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ARTICLE
Monday, October 8, 2007
1979 AFC Championship Game Another in a series of stories about
the 47 playoff games in Steelers history. Steelers' defense puts Earl in the soup By BOB
LABRIOLA Steelers.com Once, it had been Steelers vs.
Raiders. In 1978-79, it was Steelers vs. Oilers. During those two seasons, the
Steelers were 26-6 and the Oilers were 21-11. In head-to-head competition, they
had split the four regular season games, and the Steelers had crushed the
Oilers, 34-5, for the previous conference championship. These games were
physically brutal, but with a professional courtesy that never was a part of
Steelers vs. Raiders. The 1979 AFC Championship Game was
supposed to be a rematch of the regular season meeting between the Steelers and
the San Diego Chargers, but when the stakes are the highest winning football is
more about blocking and tackling than nifty schemes and wide-open
play-calling. That's why the Steelers and the
Oilers were playing for this conference championship, and everybody knew what
kind of game it was going to be. "I could tell we were ready
t The Steelers defense was preparing
for Earl Campbell, a back with a power-speed combination that was frightening to
face. This was the sixth time the Steelers defense lined up opposite
" So the Steelers did their homework
and relied on their experience to know what was coming. When the Oilers were in
a one-back set, Greene, in the sixth AFC
Championship Game among his 11th NFL season, was great once again with six
tackles, including two for loss, to lead a defense that limited the Oilers to 2
yards rushing in the first half, 24 for the game on 22 attempts.
"We knew where he was going and we
shut off the gaps," said Greene. "Listen, if Earl had been running the football,
we wouldn't have won the game." Added
The other half of this drama –
Steelers offense vs. Oilers defense – revealed again what had been a weakness
for the Bradshaw had the offense moving well
to open the game, but his pass to Bennie Cunningham over the middle was
intercepted by Vernon Perry, the same Vernon Perry whose four interceptions and
blocked field goal in Perry returned this interception 75
yards for the game's first points just 150 seconds into the game. "I was so mad
about that," said Bradshaw. "I thought Bennie was going one way and he went the
other. I was a little cautious in the game today, but I've found that you can't
let yourself get intimidated in a game like this." The Steelers were too seasoned to
let one interception kill them, and besides, their defense was too busy roughing
up Earl Campbell to notice. "The key to our team is that we know
we're good and we've been there before," said Rocky Bleier, "so we didn't panic
when Perry picked off that pass and put them on the scoreboard right
away." After the teams traded field goals
on the next tw "Even after I look at the films, I'm
not going to blame the officials," said Coach Bum Phillips. "They're human. The
Renfr It wasn't easy for the Steelers. The
27-13 final was bloated by a Bleier touchdown run in the game's final seconds,
but the Steelers still were on their way to a fourth Super Bowl and with it a
chance to defend their championship. "I don't think anybody can beat
Oilers 7 3 0 3 13 Steelers 3 14 0 10 27
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