Steelers 21, Broncos 24

Elway and Broncos end great Steelers season

Too many mistakes cost the Steelers their shot at playing in their sixth Super Bowl. The thing that really sucked about this game is that we outplayed Denver for the most part and at one point in the game it just seemed like we had them beaten. This game began with a Kirkland interception but Norm Johnson missed a 38 yard field goal, one of many upcoming Pittsburgh mistakes. Denver then drove down the field behind Terrell Davis, who became the first rusher in a while to rack up 100 yards on the Steelers defense. It was 7-0 Broncos, but the Steelers came right back and capped a drive with another Kordell Stewart long run, just like last week. This one was from 33 yards out. Feeling the momentum the Steelers recovered a fumble and again proceeded to drive down the field for a Bettis TD. This was the point of the game where it looked like we had them. Denver kicked a field goal but the Steelers were driving again. That's when it all began to fall apart.

Stewart threw into double coverage in the endzone and was picked off. Then, with under two minutes left, John Elway drove the Broncos down the field for a touchdown not once, but twice. He was aided in this process by two of the cheapest pass interference calls ever. The refs screwed us over all day. If you watched the NFC Championship game, you saw that those refs screwed over the 49ers all day. The NFL wanted Green Bay vs. Denver in the Super Bowl - they wanted Elway vs. Favre. But I'm not going to blame the loss on those calls. The Steelers defense still broke down and allowed both TD's, so nobody write me and get angry because I said the refs cheated us. This is where Pittsburgh lost this game. With 1:47 left in the first half, we were up by four. When time expired, we were down by 10! I could hardly believe it.

As shocking and depressing as the end of the first half was, the start of the second half was important to the Steelers comeback chances, but they managed to shock us even worse then they had already done. After a long drive to open the half, the Steelers had 1st and goal from the Denver 5 yard line. After a failed run, Kordell Stewart for some reason threw a pass right into the middle of three Broncos defenders, and the drive was over with no points at all. This broke the team's spirit. The rest of the half went by quickly, as neither team could put together a drive. Finally, with about 3 minutes left in the game, Kordell hit CJ on a nice 15 yard TD pass, but it was too little too late. Denver got the ball back and ran out the clock. John Elway gets another shot at the Super Bowl, while the Steelers and we, the fans, ponder next season. The young Kordell Stewart could not pull it off today, but he'll have plenty of chances to redeem himself in the future. Although the Steelers really did beat themselves, Denver played great and deserved to win. I won't stoop to their level and cry like they did last time about how if some things would have been different we would've won. None of that can be changed now, so maybe now Denver will finally bring the AFC a Super Bowl win. The Steelers had a great season regardless. Here's the numbers for the game:

• Kordell Stewart 18-36 for 201 yards, 1 TD pass, 1 TD rush, 4 turnovers
• Jerome Bettis: 23 rushes, 105 yards
• Yancey Thigpen: 6 rec, 92 yards

A word about Kordell Stewart: When the season began, there was a lot of questions surrounding Stewart. There were a lot of so-called "experts" who picked the Steelers to finish 8-8. There were and still are a lot of people in this town who don't think Kordell should be our quarterback and who love it when he screws up. But despite all this, Kordell Stewart came out and had a great season. Yes, he threw a lot of interceptions. Yes, he was often forced to make comebacks due to his poor starts. But he still had a 3000 yard season. He still led the team all the way back to the AFC Championship game. He still made this one of the most exciting seasons in Steelers history. There were more thrilling games this season then there were in the previous three seasons combined. Now, there's no denying that he screwed up big-time on Sunday, but that's no reason for everyone to start hating him. He's young and he's still learning. He's already done more than was expected of him. Give him time for the future, because he's going to be a superstar in this league.

Steelers 7, Patriots 6

Steelers in AFC Championship game!!!!!

That was a good old-fashioned football game you saw today. The Steelers beat the Patriots 7-6 in the third lowest scoring post-season game since Super Bowl play began. The Steelers have advanced to their third AFC Championship game in the last four years.

This game began with some great defense. Rookie CB Chad Scott intercepted Drew Bledsoe on the first possession of the game and returned the ball to mid-field. After a pass to CJ, Kordell Stewart ran the ball in from 40 yards out. It first it looked like Stewart may have stepped out of bounds, especially because the Patriots defense kind of let up a bit trying to tackle him. That would be the Pats defense only mistake the entire day. Kordell's run was amazingly enough the longest run in Steelers post-season history. The rest of the first half was all defense on both sides of the ball. The Patriots had one good drive in which Terry Glenn beat Carnell Lake badly (Lake had a sub-par game) and was wide open for a huge play at the ten yard line. Fortunately the Steelers held New England to a field goal. At the end of the half, Will Blackwell almost returned a punt all the way, but time ran out on the play so it didn't matter.

The second half always belongs to the Steelers, and I thought that we would pull away, but that never happened. Costly penalties screwed up our first drive, and a stop on 3rd and 1 ended our second good drive of the half. It was frustrating all day because the Steelers could not get past the 35 yard line. It seemed like every Josh Miller punt (see below for more on him) was a pooch punt from mid-field. They couldn't get those extra yards for at least a field goal attempt. Neither could New Engalnd though, but in the 4th quarter they mounted another decent drive and kicked another field goal to make it a one point game. Now the Steelers had to be careful because New England needed only a field goal to win.

