They say that the hardest things are forged out of steel. In football, that has proven true.
When the Denver Broncos host the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday afternoon for the right to advance in the National Football League playoffs, it will be a very tough assignment.
But it is not a task Denver has never faced before.
In fact, the one team that Denver has played most often in the playoffs is Pittsburgh—the always tough, solid, well-coached, hard-as-iron Steelers.
And so far, Denver and Pittsburgh have played six games, with the Broncos and Steelers tied at 3-3 in the toughest of playoff competition.
It’s not supposed to be easy, right?
The very first team Denver ever played in postseason was Pittsburgh, and Ring of Fame linebacker Tom Jackson intercepted Terry Bradshaw twice on Christmas Eve, 1977, as the Broncos won a 34-21 game that propelled Denver to its first AFC title and a berth in Super Bowl XII.
Denver ran smack into the Steel Curtain the very next year in Three Rivers Stadium and Pittsburgh was dominant in a 33-10 win on its own way to Super Bowl XIII, which the Steelers won.
In 1984, John Elway’s second year as a pro, he led the Broncos to a 13-3 record and a home game against a tough Pittsburgh team that won a hard-fought 24-17 game at Mile High Stadium. The Steelers went on to lose to the Dan Marino Dolphins the following week as Miami advanced to the Super Bowl.
Denver hosted Pittsburgh in a great game following the 1989 season, with the Broncos taking a 24-23 win here. Again, the Broncos went to the Super Bowl that year, beating the Cleveland Browns in Denver the following week.
One of the key plays in the Pittsburgh win was John Elway rushing for a key first down and being flipped literally onto his head—a play that brought the crowd to the feet in excitement and proved a precursor to one of John’s most famous plays, his diving, spinning first down against Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXII.
In 1997 the Broncos won our first Super Bowl and did it the hard way, winning as a wild card, which meant four straight playoff wins.
The AFC title game that year was at Pittsburgh and the Broncos prevailed, 24-21 to move on to that eventual date with the defending champion Packers.
And finally, most recently, the Steelers defeated the Broncos in Denver by a 34-17 score in 2005 to again advance to the Super Bowl, defeating Seattle for the world title.
So Denver and Pittsburgh are deadlocked at three wins apiece, with the winner going on to the Super Bowl in five out of the six meetings.
So if you are sure of this week’s result, you are wrong about being sure. Both teams have won at home, and lost at home, and won on the road, and lost on the road, and advanced to the Super Bowl home AND away, against each other.
Fans should take a cue from the players and tighten their chinstraps this weekend.
It is a matchup of historical postseason significance, and Sunday will be, as Yogi Berra says, déjà vu all over again.
Tags: Jim Saccomano, Pittsburgh Steelers, Playoffs, Wild Card
PLAYOFF WEEK!!!
The steelers are a joke, tebow is far better of a football player than the whole steel curtain defense combined.
PUM PUM PUM!!! B-R-O-N-C-O-S BRONCOS BRONCOS BRONCOS!!!
Pittsburgh always travels really well, I hope season ticket holders dont sell their tickets to this game. I’ll be on watch at the game for that. We need to bring some serious noise.
By the way Wisconsin vs Oregon is on right now and MONTEE BALL IS WHO THE BRONCOS SHOULD DRAFT.
Wonder if they will only have Von playing in obvious pass situations again….
AH the memories of the GOOD OLE DAYS!!!!
depends on who are QB is next year, if its Tebow we need to make serious upgrade on speed in atleast a couple positions.
LMAO @ HorseWhisperer7.
So, if I could have one player off of Wisconsin’s team it would be Toon the reciever… his dad was a PIMP when he played for the Jets…
Horse,Ball has 39 TDs this year (tied with Barry Sanders for all time record).
I like Sacco’s message to us:
Fans should take a cue from the players and tighten their chinstraps this weekend.
Got it.
GO BRONCOS!!!!!
2 bad we lost aginst Pitt in 05, I really liked our chances against Seattle in Detroit there….
Why waste a draft pick on a RB when there are so many great backs now that went undrafted. Arian Foster LeGarrett Blount.
LSU crushed this same Oregon team,I guess that shows how fast LSU’s Defense is,anybody know Speedy Gonzales?
Al was a great WR, could really go get it. Not doing so well now a days tho..
Bay, of all the Running backs I’ve ever studied or simply observed, I really believe that Terrell Davis was as hard to tackle in the Secondary as anyone… He was fast and one of few that had the choice to go by you, over you or around you… He was a 6th round pick so maybe we can get a steal with the draft choice from the Lloyd trade (5th rounder)
So Denver and Pittsburgh are deadlocked at three wins apiece, with the winner going on to the Super Bowl in five out of the six meetings.
“So if you are sure of this week’s result, you are wrong about being sure. Both teams have won at home, and lost at home, and won on the road, and lost on the road, and advanced to the Super Bowl home AND away, against each other.
Fans should take a cue from the players and tighten their chinstraps this weekend.
