rivalry between the Broncos and the Steelers
The Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers have an NFL rivalry known as the Broncos-Steelers rivalry. Eight playoff games between the two clubs, some of which had upset victories, are what started the rivalry. Six of the eight bouts allowed the winner to go to the Super Bow.
1970s:
Steel Curtain vs. Orange Crush against the Broncos in their history, losing 20 of 33 games to a tie, including a 3–5 record in the playoffs. The Broncos are currently one of four teams with a winning record against the Steelers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots.[3]
The two teams first met in the knockout round in the 1977 group stage. In Denver’s NFL playoff debut, they defeated the Steelers 34-21 as quarterback Craig Morton scored two touchdowns against Pittsburgh’s legendary Steel Curtain defense. On the other hand, Denver’s Orange Crush Defense threw three interceptions against Terry Bradshaw. An immediate rematch then occurred in the 1978 divisional round. Thanks to Pittsburgh’s six sacks and Bradshaw’s 272-yard two-touchdown performance, the Steelers defeated the Broncos 33-10. In both cases, the eventual winner faced the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl, with the Broncos losing Super Bowl XII and the Steelers winning Super Bowl XIII.
1980s-1990s:
Era The future John Elway Hall of Famer completed 1 of 8 passes for 14 yards, was sacked four times and had one interception. Reserve Steve DeBerg ultimately led the Broncos to a 14–10 victory.[4] Elway also made his playoff debut with the Steelers in the 1984 qualifying round. Before the game, Denver finished 13-3 and lost to the Steelers 9-7. In that game, Elway passed for 184 yards and scored two touchdowns, but was intercepted twice and sacked four times in Denver’s surprising 17-24 loss. The two teams would meet again in the divisional round in 1989. This time, however, Elway performed very well with 239 passing yards, 44 rushing yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Mel Bratton’s 1-yard score sealed the Broncos’ 24–23 victory, and Denver ultimately reached Super Bowl XXIV on a losing effort. This was also the last playoff game coached by Chuck Noll of the Steelers.[1][2]
Eight years later, the Broncos and Steelers faced off in the 1997 AFC Championship Game. This was a rematch of their Week 15 meeting in the 1997 regular season, in which the Steelers defeated the Broncos 35–24 in Pittsburgh. Even though the Broncos had a better record (12-4) than the Steelers (11-5), Pittsburgh hosted the title game with an AFC Central win, while Denver advanced as the Wild card. This time, however, Denver avenged the regular-season loss with a 24–21 victory, as the Broncos’ defense intercepted Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart three times and Terrell Davis rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown. touch the ball. The victory sent the Broncos to Super Bowl XXXII, in which they won the first of two consecutive titles. These honors capped Elway’s Hall of Fame career, retiring after the 1998 season. Ironically, the backup quarterback for the Broncos’ two Super Bowl teams under Elway was Bubby Brister, who faced off against Elway in the aforementioned 1989 group stage match.
2000s to present:
Roethlisberger, Tebow and Manning[edit]
Another eight-year wait occurred before the two teams met in the playoffs. In the 2005 AFC Championship Game, the sixth-seeded Steelers (11-5) were defeated by the Broncos 13-3, who had defeated their rivals and two-time defending champions, the New England Patriots, in 2005 AFC championship match of the divisional round. However, the Steelers dominated the Broncos in a 34–17 victory. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, making his first start in the rivalry, finished with 275 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and one passing touchdown, while the defense forced four turnovers against Broncos starter Jake Plumber. Pittsburgh won Super Bowl XL, its first since Super Bowl XIV in 1979.[1][2]
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