The Steelers then mounted their best drive of the day. After the refs cheated us on a great CJ catch (see below for more on the refs), Kordell found Thigpen for a first down. Jerome Bettis, who had been stuffed all day, finally got some yards and the Steelers were soon faced with a 4th & goal from the 1. Cowher decided to go for it and New England stuffed us (again see below). That meant it was up to the defense again, and rookie DE Mike Vrable secured the victory when he stripped the ball from Bledsoe and Jason Gildon recovered it. The Steelers have to feel good after winning such a hard-fought game. I'll give credit to the Patriots, especially for totally shutting down our running game (Bettis had 67 yards on 25 carries). Their defense was good, but ours was better. The Steelers now get set to play for another AFC title. We'll worry about that game in a few days. For now, here's the numbers and some other stuff about this game:

• Kordell Stewart 14-31 for 134 yards, 11-68 rushing, 1 TD rush
• Jason Gildon: 2 fumble recoveries, sack

About the 4th & 1 call: Ok, I know this is all everone will talk about this week. If Cowher would've kicked the field goal then New England would've needed a TD to win. Cowher tried to put this issue to rest when after the game he called the move a "mistake", saying that he's a "young coach" who got to caught up in the emotion of the game. I don't know why he said this. I totally agreed with that call. A TD would've made it an 8 point lead, and basically would've ended the game right then. Yes, they had done a good job stopping us on short-down situations before, especially in week 16, but Kordell over the top almost never fails. Plus, even if you don't make it the Patriots are backed up to their own 1 yard line and have to go at least 70 yards on a great defense to win the game. It was a good call. Everyone in the stadium was screaming "go for it", and Cowher wanted to end the game.

Poor Josh Miller: I know he sucked really bad yesterday, but I still felt sorry for the guy. Most of his pooch punts never cleared the 20 yard line. He had one punt that was 12 yards! In the end he came through with two great pooches inside the five, but it really didn't make up for his miserable game. The fans were extremely brutal on Miller. They screamed and booed at him after every punt, and eventually started booing every time he came on the field. In the eleven or so years that I've been going to games, I can't remember any Steelers player taking worse abuse from the fans then Miller took against the Patriots today, and that includes such Steeler screw-ups as Mark Malone, Jeff Graham, and Bubby Brister.

The refs sucked: What is it with home games this year? It seems like we always get the cappiest refs in the NFL. Even the Patriots would agree that these refs were absolutely horrible. Fortunately they sucked enough to screw the Patriots over on some calls also.

I wonder if New England hates us yet?: The Patriots lost just two out of their final seven games. Guess who both losses came against? We totally ruined their whole season! The Steelers will meet New Engalnd again in the 98 regular season.

Steelers 6, Oilers 16

Steelers lose meaningless game

Not much to recap here. The Steelers took mostly everyone out after a boring first half. The only thing that sucked was that Dawson, Bruener, and CJ all got hurt! Fortunately, it appears that they will all be ready in time for the divisional playoffs in two weeks. There were a ton of Steelers fans at this game. Too bad they had to watch such a snooze-fest. The only big thing that happened was that Yancey Thigpen broke John Stallworth's team receiving record for a season. He finished with 1398 yards for the year. Also, the Vikings' Eddie Murray missed a PAT on Sunday, so now Norm holds the NFL record. Here's some other numbers:

• Yancey Thigpen: 6 rec, 84 yards
• Norm Johnson: 2 FG

Elsewhere in the AFC Central: Jacksonville beat Oakland, Cincinnati beat Baltimore

Steelers 24, Patriots 21 (OT)

Season of miracle comebacks continue!

Holy God!! This has been one of the most absolutely unbelievable seasons in Steelers history! It's just one amazing game after the other. The Steelers went into Saturday's game with the Patriots needing a win to secure good playoff positioning. They of course came out looking crappy. They spotted New England the usual 14 points, but Kordell Stewart snuck in from a yard out to cut the lead to 14-7 at halftime, and we barely got that because the Patriots goal-line defense stuffed Kordell and Bettis on first and second downs.

In the second half the Steelers mounted some decent drives, but could only come away with two field goals. The defense really played well. Sure the Patriots didn't have Martin or Glenn, but they still had Bledsoe, Meggett, and Coates. The defense held them in check for almost the entire half, but in the 4th quarter with the Patriots up by one, Drew Bledsoe hit Dave Meggett on a wierd 49 yard TD pass. The pass wasn't even intended for Meggett, but he snagged it out of the air and then dodged Steelers defenders all the way to the end zone. The Patriots lead by 8. The Steelers then looked like they would make a comeback, as Stewart hit Bettis on a long screen pass, but the play was called back on a cheap penalty. The Patriots got the ball back and made one first down.

