The Pittsburgh Steelers eight Super Bowl appearances have provided NFL Films with an uncanny amount of highlights and great (even iconic) plays. Try and name another franchise where a Willie Parker 75-yard TD run in the Super Bowl -- the longest TD run in Super Bowl history -- would not even crack the top 10 plays and I'm betting you could not.
But with all the great plays, there are other plays that happened that were pivotal and often unnoticed. So this is a list of some of the greatest plays they never talk about:
Super Bowl XXX: Role Players make the Big Plays Right Before Half
Super Bowl XXX is particularly painful because as the game transitioned from the bright sun to the dark night, so did the game as the Dallas Cowboys were slowly being taken over by the black and gold of the Steelers. Before the Cowboys were rescued by a pair of inconceivable interceptions courtesy of Neil O’Donnell, the Steelers had to scrap their way back into the game. Down 13-0 and facing a 3rd and 20, Andre Hastings went in motion and lined up in the backfield, found a soft spot in the zone and turned it up field for a 19.5-yard gain. He did not have to do much to avoid Deion Sanders embarrassing tackle attempt, but he did take on two Cowboy defenders to earn every inch. Kordell Stewart made it moot by easily converting on 4th and 1.
Just as the half was coming to a close, O’Donnell threw it high on a 3rd and 14 but Ernie Mills was up to the task, pulling it in despite the hit. Most people will remember the Yancey Thigpen Touchdown catch on the slant to make the game 13-7, but the unsung heroes of the drive were the WRs that made the big 3rd down catches.
Super Bowl XLV: The Old Vets Ignite the Steelers Offense
Like Super Bowl XXX, the Steelers offense was doing next to nothing heading into the final drive of the first half. Ben Roethlisberger had just thrown an interception that the Green Bay Packers converted into a 21-3 lead and had a dismal 29.8 QB rating. But Big Ben finally got it going with 2:18 to go in the half and it was kick started with a 37-yard completion to Antwaan Randle El. With time ticking down, it was Hines Ward that carried the rest of the way, first with a 14-yard catch as Roethlisberger threaded the needle to convert a 3rd and 10, then on back-to-back plays for 17 yards and a TD for 8 to put the Steelers back into the game with momentum at 21-10. Just like Thigpen hauled in a TD thanks to big catches, Ward was the beneficiary of his own work and well of that by Randle El.
Super Bowl XL: A Heads-Up Block on a Broken Play
Roethlisberger was criticized for having a bad game and while it’s true he did, he was the major reason the Steelers got to Detroit in the first place. Jerome Bettis was busy eating up yards and chewing up game clock when Big Ben made a mistake, turned the wrong way on a hand off and quickly gained his senses and turned up field to save the broken play. He took it across the marker for a first down and a heads up play by the always present Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward engaging in his block vs. Seattle Seahawks star cornerback Marcus Trufant ensured Roethlisberger had a clear path. The Steelers were able to burn 2 more minutes off the clock and seal one for the thumb.
Super Bowl XLIII: Putting Doubt to Rest and The Forgotten Scramble
Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward entered Super Bowl XLIII with questions, one with a lingering doubt hanging overhead because of a poor performance in Super Bowl XL and the other with a bad knee that put into question his ability to play the game. Roethlisberger and Ward closed the book on doubt when they connected on a 38-yard completion on the games 2nd play, quickly establishing Roethlisberger was ready on this day and forcing the Arizona Cardinals to respect Ward opposite Santonio Holmes.
With the plethora of big plays from the game, the play that is the most overlooked was Roethlisberger’s scramble to avoid heavy pressure on 1st and 20 and roll out to the right, throwing it on the run and connecting with Holmes for 14 yards to get that final drive going. It was a play that could have gone horribly wrong but went very right.
Super Bowl IV: The Unsung Defensive Lineman of the Steel Curtain
The Los Angeles Rams were not going down easy in Super Bowl IV and they were no fluke team. They had the most regular season wins of any NFC team in the 1970s but just could never get it done in the playoffs. So, they brought all they had and were deep in Steeler territory late in the 2nd quarter with the game tied 10-10. Just then, John Banaszak took Vince Ferragamo down with a 14-yard sack and the Rams were forced into just a FG. Then in the 4th quarter with the Rams leading 19-17, Steve Furness broke through along with Loren Toews and sacked Ferragamo for a loss of 8. Just 4 plays later, Terry Bradshaw would let it loose and John Stallworth beat Rod Perry for a 73-yard TD. It just goes to show, the great defense set up the great offense.
Super Bowl IX: The Forgotten 3rd Down Conversion
The Steel Curtain owned Super Bowl IX as Fran Tarkenton and the Minnesota Vikings were completely overwhelmed. Still, it was only a 3-point game due to a special teams gaffe and the Steeler offense was called upon in the 4th quarter when they got the ball with 9:54 left in the game. The most recognizable plays on the ensuing 12-play drive were a 17-yard Rocky Bleier run and a 30-yard Larry Brown catch. But it was Terry Bradshaw converting on 3rd and 5 from the Minnesota 11 that kept the drive going. Because the Vikings held Super Bowl MVP Franco Harris in check the following 2 plays, it fell upon Bradshaw to complete another 3rd down – this time for a TD to cap of the 6+ minute drive.
Super Bowl X: The Legends of the Steel Curtain
While Super Bowl XIV got the big sacks from Banaszak and Furness, in Super Bowl X the Dallas Cowboys and Roger Staubach had never seen anything like the original Steel Curtain. As the Cowboys mounted a 33-yard drive to the Pittsburgh 20 with 5:35 in the 2nd quarter, Andy Russell was the first to put a stop to it with a TFL of -3 yards. Afterwards, Staubach felt the full wrath on back-to-back sacks. The first came courtesy of L.C. Greenwood for a 12-yard loss and the second came direct from "Mad Dog" Dwight White for a loss of 10, ending the Cowboys drive and keeping the score at 10-7.
Super Bowl XIII: The Greatest Super Bowl Ever
Never before or since has a Super Bowl featured a face-off of QBs with with 2 Super Bowl wins each. The Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers dominated the 70s and in this historic matchup and the Cowboys came out hot behind Tony Dorsett slashing the Steelers defense for 40 yards on the opening drive. Then the Cowboys got cute and tried a reverse to Drew Pearson where they fumbled the ball and John Banaszak was on the spot for a recovery. Bradshaw dropped a 28-yard TD to John Stallworth less than 3 minutes later to go up 7-0.
As the 2nd quarter was winding down, Staubach was riding the strength of 3 consecutive completions in an effort to break the 14-14 tie going into halftime. But just after the 2-minute warning, Mel Blount picked off Staubach with the biggest interception of the game that is never featured in the highlights. Bradshaw to Lynn Swann made for 50 yards in just two plays and Franco Harris set the post season rushing record right before Rocky Bleier pulled down a 7-yard TD catch that he exaggerates about how high he jumped to this day. With all the great plays in that Super Bowl, it’s still hard to imagine that the great Mel Blount’s interception that led to a potential 14-point swing is lost in the mix.
Are there any plays you think belong? Add a comment and your thoughts below.
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