A new series I’m starting to help pass the time through the offseason until training camp starts in late July. Today and throughout these articles, we’ll look back on forgotten Pittsburgh Steelers plays and moments. Usually, they were overshadowed by other big plays or games but often played key roles in the team’s success. There will be a mixture of offense, defense, and special teams.
Steelers Forgotten Plays: Jack Ham’s Interception, Lynn Swann’s Touchdown In 1974 AFC Championship Game
Before the Pittsburgh Steelers could hoist their first Lombardi in 1974 over the Minnesota Vikings, they had to get there. Doing so meant taking down the favored Oakland Raiders at their place in the AFC Championship Game. It was a tight game heading into the fourth quarter, the Steelers trailing 10-3.
A Franco Harris fourth-quarter rushing score knotted things at 10. But the Raiders had the ball with ten minutes left, had home-field advantage, and Pittsburgh was on the edge of coming so close but so far from the Super Bowl, a replay of what happened in 1972.
Then Jack Ham stepped in. More accurately, he stepped in front. QB Ken Stabler threw a sideline route a touch behind RB Charlie Smith. Pressure from S Glen Edwards up the middle influenced the inaccuracy. Ham, one of the greatest coverage linebackers of all time, picked off passes at a cornerback rate. Ham picked off Stabler just as the announcers exclaimed, “Look out!” and ran it back the other way, setting Pittsburgh up with a short field.
A few plays later, the Steelers took the lead. Driving down to the 6-yard line, Terry Bradshaw stepped up. Dropping back, he fired a laser over the middle and hit WR Lynn Swann on a slant. It was a perfectly placed throw, buzzing past the linebacker and ahead of the corner. Swann made the grab and displayed great body control, dragging his left foot inbounds for the score. With Roy Gerela’s extra point, the Steelers went up 17-10. They wouldn’t give the lead back.
Make sure you pay attention to Mike Webster’s block on the replay angle. What a play.
Franco Harris capped the win with a 21-yard score in the final seconds, creating the 24-10 final. Pittsburgh advanced to their first Super Bowl, their defense standing tall and winning a defensive slugfest over the Minnesota Vikings.
Ham, Swann, and so many others pushed the Steelers to four Super Bowls and the ’70s dynasty. But to reach their first, it was Ham and Swann who made the game’s defining plays.
