The Pittsburgh Steelers perform well against the Indianapolis/Baltimore Colts owning an overall 27-6 record. Even on the road the Steelers hold a 10-4 advantage.
The Colts became part of the NFL in 1950 after they joined the league, along with the 49ers and the Browns, from the All-America Football Conference. The A.A.F.C. folded while, with the three additions, the American Football League consisted of thirteen teams.
In the 2004 draft, three quarterbacks went in the first eleven picks. Eli Manning and Phillip Rivers went before the Steelers had the eleventh choice. There was some debate about whether Pittsburgh preferred Rivers to Ben Roethlisberger. When the cards were dealt, it was the quarterback from the Miami Redhawks who moved from Ohio to Pennsylvania.
The Steelers intention was to give their rookie a year behind starting quarterback Tommy Maddox. That changed when Maddox went down in week two against the Ravens. Roethlisberger came on and made such an impression he would remain the starter.
The 15-1 season finished with a loss in the Conference Championship game against the team’s nemesis Patriots.
Following the successful rookie season of Roethlisberger, much was expected from the team in 2005. Jerome Bettis postponed his retirement for a season to have one final shot at winning a Super Bowl ring.
Roethlisberger led the team to 5-2 before undergoing knee surgery on November 3. He would return four weeks later to take a 7-4 record into Indianapolis for the Monday night game against the Colts.
The Colts were unbeaten at 10-0. Although the Steelers had won nine straight against their opponents, they lost 26-7. Both teams made the playoffs. The Steelers won their last four regular season games to finish 11-5 while the Colts finished 14-2 after going unbeaten for thirteen games.
The Steelers finished second in the division to the Bengals which saw them play their division rivals in the wildcard game. Roethlisberger produced a passing rating of 148.7 as the Steelers won 31-17 to earn a trip to Indianapolis for the divisional game against the AFC’s number one seed.
The Steelers were now making the ambition of Bettis to have a final shot at the Super Bowl a reality if they could overcome the Colts.
The Steelers at the Colts; January 15, 2006, AFC Divisional game
The Steelers received the opening kickoff. With completions to Heath Miller, Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El, complemented by runs from Willie Parker and Jerome Bettis, Ben Roethlisberger moved the chains to the Indianapolis 13. Randle El finished the drive with a touchdown catch of 6 yards for the opening score.
The Steelers defense gave Peyton Manning a torrid time and the Colts made only one first down in their opening three series. While Manning was finding it difficult to find his receivers, Roethlisberger extended Pittsburgh’s lead with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Miller.
In the second quarter, Manning began to find his receivers with short passes on a drive of 96 yards that yielded a 20-yard field goal. The Steelers held a 14-3 lead at the half.
The third quarter saw both defenses on top until a punt return of 20 yards by Randle El set the Steelers up on their opponents’ 30. It was the turn of the running backs to move the ball and the opportunity for Jerome Bettis to make an impact. His 1-yard touchdown run up the middle meant the Steelers were 21-3 ahead and looking comfortable.
At the end of the third quarter and on a fourth down, Manning kept his team’s playoff hopes alive when he found Brandon Stokley with a 13-yard pass. Manning made the most of this opportunity in the final period by throwing a 50-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Clark reducing the Colts deficit to eleven points.
On the Steelers next drive, they took eight minutes off the clock before punting. The Colts took over on their twenty with six minutes remaining and needing to score twice to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Troy Polamalu appeared to have intercepted Manning on his second pass of the drive. After the officials discussed the play, they ruled the pass incomplete. The Colts went on to score a touchdown when Edgerrin James took it over from two yards. Manning completed a pass for a two-point conversion to make it a three-point game.
On the Colts subsequent possession, an impressive stand by the Steelers defense, who sacked Manning twice, forced a turnover on downs. The Steelers took over with just two yards for a score to finish the game.
Coach Cowher thought he had put the ball in the secure hands of Bettis, but disaster struck when he was hit. The ball popped loose, and his career could have easily ended on a heartbreaking note. Nick Harper scooped it up and was headed to the end zone when a touchdown saving ankle tackle by Roethlisberger kept the win intact.
The impressive Steelers defense kept Indianapolis to a 46-yard field goal attempt which went wide right along with the Colts Super Bowl dreams.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 21 at the Indianapolis Colts 18
The Steelers set an NFL record becoming the first sixth seed to beat a number one seed team in the playoffs.
Incensed over the non-Polamalu interception, Joey Porter commented, “We’re out there fighting so hard. All we want is for the refs to call a fair game.”
Talking about the Bettis fumble, which was his first on the season, Coach Cowher admitted, “I was almost in shock when the fumble happened.“
The Steelers would next travel to Denver where they would win 34-17.
The win meant the dream of Jerome Bettis to play in the Super Bowl in his hometown of Detroit came to fruition. The Steelers beat the Seahawks 21-10 to claim their fifth Lombardi and satisfy Steelers Nation’s “One for the Thumb” craving.
The win also set another NFL record as the Steelers became the first team to win a Super Bowl playing all their games on the road.
Bill Cowher would win his first Super Bowl in his fourteenth year as the Steelers coach and retire after the following season.
