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1974 AFC Championship Game Another in a series of stories about
the 47 playoff games in Steelers history. By BOB
LABRIOLA Steelers.com The AFC Championship Game on
There was no bravado in the answer.
"Just watching to see who we're going t
*
*
* The same weekend the Steelers were
dispatching the Buffalo Bills in "The two best teams in football
played today," said Dolphins guard Larry Little. Added Raiders coach
A couple of time zones away, Noll
was livid. He gathered his team on the Tuesday before the AFC Championship Game
and delivered a succinct message. "(Noll) had his teeth bared,"
remembered linebacker Andy Russell. "He told us, `Well, they're not the best.
The best team is in THIS locker room. And neither one of them is going to be in
the Super Bowl." Later when he met the media for his
weekly news conference, Noll was more subdued but no less defiant. "We always enjoy our games with
To this intensity was added this bit
of strategy. Offensive line coach Dan Radakovich noticed on film that Raiders
defensive tackle Art Thoms could be trap-blocked from certain defensive
alignments. It was installed into the game plan by Noll. Meanwhile, Noll seemed to have found
himself as a coach. Never warm-and-fuzzy with his players, Noll also didn't
believe in any theatric motivational techniques. "We choose people on their
ability to motivate themselves," said Noll in 1974. "That's a high priority. A
game like last week (a meaningless regular season finale vs. the Bengals) tells
who wants t But now, Noll was confident in his
players, and his demeanor told them he meant it. He was all business when it was
time for that, but Noll wasn't reacting to the pressure of this situation at
all. The team was going t "This is what we've worked like hell
for," said Noll. "Our whole football team has learned from the experience just
being there. We're wiser in all departments. The players know what to
expect." The Raiders players, however, got
much more than they expected. The teams traded field goals in the
first half, and then If there was a defining moment to
this game, to this season, to the Steelers first successful run at a
championship, it came with the kickoff following Branch's go-ahead touchdown.
The Steelers' offense responded to this 10-3 deficit with a nine-play, 61-yard
touchdown drive capped with an 8-yard run by Franco
Harris. The offensive line that had been
re-made to a degree through the techniques taught by Radakovich began to carve
huge holes in the Raiders defense. Thoms' susceptibility to being trapped, which
Radakovich noticed earlier in the week, began to be exploited regularly. Eight
times Bradshaw came to the line of scrimmage and noticed the Raiders in that
defense; eight times he audibled to a trap play, one of which was the tying
touchdown by Harris. With the game suddenly tied, the
defense contributed with its own big play. Jack Ham read Ken Stabler like a dime
novel and intercepted a pass that he returned 24 yards to the 9-yard line.
Bradshaw fired a strike to At this point, the Raiders were
totally incapable of mustering anything with their running attack. They finished
with 29 yards on 21 attempts, which meant the Steelers were free to hunt
Stabler, and a front four that combined for 29 sacks in 14 games during the
regular season did exactly that. Harris rushed for 111 yards, and
Rocky Bleier added 98. The last of Stabler's three interceptions led to a
21-yard touchdown by Harris that accounted for the 24-13
final. "They beat our butts," said
Madden. The Pittsburgh Steelers were going
to the Super Bowl. "People tended to forget about
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