Despite the low score overall with no score at halftime, this game was exciting and tense. The blocking and tackling were crisp and precise. Late in the third quarter, Pittsburgh's Roy Gerela kicked a 22 yard field goal for a 3 to 0 lead. John Madden then called in Kenny Stabler to replace Daryle Lamonica. Through three quarters, Lamonica compelted six of 18 passes for just 45 yards, threw two interceptions, and was sacked once for a 10 yard loss.
The Steelers sacked Stabler at the Oakland 23, he fumbled, and Mike Wagner recovered. After Gerela kicked a 29 yard field goal, the Steelers led 6 to 0. Late in the game, Oakland started moving the football. Stabler, at the Steeler 30, dropped back to pass but the Steelers had everyone covered. Showing great poise, Kenny Stabler just took off and had the 30 yard cruise. I felt that the Steelers were going to lose; so did everyone else.
Instead Terry Bradshaw threw that controversial 59 yard touchdown pass to Franco Harris for the victory Harris caught the deflection off a collision between linebacker Jack Tatum and running back John Fuqua. If the ball hit only Tatum the touchdown would stand. Hitting only Fuqua would be just an incomplete pass. In those a days a receiver could not catch a pass if it hit one of their teammates. The one exception would be an offensive player catching the ball following the defensive player deflection. To eliminate the confusion. The officials ruled it a catch.
Pass hits an offensive player only, another offensive player catching the deflection would be a dead ball. The pass hits an offensive player, a defensive player deflects the ball, an offensive catches it is a completed pass. Called the Miraculous Reception, this may be the most exciting play in Steeler history.