Over the years, the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are evenly matched in their contests, although in the Brady era New England dominated the contests. The Steelers lead the series 12-11 in Pittsburgh.
1982 was the year of one of the players’ strikes which these pages have touched on before.
The dispute was over money and whether the players should receive a fixed percentage of the NFL’s gross revenue. The NFL was the most profitable sports league while the average player’s salary was not as great as the other major sports.
It was anticipated that the television revenue would double to $10 million per team and as a result of the increase, the players believed they should receive a bigger percentage.
The Steelers were 2-0 when the strike began before week 3. A 36-28 win in Dallas was followed by a 26-20 overtime win against the Bengals.
Steelers fans were still enjoying watching some of their favorite players from the seventies. Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris continued to win games for the team while John Stallworth, Jack Lambert and Jack Ham also made contributions. However, the last member of the Steel Curtain, L.C. Greenwood, had been placed on waivers before the season started.
Many fans didn’t believe the strike would happen. They believed there was too much money wrapped up in the broadcasting rights to prevent a total television blackout. They were wrong and after the NFL Players Association called the strike on September 21, an agreement wasn’t reached until nearly two months later.
When it was settled, many players believed the prolonged strike had added little value to the initial negotiations.
As soon as the agreement was reached, the Steelers were back in training and looking forward to their first game against the Oilers. “We’re back,” noted Jack Ham, “NFL caliber football is back.”
“With a 2-0 start in a short (9-game) season, we like to think we have an advantage in all areas,” said Coach Noll.
Terry Bradshaw lamented the good start they had in September and the loss of momentum. He questioned whether he could get the Steelers offense back into shape with just four days before the season restarted?
“We just put in the new offense this year and we’re going to need a refresher course,” Bradshaw said. The team’s first game would be a trip to Houston and Bradshaw was pleased it was a team they were familiar with.
The season resumed with it original schedule which meant, because of the shortened season, four of the Steelers next five games would be on the road. Because of the strike, they had given up four home games.
After the two-month layoff, Coach Noll was concerned about his players’ condition. “It’s not so much that the guys aren’t in good shape,” he suggested. “It’s going to be the recovery the next day that is going to be the problem. There is going to be a lot of soreness the following morning.”
The Steelers comfortably won their game against the Oilers 24-10 but then lost 16-0 in Seattle. In Pittsburgh they rolled over the Chiefs 35-14. Back on the road they lost 13-0 in Buffalo before losing by a point in Cleveland 10-9, despite an interception by Mel Blount which broke Jack Butler’s long-standing record.
Blount would set a franchise record with his 183rd start for the team.
With the revamped schedule, the league was divided into two conferences with no division titles to play for. The top eight teams in the two conferences would enter the playoffs and both New England and Pittsburgh were tied in sixth place with Buffalo. There was everything to play for especially as the Patriots final game would be against the Bills.
Having posted back-to-back shutouts, the Patriots were looking forward to facing a Steelers offense that in Bradshaw’s words, “has lost some confidence,”
The (4-3) Steelers vs (4-3) Patriots; December 26, 1982
The Steelers offense brushed aside its lethargy of the previous two weeks and scored in their first four possessions. They struck first, midway through the first quarter with Gary Anderson’s 21-yard field goal.
On the Steelers’ next series, the Patriots did their best to assist their opponents with two pass interference penalties. Bradshaw, who was complemented by a revitalized running game, reignited the confidence in his passing. He led the Steelers on a 64-yard, 11-play drive that finished with Frank Pollard’s 1-yard touchdown run.
Bradshaw extended their lead at the beginning of the second quarter. He first found the team’s first round draft choice Walter Abercrombie with a pass of 14 yards. The catch was Abercrombie’s first NFL reception. The drive was completed by John Stallworth’s 9-yard touchdown catch.
Lynn Swann was involved in the Steelers’ next possession catching two straight passes to move the chains 27 yards. Anderson kicked a 25-yard field goal and the Steelers led 20-0 at halftime.
The Steelers squandered two opportunities in the third quarter to extend their lead when Jim Smith fumbled on the Patriots’ 8 and Stallworth at their 37. The Steelers’ defense stifled their opponents after the turnovers, but New England eventually found a way to the end zone after making a change at quarterback.
They replaced Tom Flick with Matt Cavanaugh. He found Lin Dawson with a 25-yard touchdown pass. The Steelers replied with a 44-yard field goal before an energized Patriots team struck again.
At the beginning of the final period, Cavanaugh’s play action pass saw Stanley Morgan streak pass Dwayne Woodruff for a completion he took 75 yards for the score.
The ensuing kickoff was returned by Abercrombie to the Patriots’ 49. Bradshaw made quick work of the short field. Two plays later he found Greg Hawthorne with a 46-yard touchdown pass to quell any New England thoughts of a comeback.
With Bradshaw confidence at its peak, he found Smith with a 23-yard completion before adding a 24-yard completion to Bennie Cunningham. Abercrombie completed the drive with his first NFL career touchdown via a 1-yard run.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 37 vs the New England Patriots 14
Franco Harris achieved his 41st (of 47) 100-yard game and suggested, “It gives us a little balance and I think we are more effective that way.”
“It took some pressure off the passing game,” said John Stallworth. “Teams had been gearing up for our passing game because we hadn’t been running it very well.”
Their running game helped the Steelers to keep the ball for more than forty minutes, aiding the defense. “The biggest key to the defense today was the offense was scoring points,” confirmed Jack Lambert
The Steelers romped over the Browns 37-21 in the season finale to finish 6-3 and into the playoffs. In the Wild Card game against the Chargers, they led 28-17 in the fourth quarter before losing 31-28.
The Washington Redskins won Super Bowl XVII.
