1994 Steelers vs. 1997 Steelers
Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2023 7:58 pm
Sandwiched in between Cowher's 1995 SB team were a pair of PIT teams that were eerily similar:
Both lost in week 1 at home vs Dallas, almost ran the table at Three Rivers at home (7 straight reg. season wins plus 1 division game), then got upset at home in the AFC CG
But both these teams had more in common:
Got off to slow 2-2 September starts before catching fire in October
Had tough battles in the AFC Central (although Jacksonville actually did get a game on the 97 Steelers unlike 94 Cleveland) in which they actually didn't take over sole possession of 1st place for good until early December
Both had weird interconference coincidences: the 94 team lost at ARZ in OT and beat PHI, whereas the 97 team lost at PHI and beat ARZ in OT
Both had signature primetime moments in November: the 94 team beat Buffalo on a Monday night without scoring an offensive touchdown while the 97 team forced 6 1st half turnovers on a Sunday night demolition of Baltimore
Both had gutsy comeback OT wins against AFC #3 seeds and East Division champs: the 94 team won a tough low scoring game vs Marino and Miami, while the 97 team had an unexpected comeback at New England
Both had marquee late season wins vs the AFC West- the 94 team blitzed the Raiders in LA while the 97 team had that Yancey/Kordell tour de force on offense against Denver
But while the 94 team losing to San Diego was an all time shocker, the 97 team losing to Denver wasn't exactly a stop the presses upset.
Plus the 94 team was fueled around Blitzburgh while the 97 team was primarily driven mostly by a very capable offense (Kordell, Yancey, Bettis)
Which PIT team was better?
Both lost in week 1 at home vs Dallas, almost ran the table at Three Rivers at home (7 straight reg. season wins plus 1 division game), then got upset at home in the AFC CG
But both these teams had more in common:
Got off to slow 2-2 September starts before catching fire in October
Had tough battles in the AFC Central (although Jacksonville actually did get a game on the 97 Steelers unlike 94 Cleveland) in which they actually didn't take over sole possession of 1st place for good until early December
Both had weird interconference coincidences: the 94 team lost at ARZ in OT and beat PHI, whereas the 97 team lost at PHI and beat ARZ in OT
Both had signature primetime moments in November: the 94 team beat Buffalo on a Monday night without scoring an offensive touchdown while the 97 team forced 6 1st half turnovers on a Sunday night demolition of Baltimore
Both had gutsy comeback OT wins against AFC #3 seeds and East Division champs: the 94 team won a tough low scoring game vs Marino and Miami, while the 97 team had an unexpected comeback at New England
Both had marquee late season wins vs the AFC West- the 94 team blitzed the Raiders in LA while the 97 team had that Yancey/Kordell tour de force on offense against Denver
But while the 94 team losing to San Diego was an all time shocker, the 97 team losing to Denver wasn't exactly a stop the presses upset.
Plus the 94 team was fueled around Blitzburgh while the 97 team was primarily driven mostly by a very capable offense (Kordell, Yancey, Bettis)
Which PIT team was better?