At this point even I figured the game was over. With about 2:10 remaining the Patriots had the ball at mid-field. It was 3rd down and 7, and the Steelers were out of timeouts. One more first down and the game was over, and even if they didn't make the first down they were going to pin the Steelers deep in our own territory with a punt. That's when Drew Bledsoe snared defeat from the jaws of victory. Bledsoe was pressured and tried to throw a screen pass to David Meggett, but it was intercepted by Kevin Henry, who ran it all the way back inside the New England 20 yard line. He actually lateraled to Orpheus Roye who took it into the endzone, but the refs cheated us again and said it was a forward lateral. Kordell and the offense came out and were soon faced with 4th and 7. Stewart hit Yancey Thigpen, the AFC's best WR, on a beautiful sideline diving catch. Then on 3rd and goal, the Steelers remembered how New England almost stood them up on the goal line before and threw the play action TD pass to Mark Bruener (who actually got a lot of passes thrown his direction for once). The Steelers still needed the two-point conversion to tie the game. With 38 seconds left, Stewart again hit Thigpen on another brilliant catch, and we were going to OT for the third time this season!

The Steelers won the OT coin toss. On 3rd and 15 from deep in their own territory, Stewart was blitzed and dumped the ball off to Courtney Hawkins, who broke tackles all the way down field for 41 yards. After a pass to Bruener, the Steelers were set up for a 31 yard field goal, and Norm Johnson drilled it for the win! The Steelers won another incredible game, and have technically won another division title (see below). They also may have earned themselves a first round bye in the playoffs. What a game, what a team. Here's the numbers:

• Kordell Stewart: 26-48, 266 yds, 2 int, 1 TD, 57 yds rushing, 1 TD rush
• Jerome Bettis: 28 rushes, 80 yards
• CJ: 6 rec, 87 yds

Steelers 35, Broncos 24

Steelers in playoffs with huge game; Jags lose!

Who's the AFC's best team?? Many people said Denver before today, but Kordell Stewart and the Steelers beat Denver in the Steelers best-played game of the season. What a great win!! The Patriots beat the Jaguars, so now the Steelers are all alone in first place

The game started with a George Jones fumble and John Elway burning Donnell Wollford for a long TD pass. The Steelers came right back, and Stewart hit Yancey Thigpen on a 33 yard TD pass. But then the defense broke down. Elway and the Broncos scored two straight TD's and took a 21-7 lead. The Steelers got back in the game when Stewart hit Thigpen on a 69 yard bomb, thanks in part to a mental lapse by Denver's cornerback. Then the defense came through and Stewart and Jerome Bettis drove the Steelers again and, after the refs took a Bettis TD away, Kordell again hit Thigpen on a 21 yard TD pass. Johnson missed a long FG before the half, but at halftime the Steelers had rallied to tie the game at 21.

The second half started with a Denver FG, but that would be the last points they got. The Steelers drove again. Bettis had a big 19 yard run, and Stewart ran it in for the 4 yard TD. In the 4th quarter, the Kordell finally made a mistake. We had first and goal from the 4 with a chance to ice the game, but Kordell threw a costly interception. Elway drove down the field, but Carnell Lake sacked Elway and the kicker missed a long FG (I missed that because there was a massive fight in my section of the stadium because this guy wouldn't sit down on plays). The Steelers ate up the clock and Kordell ran for a first down on 4th & 2. He then ran it in for the TD to finish the win.

This was by far the Steelers best game of the season. Kordell, Bettis, and Thigpen all came through big (see below). On defense, give some credit to Chad Scott, who started over Donnell Woolford (who played on 3rd downs and was replaced there by Fuller). Scott made some great plays, as did Lake and the rest of the defense. The legendary John Elway ended up being 17-42 passing, and Terrell Davis only had 75 yards rushing. Great win!! Here's the big numbers:

• Kordell Stewart: 18-29, 303 yds, 3 TD pass, 2 TD rush, 49 yds rushing
• Jerome Bettis: 24 rushes, 125 yards (5.2 yds per carry)
• Yancey Thigpen: 6 rec, 175 yds, 3 TD

Steelers 26, Cardinals 20 (OT)

Cardiac Steelers do it again

The Steelers were lucky today. Rookie QB Jake Plummer of the Cardinals smoked the defense in the second half, although the first half was dominated by the Steelers. The offense opened the game with a long 67 yard drive, which ended with a Jerome Bettis 2 yd TD run. The defense was all over Plummer, but at the half the Steelers only led 10-3.

The second half was totally different. The Cards scored a TD on their first possession, but the Steelers came back with a Bettis 7 yard TD run. Plummer and the Cardinals then mounted another drive, one that included a 26 yard pass by WR Frank Sanders. Plummer ended the drive with an 11 yard TD pass to TE Chris Gedney. The game was again tied. The Steelers drove for a field goal and took a 20-17 lead, but Plummer came back and drove the Cardinals inside the five. The defense held, but a field goal tied the game at 20. The Steelers then had the ball with minutes left, and were faced with 4th and 1 at their own 30. Cowher, not wanting to give Plummer the ball back, went for it in a very risky Barry Switzer-like move. The Steelers got the first down, but soon had to punt anyway, and, surprise, the defense broke down again and let the Cardinals drive into field goal range. Thanks to a Nolan Harrison sack (one of 10 sacks by the defense) and some poor Arizona play-calling, the game winning field goal attempt was moved back to 46 yards. Kicker Joe Nedney missed wide right with 6 seconds left in regulation, and the Steelers were alive for overtime.

