway pass for pass — he was 19 of 29 for 229 yards and threw a 9-yard TD to Louis Lipps. Elway was 12 of 20 for 226 and scrambled for 44 more and threw an interception. Merril Hoge put up 180 yards including a bruising 120 on the ground.
The game slipped away in the fourth when Elway took the Broncos 71 yards in nine plays, capped by Mel Bratton’s 1-yard g o-a h e a d touchdown. Any hope for a victory vanished when Bubby Brister bobbled a snap from backup center Chuck Lanza, (Who filled in for ONE PLAY) it was recovered on the Pittsburgh 18 by Denver defensive back Randy Robbins.
Brister for all his shortcomings was a fiery player and played this game with such heart. While the loss was rough, this defense was the beginning of the Cowher Dynasty.
Box Score: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199001070den.htm
Denver 29 – Steelers 23 @Denver 1/8/12
Tim Tebow’s first and only playoff win was a raucous affair as he scored the fastest victory in overtime history hitting Demaryius Thomas on an electrifying 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime stunning the Steelers and the football world. It was also the first time an overtime game was played with the new overtime rules. At the time Tebow was sort of a sideshow and a very polarizing figure, he would come down to earth the following week and would never rise to such heights again.
The Steelers were caught off guard and trailed 20-6 at halftime. They roared back, shut down the Broncos offense and tied the game on a Jerricho Cotchery touchdown with just under four minutes. They held the Broncos on the next series and it was off to overtime.
What this game will be remembered for as well on the Steelers side was this was the first game in which Ike Taylor started to come back to earth. He had a great season but absolutely had no answer for Thomas, he never seemed to recover after that. Forgotten Steeler Isaac Redman banged out over 100 yards and sort of moved at will, but in the end it wasn’t enough to beat Tim Tebow Magic!
Box Score: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201201080den.htm
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES:
Denver 24 – Steelers 21 @Pittsburgh 1/11/98
Winning his rubber match playoff game against the Steelers, John Elway threw two touchdown passes in the final minutes of the first half and the Broncos held off turnover-ridden Kordell Stewart 24-21 in the AFC championship game. Up to that point, no NFL quarterback had won more games or led more comebacks than the 37-year-old Elway. It was vindication for Elway who would win his first of two Super Bowls, by beating the heavily favored Green Bay Packers.
Kordell Stewart was awful and he was exposed in the game, he went 18-of-36 for 201 yards, with a TD but was responsible for all 4 of Pittsburgh’s turnovers. Yancey Thigpen had six catches for 92 yards. Jerome Bettis put up great numbers running the ball for 105 yards and a TD.
The Steelers lost the Championship game at home for the second time in four years. What I learned from these experiences, was that if you bring the better QB to the game, you have a good chance at winning. It isn’t always the case but it certainly plays out that way quite a bit. Elway was proof of that, it would also manifest itself the next time they would meet in the playoffs.
Box Score: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199801110pit.htm
Steelers 34 – Denver 17 @Denver 1/22/06
Coach Cowher received vindication as the Steelers, who previously upset the Colts the week before, marched into Denver and jumped the Broncos. Big Ben Roethlisberger, was a second year quarterback who played like a seasoned veteran, completing 21 of 29 passes and kept the Steelers going on six of seven crucial third-down situations in the first half. He also rushed for a touchdown that sealed the game in the fourth quarter!
This time the Steelers played with the better Quarterback and it rang true as Jake Plummer turned the ball over twice and never got going in the game. The Broncos were down 24-3 at the half and never recovered.
The Steelers became the first team since the 1985 Patriots to win three postseason road games en route to the Super Bowl. They beat the Seahawks of course and won their six title!
Box Score: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200601220den.htm