It is a matchup of historical postseason significance, and Sunday will be, as Yogi Berra says, déjà vu all over again.”
LOL
Yeah because Harrison will hit Tebow so hard Bay will feel it,LMAO!
Strap it on tight buddy,lol.
moneycricket, you know not about montee ball
I’d love to have Honey Badger from LSU. He dont care, my man is fearless!!
moneycricket, how often does an undrafted free agent rb come in his rookie year and lead the league in rushing like foster? not often my friend
I know Everything about Montee Ball.
Love seeing Mr. Saccomano post again. Seems like its been awhile! (Same can be said for Willis M and 2-6)
Wouldn’t it be something and we do the unthinkable?! I love defensive battles and this appears to be the making of one for the ages…
GO BRONCOS!
I can’t figure why First Row Sports is down. I can’t get any games.
Arian Foster played at UT,I watched him for 4 years,average at best in college,it is all Dennison and Kubiak’s scheme that made Foster!
In all honesty i think the broncos end up with the 32nd overall pick because were going to win the super bowl over the patriots, so we wont get that great of draft pick but oh well
BRONCOS WOOOOOO
The reality is that NFL teams are trending away from drafting RB’s now and electing to sign undrafted RB’s.
Sndvl – that D battle yesterday wasn’t enough for you?
Repost from last blog, concerning the end of Jeff Darlingtons piece on NFL.com-
After Sunday’s game, once the Broncos had found out their fate from six televisions mounted in every corner of the locker room that displayed the Chargers’ win against the Raiders, I asked running back Willis McGahee how far this team can go.
“I don’t know,” he said. “We’re unpredictable, baby. That’s the good thing about it. Nobody knows what we’re going to do gameplan-wise.
We’re going to keep people on their toes.”
To do so, to keep the Steelers on their toes, it’s going to take more than a few nice runs from McGahee. It will take more than a sack or two from linebacker Von Miller . It’ll take more than defensive stands and field goals.
It’s going to require more of the same fourth-quarter success that Tebow showed during his seven-win stint. Yes, Tebow’s surreal comebacks — all five of them — might have seemed as improbable as the next. But that’s how the Broncos have gotten to this point, and it’s the only way they’ll get to the next point.
There’s a reason in Denver, when the game begins to wind down despite a brutal day of football on offense, that none of the fans dare to leave their seats. They stay until the end because Tebow has taught them this season that it’s never over.
It’s not over now, either. But if the Broncos are going to have any chance next week, he can’t afford another fourth quarter like he had Sunday. It’s called Tebow Time for a reason — and it’s now time for Tebow to once again show us why.
Honey Badger is a Sophmore and won’t be able to come out,but Claiborne from LSU might come out,he’s a great CB too!
Hey Horse we can’t play the Pats in the SB,were both from the AFC dude!
moneycricket, im pretty sure trent richardson will be a top 10 draft pick at least
wow beast thank u, i was just thinking how much i hate the pats i guess
Here’s the link if anybody wants to read the article in its entirety!
http://m.nfl.com/news/09000d5d825a233c/for-playoff-success-tebow-needs-to-own-final-quarter-again/
I don’t know a whole lot about Brian Xanders but I don’t know if I like him.
Xanders is a cancer that needs to be cut out with a dull knife!!!
Something no one anywhere that I know of has ever touched on, Adrian Peterson could very well follow the exact same path as TD with his severe knee injury, fabulous career but too short to be HOF material, not that they are not worthy, just saying the comparaison could end up being dead on.
Bronc on bros!!!!
It cant be Tebow time if we are down and he has to throw and the Steelers dont play prevent
In a word daddy- NO!
Our defense played well yesterday. Especially in the 2nd half.
Can anyone imagine if we are able to generate a fierce pass rush? Create a couple of turnovers? In the playoffs, those plays change momentum. We have em at home. So advantage Denver D…maybe our offense will start believing in themselves again if our D can set the tempo!
Maybe? Definitely!
That was a nasty injury.
I blame Brian Griese for TD’s knee injury.
Change it up a lil- do they not teach defense in College Football anymore? Every game I’ve watched seems like game point totals are 60/70+. Only exception I can think of was FSU/ND…lol
Seems like drafting defense may not be that easy afterall…
And I blame Franklin for Dawk’s neck injury, I mean it’s just the breaks of the game.
And sndvl has completely changed his outlook on the Broncos ever since he took some of Tebow’s one liners to heart, you worry me sndvl, you sure you’re allright? LOL. You use to tell me to go and take my prune juice, and now you are just this nice guy….
TD knee injury was a freak occurrence. I don’t blame anybody but the higher power for that. (Though if anybody should be blamed, that should be Stink. He’s the one that rolled into TDs knee)…
True. It is an art form to be able to call the defensive scheme for a football game. DA is doing really good so far. But sometimes he can bring too much pressure like bringing more guys on a blitz than he really needs to.
Franklin was the guy who destroyed Kupers leg.
And he is the guy Dawk ran into his back head on.
I watch games and I’m not that drunk yet, LOL.