N.F.L 1997 A.F.C. CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
DENVER BRONCOS
A.F.C.WEST
V.S.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
A.F.C. CENTRAL
January 11, 1998[edit]
AFC Championship: Denver Broncos 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 21[edit]
Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Broncos 7 17 0 0 24
Steelers 7 7 0 7 21
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C), clear
Game attendance: 61,382
Referee: Ron Blum
TV anno… Moreuncers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play-by-play), Phil Simms, and Paul Maguire (color commentators)
[show]Game information
For the second week in a row, Denver eliminated a team on the road who had beat them in the regular season. In Week 15, Pittsburgh had defeated the Broncos 35–24, with quarterback Kordell Stewart throwing for 303 yards and three touchdowns, while running for two more. But this time, Denver intercepted three of his passes and recovered a fumble, while also sacking him three times.
Most of the scoring came in the first half. Pittsburgh got an early scoring opportunity when Levon Kirkland intercepted a pass from Denver quarterback John Elway on the Broncos 43-yard line. The Steelers then moved the ball to the 20, only to have Norm Johnson miss a 38-yard field goal attempt. On the next play Denver running back Terrell Davis took off for a 43-yard run to the Steelers 29-yard line, and the team went on to score on Davis' 8-yard touchdown run. Will Blackwell returned the ensuing kickoff 18 yards to the 35-yard line, where Pittsburgh went on to move the ball 65 yards to tie the game. On the final two plays, Stewart completed a 20-yard pass to Yancey Thigpen and then ran the ball the final 33 yards to the end zone. Steelers defensive back Darren Perry ended Denver's next drive by forcing and recovering a fumble from Davis on the Pittsburgh 32-yard line. Pittsburgh then drove 68 yards in 11 plays to go up 14-7 on Jerome Bettis' 1-yard touchdown run a few minutes into the second quarter.
The Broncos took the ball back and went on a 10-play, 45-yard drive to score on kicker Jason Elam's 43-yard field goal. Both teams had to punt on their next drives, and Blackwell's 19-yard return gave the Steelers a first down on the Broncos 43-yard line. But two plays later, Stewart forced a throw into double coverage and safety Ray Crockett intercepted his pass in the end zone. After the turnover, Elway led the Broncos 80 yards to score on his 15-yard touchdown pass to fullback Howard Griffith, giving the Broncos the lead, 17-14. The Steelers had to punt on their next drive, and Darrien Gordon returned the ball 19 yards to the Broncos 46, setting up a 54-yard drive that ended on Elway's 1-yard touchdown pass to Ed McCaffrey that gave Denver a 24-14 lead with 13 seconds left in the half. 34 of their 54 yards came from a pass interference penalty on Steelers defensive back Carnell Lake on the first play of the drive.[14][15][16]
Both defenses controlled most of the second half. The Steelers took the opening drive of the second half and moved the ball methodically down the field and had a great scoring chance at the Broncos 5-yard line. But linebacker Allen Aldridge ended the possession with an interception in the end zone. The next time the Steelers got the ball, they moved it to the Broncos 32, only to lose it again when Neil Smith forced a fumble while sacking Stewart and Denver's Mike Lodish made the recovery.
Late in the fourth quarter, Stewart completed seven of eight passes for 68 yards and rushed twice for 11 yards on a 79-yard drive that ended with his 14-yard touchdown pass to Charles Johnson, cutting the score to 24-21 with 2:46 left in regulation. At the two-minute warning, facing third down and 5 on their own 15-yard line on their ensuing drive, Elway connected on an 18-yard completion to Shannon Sharpe for a first down. Then on the next play, he completed a 10-yard pass to McCaffrey for another first down, enabling his team to run out the rest of the clock. Sharpe later said that Elway made up the converting play in the huddle, seconds before the snap.
Davis rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown. Bettis rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown. This would turn out to be the final playoff game at Three Rivers Stadium. Less