The Cardinals won the OT coin toss, but the Steelers defense finally stepped up. They sacked Plummer twice and we got the ball back at midfield. Stewart then hit Thigpen on a 22 yard pass and then a 12 yard pass. The Steelers then were in Norm Johnson field goal range, but like the Jags game, they never needed Norm's services. Bettis rumbled in from 10 yards out, and the Steelers pulled out the victory. The offense was slow in the first half, and the defense broke down in the second half, but in OT both units stepped up and won it. Jake "the snake" Plummer is going to be a star in this league some day, or at least the Steelers made it look that way. Still, a win is a win, and now the Steelers must focus on next week's huge game against Denver. Here's the numbers:

• Kordell Stewart: 18-35, 179 yds
• Jerome Bettis: 36 rushes, 142 yards
• Defense: 10 sacks

Steelers 20, Eagles 23

Steelers play crappy game but don't lose any ground

The Steelers came out as usual and let a team take an early lead. The difference in this one was that the Steelers never were able to mount a comeback. The Eagles lead 17-6 at halftime, and everytime it seemed like the Steelers were driving, Kordell threw interceptions. The Steelers finally scored late in the 3rd quarter on a screen pass TD to Jerome Bettis. Then on the ensuing kickoff, with the Steelers down by a TD, Cowher called the Norm Johnson onside kick play - the one we've seen before where Johnson kicks it ten yards and recovers it himself. It worked but Jon Witman was offsides on the play. That killed any momentum the Steelers had. The defense couldn't keep Philly off the board, even though the refs made some horrible calls. But bad calls weren't the reason the Steelers lost this game. They lost because they committed five turnovers. Give some credit to Bobby Hoying of the Eagles, who played a pretty goos game. Kordell hit Blackwell on a hail mary with 10 seconds left for the Steelers second TD, but it was too little too late. Fortunately for us, Boomer Esiason and the Bengals came through and defeated Jacksonville. That not only means that we're still tied with the Jags, but we now hold the tie-breaker over them, since they now have 2 divisional losses and we have just one. Here's the numbers from today's game (keep in mind that although Stewart's numbers look good, he really had a bad game; most of his yards came in late drives in which the Eagles were playing mostly prevent defense):

• Kordell Stewart: 20-43, 294 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
• Jerome Bettis: 20 rushes, 80 yards
• CJ: 7 rec, 106 yds

Steelers 20, Bengals 3

Steelers keep on rolling

The defense again kept their opponent off the board for most of the game today as the Steelers improved to 8-3. In the first half, the Bengals did a pretty good job of moving the ball in the snow, especially RB Corey Dillon. But the defense came up big with some sacks and forced two Jeff Blake fumbles (he ended up having 3 on the day) and the Steelers, despite the usual slow first-half offense led 6-0 at the half.

In the second half it was all Pittsburgh. Kordell Stewart got the offense moving. In the 3rd quarter, he hit Yancey Thigpen on a 20 yard TD pass. Thigpen had his fifth 100 yard receiving game of the season, as he continues to have a Pro-Bowl caliber year. The Bus also rolled for his eighth 100 yard game of the season. Even rookie George Jones turned in some nice plays. His huge 30+ yard run led to Kordell's second TD pass of the game. This one was caught by TE Mark Bruener, despite being held by one of our favorite local boys Tom Tumulty. Bruener leads the team with 5 TD receptions this season. The Steelers did exactly what they were supposed to do: shut down the Bengals and win easily. This game was so solid that it ended at 3:30. Too bad the Bengals kicker ruined our chance for back-to-back shutouts (we haven't pulled off that feat since 1976). The numbers:

• Jerome Bettis: 25 rushes, 101 yards
• Yancey Thigpen: 5 rec, 101 yards, 1 TD

Steelers 37, Ravens 0

Defense shuts out Vinny and the Ravens

No comeback needed in this second game, as the Steelers sweep the Ravens and get their first shutout since they beat Buffalo 23-0 in 1993. Vinny Intercept-averde just can't help himself. He continued his long tradition of throwing to Steelers DB's, throwing three pics on the first three possesions of the game! He was benched, and Eric Zier came in and threw a pic (with a little help from Eric "I can't catch" Green) and then fumbled twice. Steve Conley, my boy Chris Oldham, Darren Perry, and Carnell Lake had the interceptions. In all, Baltimore had six turnovers in the first half. Vinny Testaverde has now thrown 15 interceptions against the Steelers. Meanwhile the offense was looking a little slow, but it didn't matter because the defense kept setting them up. Bettis and Stewart each had one yard TD runs, and Norm Johnson had a great half, kicking a 52 yard field goal, a 22 yard field goal, and hammering a Ravens kick returner causing a fumble which was recovered by Baltimore.

