The Pittsburgh Steelers overall record against the New England Patriots is 16-19. On the road it is 4-7. The Steelers were leading the series 12-5 until the Brady effect began to change the balance in 2001.
When the Steelers won their third Super Bowl at the end of the 1978 season, it set a new NFL record. The success was made even more sweeter as it was Dallas that were humbled, suffering a 35-31 defeat.
The Steelers entered the following season with the deserved title of Super Steelers, and it was a label they were determined to live up to. Terry Bradshaw was confident they could defend their championship. “We’ve got all our first line players back – there were no retirements,” he stated. “And our second line guys are much stronger. We’ve got great depth, and we got J.T Thomas back.”
Thomas was the Steelers number one draft choice in 1973. After five great seasons playing cornerback and contributing to the Steelers first two Lombardis, he was diagnosed with a chemical imbalance. This brought a temporary halt to playing football.
After he recovered from the ailment ready for the 1979 season, Thomas returned to find the Steelers were overflowing with talent at his old position. Coach Noll decided to move him to strong safety.
Most pundits favored the Steelers to take their fourth Super Bowl. Terry Bradshaw was coming off his best season with 2,915 yards passing and 28 touchdowns. He finished the season with 4 touchdown passes in Super Bowl XIII.
Always the realist, Coach Noll noted, “Nothing is as an antiquated as last year’s Super Bowl trophy. We’re starting from scratch.” The Steelers began the season with a 45-man roster of players who were either drafted or originally signed as free agents by the Steelers.
Gerela’s Gorillas found themselves without their kicker when the Steelers drafted Matt Bahr in the sixth round.
Their opener saw the Steelers travel to New England for the first Monday Night game of the season. The Patriots made the playoffs twice in the previous three seasons. Patriots head coach Ron Erhard led his team to the divisional game in 1978 where they lost to the Houston Oilers.
Steelers injuries saw Greg Hawthorne and Larry Brown not dressing while Rocky Bleier also would not see any playing time.
For the Patriots, it would be an emotional game. Their star wide receiver Darryl Stingley would join the fans in the stand. Stingley had been paralysed in a preseason game the previous year. It would be the first time he had returned to Schaefer Stadium since his accident.
The (0-0) Steelers at the (0-0) Patriots; September 3, 1979
To add to the Steelers injury woes, they lost Joe Greene in the warmups with a sprained knee.
New England’s first possession would confirm Pittsburgh had a game on their hands. Rookie Allan returned the kickoff 37 yards to provide the Patriots with good field position on their 45. Steve Grogan took 11 plays to cover the 55 yards, finishing with a 4-yard touchdown toss to Russ Francis.
A Steelers offense that started the game hesitantly started to find their form at the end of the first quarter. Terry Bradshaw began to find his receivers. Completions to John Stallworth (13 yards), Lynn Swann (19 yards) and Randy Grossman (12 yards) moved the ball to their opponents 4-yard line as the game went into the second period.
Sidney Thornton scored on a 2-yard touchdown run. After Matt Bahr’s point-after-attempt went wide right, New England led by a point.
The Patriots extended their lead with a John Smith 31-yard field goal. After a Franco Harris fumble gifted the ball to New England on Pittsburgh’s 34, the depleted Steel Curtain held them to a field goal of 32 yards. The Patriots led 13-6 at the half.
The Steelers lost L.C. Greenwood to another sprained knee while Bradshaw, who had left the game with a sprained toe, returned for a scoreless third quarter. Bahr continued to struggle to find his pro feet, missing his first field goal attempt from 43 yards.
The Steelers were fortunate recipients of a New England shanked punt that presented them with a first down on the Patriots 34. Bradshaw found Stallworth with a 13-yard pass to move the chains to New England’s 21.
Bradshaw faked a handoff to Harris while Thornton broke right into the endzone. Unmarked, he caught a 21-yard touchdown pass. Steelers fans held their breath as Bahr set up for the conversion. They breathed a sigh of relief when his successful point after attempt tied the game.
As both offenses failed to make an impression in the final four minutes of regular time, the game went into overtime while television viewers on the east coast slipped into slumber.
The Steelers took the overtime opening kickoff. Starting on their own 31, they moved the ball to the Patriots 24. On a fourth and two, Steelers fans nerves were again put to the test. Bahr stepped up to redeem himself and kick a 41-yard field goal that gave the Steelers victory and rewarded SteelersNation for staying up past midnight.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 16 at the New England Patriots 13
The Post-Gazette’s review of the game made a point stating the Steelers victory was the kind that championship teams get. “They did not look super, but they pulled it out when they had so much going against them.”
Having seen his team win his 100th game Coach Noll, said, “I don’t have the words to express how I feel about this team being able to hang in there. We were less than efficient, but we gutted it out.”
Ron Erhardt became the New York Giants offensive coordinator in 1982 where he contributed to two Super Bowl wins for the Giants. In 1992, Erhardt became the Steelers offensive coordinator under Bill Cowher. His four years in Pittsburgh saw him help guide the team to Super Bowl XXX.
The Steelers would finish the season 12-4 to win their seventh division title and sixth straight. As the AFC’s second seed, they would roll over the Dolphins and Oilers on their way to Super Bowl XIV where they beat the Los Angeles Rams 31-19. Four Super Bowl wins in six year was Coach Noll’s legacy following his first 1-13 season.
