The worst moment of RB Jerome Bettis’ Hall of Fame career is the one fans remember most. You know the one. His fumble late in the fourth quarter of the 2005 AFC Divisional Playoff Game against the Indianapolis Colts. All’s well that ends well — Ben Roethlisberger’s tackle saved a touchdown and the Pittsburgh Steelers went on to win the Super Bowl — but it’s a moment Bettis would prefer to forget.
Even nearly 20 years later, it’s awfully hard to do. It’s one of the most memorable plays in team history, in part because it all worked out with Pittsburgh winning one for the thumb. Fans forgave Bettis long ago but they haven’t forgotten. Appearing as a guest on Ben Roethlisberger’s Footbahlin podcast released Sunday, Bettis said he’s asked to relive the moment time and time again. And it’s not a story he loves to tell.
“People always ask me, ‘How’d you feel when you fumbled?’ Bettis told the show. “I feel like shit. I mean, I felt terrible. People want me to reenact the worst moment of my career. All these great things I did. All these yards and all this stuff and like, I fumbled like 10, 15 times in my career. And everything is, ‘What were you thinking?’ Or ‘What happened?’ You saw what happened. I fumbled. They wear me out with that.”
Bettis said it while laughing and certainly not in an angry tone. But obviously, it’s a moment he’d wish he could fully put in the rearview mirror.
The play happened after the Colts turned the ball over on downs while trailing the Steelers, 21-18. Indianapolis came into the game as heavy favorites and had throttled the Steelers earlier that year in the regular season. But Pittsburgh battled hard, showing QB Peyton Manning the same pre-snap look each play and not allowing him to know where to go with the ball. Even after Troy Polamalu’s clear interception was wiped away, the Steelers remained in control of the game.
Facing first and goal on the Colts’ two with 1:20 left, a Bettis touchdown would seal the win. He received the handoff, ran up the middle, but LB Gary Brackett put his helmet directly on the ball, forcing a fumble that was recovered by DB Nick Harper. Harper ran downfield and with the Steelers in their goal line personnel, didn’t have the speed on the field to catch him. Roethlisberger made a touchdown-saving shoestring grab as Harper cut back inside.
The Colts moved into field goal range (though CB Bryant McFadden had a crucial and oft-forgotten end zone breakup) but ace kicker Mike Vanderjagt hooked it wildly wide right, and Pittsburgh held on to win. They beat Denver in the AFC Championship Game before winning Super Bowl XL in Detroit, Bettis’ hometown. It was the final game of his career.
“I’m so super thankful for the tackle,” Bettis told Roethlisberger.
It kept Pittsburgh’s storybook playoff run going, the Steelers becoming the first six seed to ever win it all.
While Bettis may dislike telling the story, or having it told to him, it’s sure better than what could’ve happened. If Roethlisberger doesn’t make that tackle, if the Colts go on to win that game, the final play of Bettis’ career would’ve been the worst moment imaginable. And that feeling would have never left him. All things considered, hearing a fan ask about it every now and then is okay.
Check out the full episode below.