With a 20-0 lead to start the second half, the offense got rolling as they always do in the second half. Stewart hit Yancey Thigpen, who had another great game (see below), on a 52 yard TD bomb. Stewart was 14-27 with 196 yards. The defense continued to completely shut down the Ravens offense. George Jones later added his first career rushing TD, and the Mighty Quinn even got to play a little. Bettis finished the game with 114 yards, and Bam Morris finished the game with 39 yards! This was a great performance by the defense. They seem to have been revitalized in the last few weeks. True, it would've been a lot more fun to shut out the Browns, but the fact that we once again destroyed Vinny Testaverde, and beat up on Bam and Eric Green made it all worthwhile. The Steelers are back on track. Here's the numbers:

• Defense: caused 6 first half turnovers; first shutout since 1993
• Jerome Bettis: 24 rushes, 114 yards, 1 TD
• Yancey Thigpen: 6 rec, 130 yards, 1 TD

Steelers 10, Chiefs 13

15 Minute Men

You knew it was bad when the Steelers took a 10-0 lead. That's just not our style. Bettis ran up a storm in the first quarter, and Stewart hit Hawkins on a wide-open TD pass. But in the second quarter it was all Chiefs. After two field goals by the Chiefs and a Stewart interception, Marcus Allen of all people threw a TD pass and at halftime K.C. led 13-10. They also ran all over us, something no team has been able to do for a while.

The Steelers played an absolutely pathetic second half. Neither team scored, but the Steelers couldn't even move beyond mid-field. All we needed was to get in field goal range once! The offense was rarely on the field, and in the final minutes, Greg Lloyd sucked it up as usual. He got a costly penalty which allowed backup Rich Gannon to run out the clock. A horrible performance by the Steelers. No offense, no defense, and we lost on a Marcus Allen TD pass. The Chiefs had 170+ yards rushing!! After a huge win last week, the Steelers showed absolutely no heart or proved that they had any desire whatsoever to win this game. They basically gave up after the first quarter. If they are going to compete in the AFC, they're going to have to learn how to play a 60 minute game. If they pull this crap late in the season, they'll get taken right out of the division race and/or playoffs, if they make it that far. The stadium referendum is tommorow, and I'm sure this piece of crap performance really swayed a lot of votes in favor of Dan Rooney.

• Kordell Stewart: 1 TD, 1 INT
• Jerome Bettis: 17 rushes, 103 yards, 1000+ yards for the season

ALSO: It looks like Ted Popson will be fine. The Chiefs tight end took one of the most violent shots I've ever seen early in the 3rd quarter. It was a legal, fair hit by Donnell Wolford, but Popson was carted off on a stretcher. It did look pretty scary for a few minutes there. The Chiefs really payed for their victory. The Steelers broke QB Elvis Grbac's collar bone and he will miss about 6 weeks.

Steelers 23, Jaguars 17 (OT)

Steelers in first place!!!

OH! WHAT A GAME!! The Steelers win it in overtime! Kordell leads another comeback and the defense plays the game of the year in another classic Steelers-Jags game. The Jaguars thought they could come in here and take our division that we've owned for nearly the whole decade away from us. They were severely mistaken!

The first half was miserable. The defense really stepped it up, but with the offense unable to move the ball, the Jaguars were able to score 10 points. Helping them score their first TD was a bad Josh Miller punt and a B.S. roughing the passer call on Earl Holmes on a play where Mark Brunell didn't even fall down!

In the second half, the Steelers were again a totally different team. In the 3rd, the offense drove quickly down the field and Stewart hit Courtney Hawkins with a on a 28 yard TD pass. But the Jags drove down the field and decided that, on 4th and 1 from the Steelers two yard line, they were gonna go for it rather than kick a field goal. Huge mistake! With the crowd going insane (the crowd was so loud that James Stewart later admitted he didn't hear the correct play call), Greg Lloyd made his first big play of the year and stuffed RB James Stewart. Then Stewart led the Steelers on a 98 yard drive in 15 plays, hitting Yancey Thigpen for three 1st down catches. Kordell ran it in from the one and the Steelers led 14-10. But then disaster struck. In a repeat of two weeks ago, Bettis fumbled on the Steelers 20 and the Jags offense later scored to make it 17-14. But the Steelers drove again, and Norm Johnson got some redemption from the last game as he tied it up with two minutes left. The Steelers and Jags then each had possesions, and thanks to a 72 yard punt by Josh Miller, the Jags were unable to get in FG range at the end of regulation.

Brunell got knocked out of the game, but it didn't matter because the Jags would never see the ball again. The Steelers won the OT coin toss, and got the ball on their own 23. Kordell Stewart then went to work. He drove down the field, completing 4-4 passes and throwing for 50 yards. He also hit Thigpen on two huge passes, one of which was on third down. Thigpen and Stewart both had career days (see below). Also, former Steelers CB Deon Figures, who was holding our receivers all game, finally got called on interference. Then on 3rd down from the Jags 17, Kordell hit Bettis with a shovel pass and no one was going to tackle him. He rumbled in for the Steelers win! An amazing finish! The defense finally started playing Steelers defense, putting pressure on Brunell all day, and the crowd was going nuts the whole game. Bettis was able to make up for almost losing the game. I think it's now safe to call this series a rivalry. Who knows, maybe these teams will meet again before the season is over... The numbers:

• Kordell Stewart: 25-42, 317 yds, 2 TD (career high)
• Yancey Thigpen: 11 rec, 196 yds (career high)
• Jerome Bettis: 28 rushes, 99 yds, Overtime TD reception
• Defense: Jags only converted 4 out of 14 3rd down attempts

Steelers 24, Bengals 10

Steelers tied for first place

First off, my apologies for this not being updated sooner, but the server was down all last night. Now to the game: the Steelers came out and screwed around during the 1st quarter, letting the Bengals drive and take a 7-0 lead. Three straight weeks the Steelers have let the other team take at least a 7 point lead. But in the second quarter the defense stepped up. Darren Perry had a great interception, and that set up a nice shovel pass TD from Stewart to George Jones. Then Greg Lloyd, who's been invisible all season, finally made a play by forcing and recovering a fumble. That set up a short Bettis TD run.

