By Jeremy Harris
The Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers meet for the eighth time in the NFL postseason this Sunday. In five of the previous seven playoff battles, the winner moved on to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, and on three occasions, the winner claimed the Lombardi Trophy. In preparation for Sunday’s divisional round matchup, we will revisit four of their clashes today followed by three more later this week.
The histories of the Steelers and Broncos are not dissimilar. Pittsburgh joined the NFL in 1933 and managed only six winning seasons, one playoff appearance and zero postseason victories in the 37 seasons before the AFL and NFL merged in 1970. As part of the 1970 merger, Pittsburgh was one of three NFL teams to join the newly-formed American Football Conference (AFC).
Denver also had a history of futility. The Broncos never produced a winning season in the AFL, of which they were a charter member in 1960, and were without a single playoff berth during their first seven seasons in the NFL’s AFC.
Following the merger, the Steelers quickly cast aside their losing history and became a perennial playoff contender, winning four Super Bowl titles during a stretch of eight consecutive playoff appearances between 1972 and 1979.
The Broncos made their first postseason appearance in 1977, which was also the first time they matched up against Pittsburgh in the playoffs, and have been one of the most successful teams in the league since.
1).Pittsburgh at Denver, December 24, 1977:
Two years removed from their second Super Bowl title following the 1975 season, the AFC Central champion Steelers (9-5), who were bedeviled all season by contract disputes, trade demands and legal issues, squared off with the AFC West champion Broncos (12-2). Denver, whose Orange Crush defense featured Defensive Player of the Year DL Lyle Alzado and LB Tom Jackson and was led by fiery head coach Red Miller, squeezed the juice out of the Steelers in a 34-21 triumph.
The Broncos scored two touchdowns in the first half after blocking a punt and recovering a Franco Harris fumble, and two second-half interceptions by Jackson of Steelers’ QB Terry Bradshaw sealed Pittsburgh’s fate.
Had the Steelers prevailed, they would have met bitter rival Oakland in the playoffs for the sixth concutive season and in the AFC championship game for the fourth straight time. Instead, the Broncos faced and defeated the Raiders and advanced to their first Super Bowl, where they were crushed by the Dallas Cowboys 27-10.
2). Denver at Pittsburgh, December 30, 1978:
The AFC West champion Broncos (10-6) visited Pittsburgh (14-2) for a rematch of their previous year’s divisional round game. This time, The Steel Curtain dominated the Broncos, holding them to a paltry 218 yards, producing six sacks and forcing two turnovers. The Steelers, meanwhile, led by C Mike Webster, did not allow a single sack, Bradshaw connected a combined 14 times with his favorite targets John Stallworth and Lynn Swann, each of whom had a touchdown reception, and Franco Harris rumbled for 105 yards.
The Steelers drubbed the Broncos 33-10, won the AFC championship game the following week against the Houston Oilers and claimed their third Super Bowl title with a 35-31 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
3). Pittsburgh at Denver, December 30, 1984:
When the 1984 playoffs opened, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the AFC West champion Broncos (13-3) and AFC East champion Dolphins (14-2), both teams led by dynamic second-year quarterbacks John Elway and Dan Marino, respectively, would meet in the conference championship game. That certainly was the matchup all of America, sans the Pittsburgh Steelers and their faithful fans, were pining for.
Instead, the Steelers (9-7), who only made the playoffs with an improbable win in the final game of the regular season at the defending Super Bowl champion Raiders, shocked the Broncos 24-17. Elway’s prolific mobility was neutralized by groin and knee injuries. Nevertheless, his Broncos led Pittsburgh 17-10 in the third quarter. Steelers’ quarterback Mark Malone then connected with WR Louis Lipps for the game-tying touchdown, and RB Frank Pollard concluded the scoring with a two-yard touchdown plunge in the fourth quarter.
Elway, still far from the polished cardiac quarterback who would terrorize the NFL for several seasons, threw two critical interceptions, one near the Steelers’ goal line and another late in the fourth quarter when the Broncos were trying to mount a game-tying drive.
The Steelers were smashed the following week in Miami, and fans would have to wait until the 1998 season for Elway’s and Marino’s only playoff matchup.
4) Pittsburgh at Denver, January 7, 1990:
The previous week, the visiting Steelers (9-7), led by folk hero QB Bubby Brister, shocked the Houston Oilers with an overtime wildcard game victory. For much of Pittsburgh’s clash with Denver, it looked like Brister was going to continue wielding his magic. He led Pittsburgh to leads of 10-0 and 17-7, only to see Elway and the Broncos (11-5) come roaring back both times.
After the Steelers added two field goals to take a 23-17 fourth quarter lead, Elway engineered his second great playoff comeback, the first one coming in the AFC championship game in Cleveland three years earlier. Elway drove the Broncos on a nine-play 71-yard touchdown drive to take a 24-23 lead with just over two minutes remaining. A fumbled shotgun snap recovered by the Broncos thwarted any chance for a Steelers’ last second field goal.
The defeat to Denver marked the last post-season game coached by the venerable Chuck Noll, who had guided the Steelers since 1969 and was at the helm for their first four Super Bowl championships.
He retired following the 1991 season.
The Broncos defeated the Cleveland Browns in the AFC championship game the following week for the third time in four seasons to advance to their fourth Super Bowl, where they were decimated by the San Francisco 49ers 55-10 in the most lopsided Super Bowl in league history.
Check back later this week for more discussion of the prolific playoff history of the Steelers and Broncos.