As a rookie during the 2005 season, cornerback Bryant McFadden — a second-round pick at No. 62 overall out of Florida State — was slowly eased into the lineup for the Pittsburgh Steelers on a veteran-heavy defense.
While he had some ups and downs throughout his rookie season, McFadden settled in when it mattered most: the postseason.
There, McFadden played a key role in helping the Steelers ultimately reach Super Bowl XL and defeat the Seattle Seahawks, thanks to some late-game heroics against the Indianapolis Colts at the RCA Dome in the 2005 AFC Divisional Round matchup against Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Edgerrin James and the mighty Colts offense.
Following running back Jerome Bettis’ fumble at the goal line that gave the Colts late life, McFadden came through in the clutch, breaking up a pass in the end zone in man coverage against Wayne on a deep ball from Manning. That preserved the Steelers’ lead in a game they’d ultimately win 21-18 on a missed field goal from Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt.
For Dick LeBeau, who was in his second season as Steelers defensive coordinator after his return to Pittsburgh, that moment allowed the legendary defensive mind to not have to worry about his young cornerback again.
“We had to go out again. We stopped them pretty doggone good all day. But now we had to keep Peyton Manning and those guys with three points of what they needed to tie the game up. And they had a ball around midfield. And I thought, ‘Man, we gotta stop it one more time.’ I said, ‘I know B Mac [McFadden] is going have some work. You made three plays. You made three plays in that drive B Mac. And from that day on, I never worried another second about how you were going to hold up when the chip got on the table,” LeBeau said during an appearance on the All Things Covered podcast with McFadden, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “You knocked the ball down three times and almost intercepted one of them. And I know you remember, I just want you to know the old coach has not forgotten. …that game against Peyton Manning in Indianapolis in the playoffs, I’ll always remember you, my man.”
After Bettis’ shocking fumble on a first and goal from the 2-yard line resulted in a Nick Harper return of 35 yards before Ben Roethlisberger’s famous shoestring tackle, the high-powered Colts offense took the field near midfield needing a field goal.
Things started well for Manning and the Colts as he hit Reggie Wayne for 22 yards in front of McFadden and safety Troy Polamalu to get into Steelers territory, and then hit Harrison on an 8-yard slant. From there though, McFadden and the Steelers defense stood tall.
On a second and two from the Pittsburgh 28, Manning tried a double move to Wayne on a pump and go. McFadden never bit on the double move and broke up the pass in the end zone perfectly, forcing a third and two. Then, McFadden nearly picked off Manning on the next play as Manning threw short expecting Wayne to stop on the route. McFadden came diving in and nearly caught the football.
The incompletion set up fourth and two and a 46-yard field goal try from Vanderjagt, who to that point was the most accurate kicker in NFL history. As fate would have it though, Vanderjagt missed wide right, giving the Steelers the 21-18 win.
Pittsburgh wouldn’t have been in position to win off the missed field goal without McFadden’s plays late in the game, coming up large as a rookie against one of the greatest quarterback and wide receiver combinations in NFL history.
After that stretch run in the playoffs from McFadden, which included two pass deflections in the Super Bowl, he went on to have three solid seasons, recording six interceptions from 2006-2008 before leaving for Arizona in 2009. Fortunately, McFadden came back in 2010 via trade and spent his final two years with LeBeau and the Steelers.
It might not be one of the biggest plays in franchise history, but it’s certainly an unsung one that deserves much more credit than it gets in the grand scheme of things.