The second half began with a long Steelers drive which ended with a TD pass to Yancey Thigpen, who had a big day. Norm Johnson kicked a field goal, and the Steelers were up by 13 with a good amount of time remaining in the 4th. That's when Carnell Lake made the play of the game for the second straight week. Carl Pickens, who has always burned the Steelers before, caught a short pass and was off to the races. Lake somehow caught up to Pickens inside the 20 and punched the ball out of Pickens' hands and into the back of the endzone where the Steelers recovered it. Instead of the Bengals cutting the lead to just 6, the lead remained 13 and the game was over. Bettis continued to run all over people and the Steelers ran out the clock. Is there any doubt that Carnell Lake is our defensive MVP, if not our team MVP, if not the NFL's defensive MVP? He played corner again and totally shut down Pickens all game, and then he iced it for us. The coaches may not be able to resist keeping Lake at CB for the remainder of the season. Since the Jags lost, the Steelers are tied for first heading into a huge game next week at home vs. Jacksonville. The numbers from Sunday:

• Jerome Bettis: 34 rushes, 135 yds, 1 TD (103 yds in 2nd half)
• Kordell Stewart: 16-33, 246 yds, 2 TD, 2 int
• Yancey Thigpen: 6 rec, 120 yds, 1 TD

Steelers 24, Colts 22

Steelers with sloppy win

Well, the Steelers tried and tried, but the Colts just refused to accept the win that the Steelers were offering them on a silver platter. In the first half, the Colts took a 10-0 lead, thanks to more crappy Steelers defense and a Bettis fumble. Bettis came back and scored a TD, and the game was tied 10-10. Carnell Lake then made the play of the game. After some cheap calls by the officials, the Colts had a third and one from their own 47. Lake, who started the game at cornerback, came in on the blitz and knocked the ball out of Harbaugh's hands. He then picked it up and ran it in for the TD. Lake showed last night why he's one of the best palyers in the league. He played corner instead of safety, and Harbaugh was afraid to throw at his side of the field all night long. Before the first half ended, Kordell Stewart got knocked out of the game with a concussion. That was one of the many injuries suffered in this game, the biggest one being Charles Johnson (see below).

The second half started with the Steelers recovering an onside kick and Mike Tomczack at QB. The onside kick didn't lead to anything, but later Tomczack hit Courtney Hawkins for a 28 yard TD. Everyone thought that 24-13 was a big enough lead to hold off the 0-5 Colts. Bettis ran up a storm (see below), and the Steelers should've been able to put it away, but they kept turning the ball over to Indianapolis. In fact, they turned the ball over on 4 consecutive possesions at the end of the 4th quarter. After a few field goals, the Colts drove down the field and on fourth and goal from inside the five, the defense broke down again and left a WR wide open for the TD, cutting the lead to 24-22. The refs gave the Colts two shots at the 2-point conversion, but they blew it both times. The Steelers got the ball with 3 minutes left and a chance to run out the clock, but to the complete shock and dismay of everyone, Bettis fumbled again at his own 25. That set up Pro-Bowl kicker Cary Blanchard for a 41 yard field goal, but somehow he missed, and the Steelers were able to hang on. The defense made some big plays but broke down in the clutch, the offense couldn't hold onto the football, the officials screwed us over the whole night, and everyone got hurt. I told you Sunday night games suck!! Here's the numbers:

• Jerome Bettis: 30 rushes, 164 yds, 1 TD but he fumbled twice
• Carnell Lake: 47 yard fumble return TD
• Steelers: 6 turnovers

Steelers 42, Ravens 34

Wild game for Stewart and the Steelers

Oh man, this was a great game. Kordell Stewart came out in the first half and threw three interceptions, and all three set up Baltimore touchdowns. Down 21-0, the Steelers recovered a fumble and Stewart ran it in from one yard out, but at halftime the score was 24-7 Ravens. On the opening kickoff of the second half, Will Blackwell returned the kick 97 yards for a TD. That turned the whole game. All of a sudden the only crowd you could hear at Memorial Stadium were Steelers fans. Stewart recovered and hit CJ on an 8 yard pass. Then after Vinny fumbled again, Stewart hit Mark Bruener on a nice 4 yard TD pass. With the Steelers up by four, Kordell heaved a 63 yard bomb to Yancey Thigpen. Then after he made a bad play losing 21 yards on a sack, he hit CJ again for the TD.

With three minutes left, the defense broke down. They let Vinny march down the field and, not only score a TD, but get the two-point conversion as well. The Steelers got the ball back leading 35-32, and were faced with third and five from their own 26. Stewart faked an end-around and took off for a 74 yard TD run. Kordell played a great game statistically (see below), but more importantly he was able to face adversity and then lead Pittsburgh to equal their greatest comeback ever. This guy is really going to be a great player in the NFL. Not to be outdone was Jerome Bettis, who had his best game as a Steeler, racking up 137 yards. The numbers:

• Kordell Stewart: 18-28, 246 yds, 3 TD pass, 2 TD rush, 3 int, 74 yd TD run
• Jerome Bettis: 28 carries, 137 yards
• Yancey Thigpen: 7 rec, 162 yds

Steelers 37, Oilers 24

No fights this year?

