Recently, I wrote a series about five specific plays that broke the hearts of Steeler Nation. One reader called the articles a “torture series.” Those words stuck with me. So, to prove I’m not a total black cloud over the Black and Gold fan base, I added a twist to a new series: Heart-stopping plays that did not prevent a happy ending for the Steelers and their fans.
No. 5: Seriously, thank you Stevie Johnson
No. 4: Northcutt’s big moment goes south
No. 3: Captain Comeback nearly sinks Steelers
Backdrop: AFC Championship Game. In the Steel City. Jan. 14, 1996. The Pittsburgh Steelers, under Bill Cowher, were knocking on the door to get into the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1979 season. They had finished the regular season with a record of 11-5, which was good enough for an AFC Central Division Championship and a first-round bye in the playoffs. Led by Neil O’Donnell at quarterback and a strong Blitzburgh defense, the Steelers were a strong favorite in this game.
The opponent? A Cinderella team led by gutsy quarterback Jim Harbaugh. The Indianapolis Colts finished the regular season 9-7 and were the No. 5 seed. They had to battle on the road in the playoffs and shockingly knocked off the defending AFC Champion San Diego Chargers and the No. 1-seeded Kansas City Chiefs. However, many felt that this fairy tale was about to come to an unceremonious end when the Colts traveled to Pittsburgh. And that’s why you play the games.
It was a defensive battle most of the way, points hard to come by. Neil O’Donnell’s first pass was tipped and intercepted, which led to the Colts opening the scoring with a field goal. Steelers kicker Norm Johnson answered with a field goal of his own and the first quarter ended 3-3. In the second quarter, the Colts tacked on three more points. But towards the end of the half, O’Donnell marched the team 80 yards in 17 plays and capped the drive with a Kordell Stewart touchdown reception with 13 seconds left. The half ended 10-6 in favor of the Black and Gold.
Indy opened the third quarter with another drive ending in another Cary Blanchard field goal to make it 10-9. Blanchard would miss a 47-yard field goal and Norm Johnson would make a 37-yarder to end the third quarter at 13-9. In the fourth quarter, it was Johnson’s turn to miss a field goal. This gave the Colts life and Harbaugh took advantage of it. He hit WR Floyd Turner for a 47-yard strike that turned the tables and put Indy up 16-13.
The Steelers would get the ball back in the fourth quarter after DB Willie Williams made one of the outstanding plays of the game. by coming off the edge and stopping Colts RB Lamont Warren behind the line on a critical third-and-one play. O’Donnell took over with three minutes remaining. Pittsburgh surgically marched down the field on a 67-yard drive that culminated with RB Bam Morris plunging into the end zone from one yard out with 1:34 left on the clock. Certainly, this version of the “Steel Curtain” defense would shut the door and Pittsburgh would easily prevail. Not so fast, my friend.
Harbaugh willed the Colts into Steelers’ territory and managed to move the ball to the Steelers’ 29-yard line with five seconds remaining on the clock. Time for one more play.
The play: Hail Mary’s don’t work. The ball goes up and gets batted down by five defenders and the ball falls harmlessly to the ground and everyone celebrates. It’s science. Well, when you’re a Steelers fan, things are rarely easy. The quarterback nicknamed “Captain Comeback” took the snap, dropped back and heaved a rainbow that stayed in the air for about a half hour. The ball sailed towards the right side of the end zone. As the ball came down, it was touched by a defender, but it horrifically and terrifyingly landed in the lap of Colts WR Aaron Bailey, who was on the ground. I can attest with all the honesty in my soul that the ball seemed to sit in his lap for a good 10 seconds. Of course, it was only a split-second, but it appeared that he caught the ball and panic washed over Steeler Nation like a tsunami.
Harbaugh’s arms went up. He thought it was a catch. Other Colts players thought it was a catch. I thought it was a catch. Time seemed to stand still. Until a hero emerged. A hero that came out of nowhere, like Superman, to save the day. The back judge, Tim Millis, left his post on the end zone sideline and positioned himself in a way where he had a clear line of vision just in time to see Bailey roll over and the nose of the ball hit the turf. Millis waved his arms frantically to signal an incomplete pass. Had he not left his assigned post and maneuvered himself into a position to see the play, the Colts would have been going to the Super Bowl. There was no replay review back then. Not all heroes wear capes.
The aftermath: If you were watching this game, you remember your heart leaping out of your chest when that ball was in Bailey’s lap. It’s a game and a moment you remember your whole life. Which coincidentally is probably a little shorter after suffering through that play.
Steelers fans could not have survived another heartbreaking defeat in back-to-back AFC Championship Games. There simply aren’t enough grief counselors and therapists that could have counseled the fan base back into coherence had this Hail Mary worked. The previous season, the Chargers were huge underdogs and came into Pittsburgh and shocked everyone.
If this underdog Colts team pulled off the same feat, in this manner, the city would have had to close off the bridges to keep fans from swarming to do swan dives into the Monongahela River. Thankfully, the Steelers survived the scare, and we could focus our therapy on healing our wounds from what Larry Brown would do to us a couple weeks later.
