Post by TheShadow on Feb 18, 2006 21:38:17 GMT -5
www.raiders.com
By Courtney Smith
No other professional sports league can claim the "Big Game" atmosphere that
the NFL creates every week. But what really revs up the players and fans are
bragging rights, playoff positioning, and past outcomes against rivalry
teams. The Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers decades of play have
developed into an Epic Rivalry.
Raiders vs. Steelers games have always been intense, physical contents with
the winner usually determined by the "last man standing" method. This war of
attrition has been fought over the better part of four decades.
1970s
The Raiders and Steelers first met on September 12, 1970. Throughout the
70s, the Raiders beat the Steelers seven times in 13 tries breaking many
season and career records. During this decade, the two teams met two times
in the AFC playoffs and three times in the AFC championship game.
On September 12, 1976, the Raiders defeated the Steelers in what became a
"Classic Comeback." The Steelers had won the previous Super Bowl and were
looking for another successful season. Little did they know this game would
not be a good start for what they had hoped. During the first quarter both
teams remained scoreless. Raiders TE Dave Casper caught a pass early in the
second quarter to put the Raiders in the lead 7-0. The Steelers answered
right back to tie the score in the final three minutes on two plays.
After halftime, the punters controlled the next 15 minutes of the game, with
a lone touchdown by Pittsburgh. The Steelers then went two touchdowns ahead
of the Raiders in the fourth quarter. Not even three minutes later, the
Raiders responded by scoring another touchdown, bringing the score to 21-14.
The Steelers answered back at the 8:17 mark. Pittsburgh then intercepted
inside the Oakland 20-yard line giving the Raiders a scare, but not for
long. The Raiders then caused a fumble at their 19 with 5:42 left.
This is the point of the game the classic comeback came into effect.
The Raiders completed a 15-yard pass, which was pushed back due to a
penalty. The Raiders responded to the penalty by completing three passes
each averaging over 15 yards and rushing for 21 yards in two plays for a
touchdown. The score was 28-21 Pittsburgh with 2:56 left to play.
Pittsburgh, forced to punt the ball, had it blocked by former Steeler Warren
Bankston. With three incompletions and a fourth and ten, the Raiders were
struggling for a first down. A touchdown put the Raiders in a face-off in
overtime with the Steelers.
On the first play of overtime, the Raiders Dave Rowe deflected the ball at
the line of scrimmage allowing Willie Hall the chance to grab the ball and
run down field to the Steelers 12-yard line. After two rushing plays, a
21-yard third down play, and a field goal, the Raiders called it a victory
with 18 seconds left in overtime. The Raiders defeated the defending World
Champions and ended the season with a Super Bowl victory of their own.
1980s
During the 1980s, the Raiders defeated the Steelers three times in four
visits, one being an AFC playoff game. The Raiders relocated to Los Angeles
in 1982.
A memorable game during the 80s was the Monday Night Football game played on
October 20, 1980. The NFL categorized this particular game as one of
"football's greatest Monday night games." Seventy-nine points were scored
placing it the highest scoring game in the then 11-year history of Monday
Night Football. "Man, it was Pearl Harbor out there. It was just bombs
away," stated one of the Steelers defensive backs after the game. Both teams
needed the win as they each struggled with a 3-3-0 record.
The Steelers took a 10-0 lead within six minutes of game time. After six
plays, the Raiders answered back cutting the lead to three. After a Steelers
touchdown, Raiders LB Ted Hendricks intercepted a pass placing the Raiders
on the Pittsburgh 39-yard line. After a pass play the Raiders cut the
deficit to three (17-14). Later in the quarter, the Raiders forced a fumble
during a quarterback sack giving LB Rod Martin the opportunity to score.
And, that is exactly what he did, this time moving the Raiders ahead of the
Steelers for the first time in the game (21-17). At this point, the Raiders
never looked back. Before halftime, both teams had scored again.
Five plays into the third quarter, quarterback Jim Plunkett hit WR Cliff
Branch for 56 yards and a touchdown. The Steelers came back with a 68-yard
touchdown and field goal by Matt Bahr putting them just a point behind
(35-34).
A determined Cliff Branch stated, "We came to win." And that is exactly what
he meant when he scored the winning touchdown with just minutes left in the
game. A field goal ended the scoring in the game leaving the Raiders ahead
of the Steelers 45-34.
No team had ever gone into Three Rivers Stadium and scored 45 points against
the Steelers. This victory was just the beginning of a sweet season and a
Super Bowl title for the Raiders.
Another exciting game against the Steelers in the 1980s occurred on January
1, 1984. The Raiders performed in front of one of the largest postseason
crowds recorded (92,434). The Raiders crushed the Steelers 38-10 in that AFC
playoff game.
1990s-2000s
During these two decades, the Raiders and the Steelers only faced one
another six times. The most memorable game during this time occurred last
season on September 15, 2002.
Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon nearly broke every major single game passing
record while throwing 64 times. He completed 43 of 64 passes, falling short
only two completions to Drew Bledsoe's 1995 record of 45 completions. In the
first half of the game, Gannon threw 41 times, 30 coming in the first 32
plays of the game. "The plan going in was to throw - it always was and it
always will be," Head Coach Bill Callahan said commenting on the numbers.
The Raiders scored first on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Porter. Then
Sebastian Janikowski followed not to long after the Steelers scored with the
first of his three field goals of the night. The second Raiders touchdown
came on the second run of the game by Charlie Garner (17-7). Before half
time, the Steelers brought the score to within a touchdown by way of Todd
Peterson's successful field goal attempt.
After the half, the Raiders scored again increasing the lead. Unfortunately
not for long, Gannon threw an interception that was returned for 84 yards by
Joey Porter, allowing Pittsburgh to position for a touchdown. One of the
NFL's oldest kick returners, Terry Kirby, ran the ball back for a 96-yard
touchdown. With another field goal and three fumbles by Pittsburgh in the
fourth quarter, the Raiders successfully walked away with a victory (30-17).
After the game, a tired Rich Gannon stated, "We had a good game plan. If it
weren't for the two interceptions (near the goal line), it would have been a
great night."
Over the last three and a half decades, the Raiders have battled out
preseason games, regular season games and postseason games with the
Pittsburgh Steelers. The standing record between these two teams favors the
Raiders 12-11. With this kind of back and forth record and AFC playoff games
determining who will be Super Bowl bound, you can see why the Raider Nation
gears up for such an Epic Rivalry.