The Steelers got back on track today with a blowout of the Tennesee Oilers. Kordell Stewart had a great game, making everyone forget about last week's disaster. It was really a great performance when you consider the fact that the Oilers did a good job of shutting down Bettis (even though he still wound up with 70+ yards). Stewart ran in the first touchdown, then, with the Steelers up 10-0, the defense made the biggest play of the game. CB Randy Fuller (who also bounced back after a horrible game last week) blitzed and caused Steve McNair to fumble. Greg Lloyd picked it up and rumbled for about sixty yards until Eddie George caught up to him and knocked the ball loose. Jason Gildon was able to pick it up and run it in from the ten yard line. Stewart then hit Mark Bruener on a really nice catch in which he had his helmet ripped off. Then when the Oilers got the ball back with just two minutes to play in the first half, Levon Kirkland intercepted the ball and that set up another Stewart TD run. It was 31-6 at halftime and it was over. Norm Johnson added a few farewell field goals, and the Oilers got some "we're playing against the Steelers backups" points, and the final was 37-24. The Steelers looked really good on offense and greatly improved on defense. Good comeback game. The numbers look like this:

• Kordell Stewart: 16-24, 244 yds, 1 TD pass, 2 TD rush
• Defense: 7 sacks; shut down the dangerous Eddie George
• Only one ejection this year! That's two down from last year! Congratulations to both teams.

Steelers 21, Jaguars 30

Jags win big game on blocked FG

What is it with field goals in the NFL this season? The same way Dallas beat Philly last Monday was how the Steelers lost this game. Veteran Jim Sweeney screwed up the snap on the game winning field goal attempt by Norm Johnson. The kick was easily blocked and returned for a TD. It was a great effort by the Steelers. Not to take anything away from the Jags (they also played a great game), but we truly deserved to win this game. In the first half, the Steelers played like the Steelers of week 1 and 2, especially on defense. But they still kept it close, despite 10 turnover points by the Jags. In the second half, Bettis ran all over their defense, and Stewart played his best game so far (see numbers below). You have to feel bad for Cowher. He was so into this game and wanted to win it badly. Off the subject, I'd hate to be Josh Miller today. Twice he drilled punts out of the endzone instead of pooching them, and both times Cowher went off at him on the sidelines. Besides Cowher, you have to feel sorry for Norm Johnson, who didn't even get a chance at glory in what probably will be his last game as a Steeler (because of the return of Chris Jacke, not because of Monday Night). Then there's CB Randy Fuller. Not only was he getting picked on every play by Brunell and the receivers, but ABC made it a point to absolutely persecute this guy in front of the whole country, zooming in on him after every single play. One guy not to feel sorry for is DE Nolan Harrison. What's this guy's problem? Just because he used to be an Oakland Raider he has to commit the dumbest penalty in recent Steelers history? It's third down and the Steelers lead by one with about six minutes left. Brunell is sacked back at his own 35 or so, and Harrison gets called on a personal foul. This gives the Jags a first down, and the eventual game-winning field goal. Harrison owes his teamates and all the fans of Pittsburgh his most sincere apologies for losing us a key divisional game. Here's the good numbers:

• Jerome Bettis (and the OL): 21 rushes, 114 yds (that's 5 and a half yds per carry)
• Kordell Stewart: 11-16, 155 yds, 2 TD pass, 1 TD rush, 1 int
• Will Blackwell: had 160+ return yards; he even took a kickoff back all the way in the first half, but it was nullified on a penalty

Steelers 14, Redskins 13

Defense preserves first win

Well, the Steelers rebounded, but it wasn't a real pretty game. Jerome Bettis had his biggest game as a Steeler, racking up 134 yards. Kordell looked better, but he mostly ran the ball. The defense looked absolutely terrible, leaving Gus Frerotte's receivers wide open all day. They did come up with three huge interceptions, all saving possible scores by the Skins. The biggest one was Chris Oldham's pic to seal the victory with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game. Give credit to the Skins - they helped beat themselves. Their only TD came when Brian Mitchell (I told you to watch out for this guy) returned the second half kickoff all the way, even though he actually stepped out of bounds. Besides the three interception-killing drives, the Skins also took some dumb penalties. Darrell Green and Chris Dishman (of Houston Oilers cheap-shot fame) each had personal fouls. The Steelers escaped, but now they have a bye week and then a huge divisional showdown in Jacksonville on a Monday Night. They better get things straightened out before then. The numbers:

• Bettis: 27 rushes, 134 yds, 1 TD
• Kordell Stewart: 8-17, 82 yds, 70 yds rushing, 1 TD rush

Steelers 7, Cowboys 37

Another opening day blowout

The Steelers continued their long tradition of getting blown out on opening day. The Cowboys totally hammered us 37-7. Troy Aikman had 295 yards passing, and had a career high 4 TD passes. Welcome to the NFL Kordell Stewart. He struggled all day and threw way too many deep passes, none of which were completed. What else can I say about this game? It was a pathetic display all around by the Steelers, both on offense and defense. This happens almost every year. At least there weren't any major injuries this time. Don't get too worried: Cowher will have this team ready to play for real by next week. The numbers:

• Defense held Emmit Smith to just 68 yards on 26 rushes
• Kordell Stewart: 13-28, 104 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT

Steelers 27, Panthers 19

The Steelers finished up the preseason 5-0 with a big win at Carolina. The Steelers had four big TD plays. The first was an 80 yard run by rookie George Jones. The second was a 38 yard Hail Mary from Jim Miller to another rookie - WR Will Blackwell. Both Blackwell and Jones played college ball for San Diego St. In the fourth quarter, Blackwell also turned in a 58 yard TD reception from The Mighty Quinn, who again looked great at QB. The other TD was an awsome 82 yard punt return by Henry Bailey. Unfortunately, Bailey later hurt his leg and was carted off the field. It looks like he may be out for quite some time. Also getting hurt: kicker Chris Jacke, who messed up his groin kicking an extra point (kicking an extra point?!? C'mon!!). It is unclear how long he'll be out. Punter Josh Miller handled all the kicking in the game. Now that the practice games are over, everyone is ready for next week's big showdown with the Dallas Cowgirls. Key performances on Friday:

• George Jones: 4 rush, 88 yds, 1 TD
• Mike Quinn: 3-4, 70 yds, 1 TD
• Will Blackwell: 2 rec, 96 yds, 2 TD

Steelers 28, Lions 20

Ok, don't worry - Kordell Stewart is just fine. In case you missed it, Stewart sprained his knee on a cheap late hit by the Lions. He left the game and had an MRI today, but he is ok. He will sit out next Friday's preseason finale in Charlotte, but he will start against Dallas in two weeks. Now to the game itself: Stewart looked sharp once again. He hit CJ on a spectactular TD throw for the Steelers' first score. A big part of this game was special teams. The big star was CB Randy Fuller, who made big plays including blocking a punt which was returned for a TD by Mo Bell. The Steelers later blocked and returned another punt for a TD, but it was called back on a penalty. The Lions also had big plays on special teams. Glynn Milburn returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a TD. Still, the really big story was Steelers rookie QB Mike Quinn. Quinn had a 78 yard TD pass to fellow rookie Mike Adams, and continued to impress everyone with his strong arm. What should the Steelers do now? If they cut Quinn, he will almost definitely be picked up the next day by another team - he's not going to our practice squad. Will this be the end of the adventures of Jim Miller?? Stay tuned....

• Stewart: 7-11, 84 yds, 1 TD
• Mike Quinn: 3-5, 122 yds, 1 TD

Steelers 42, Eagles 26

(8/11) The Steelers finally showed some great defense tonight, something they really hadn't done in the previous two games. Ty Detmer and Rodney Pete had no chance. Jason Gildon's fumble return for a touchdown set the tone early, and Darren Perry's intercepion that nearly resulted in a TD also proved that the defense is still the heart of this team. Kordell looked pretty good. He had two nice TD passes, and a great run for a TD inside the 20. It was getting a little bit sickning how much the ABC guys (Frank, Al, Dan) kept worshipping Stewart. If we had lost our first two exhibition games they would've been tearing him apart. Rookie CB Chad Scott, who was just named as a starter, got a nice "welcome to the NFL" by several Eagles receivers, including Michael Timpson and old man (but still a great WR) Irving Fryar. Trying to save their jobs: rookie WR Mike Adams had a long kickoff return on a reverse. Other than that the special teams looked pitiful. It's getting really tough to sit through the second half of these preseason games. Only three more weeks until we do this for real....

• Stewart: 4-9, 2 TD pass, 1 TD rush
• J. Gildon: 2 fumble recoveries, 1 TD

Steelers 28, Chiefs 14

(8/2) I know this is only the second preseason games and these games mean nothing, but you have to admit that, so far, Kordell Stewart is just totally silencing all of his critics. Stewart had another great game against Kansas City, looking sharp and completing 8 of 10 passes, including another bomb to CJ just like the one he had last week in Ireland. WR Henry Bailey had 102 yards receiving, including a great 65 yard TD where he broke tackles and ran for about 60 of the 65 yards. He has all but earned himself a spot as the fifth receiver, especially after rookie Mike Adams fumbled three times. The defense came out in the first quarter and let K.C.put together a long, touchdown drive but then recovered nicely with nine sacks. Key performances:

• CJ: 4 receptions, 71 yards
• Kordell Stewart: 8-10, 108 yds

Steelers 30, Bears 17

(7/27) The Steelers easily defeated the Chicago Bears today in the American Bowl in Dublin, Ireland. Kordell Stewart looked very sharp, completing 7 of 11 passes in his one quarter of play. The Steelers opened the game with a 5 play, 70+ yard drive that ended in a Bettis touchdown run. Bettis only played the first series of the game. Rookie George Jones had 2 touchdowns and a nice 35 yard td run in the 4th. Overall, you had to feel good about the Steelers after today's game. Yes, it was only the first preseason game, but considering all the offseason turmoil, they still looked like contenders.

• George Jones: 17-83 yds, 2 TD
• Kordell Stewart: 7-11, 129 yds