16 Seconds That Changed the Season

In 2007, the Steelers got off to a great start under new head coach Mike Tomlin. By early December, they had compiled a 9-3 record and had the AFC North title almost completely wrapped up. It was around that time that the wheels COMPLETELY fell off. The team suffered a number of key injuries. Their offensive line totally collapsed. They lost four out of their last five games. They could still beat the bad teams like St. Louis, but whenever they had to play anyone of merit like Jacksonville or New England, they showed that they were clearly not on the same level as the league's best teams. They stumbled into the post-season tired and beaten down, and they were defeated at home in their first playoff game. When the 2008 season rolled around, there was much hope for improvement, but to everyone's disappointment, the 2008 season picked up almost exactly where the 2007 season had left off.

Once again, the Steelers could defeat the bad teams. They beat up on a Houston team who would start the season 0-4, and then they gutted out a close victory in Cleveland against a team who was supposed to challenge them for the division, but even then it was pretty obvious that the Browns were not going to contend. The Steelers still struggled with the upper echelon of the NFL. In their third game, they were soundly beaten by the Eagles. During that game, Philadelphia rang up nine sacks against the Pittsburgh o-line. Meanwhile, injuries mounted like crazy. Ben Roethlisberger hurt his shoulder in the first game and it showed. FWP was out with a bum knee. Marvel Smith was done for the year with a bad back. On the defensive side, starters Deshea Townsend, Casey Hampton, and Brett Keisel all missed games. All the late-season trends that torpedoed the Steelers in 2007 were starting up early in 2008.

By the time Pittsburgh took the field to face the Baltimore Ravens for a Monday Night Football game in week 4, they already had a full season of wear and tear under their belts. In the first half, things went from bad to worse. First round draft pick Rashard Mendenhall, who was starting in place of the injured FWP, got nailed by The Murderer and just like that, was done for the year. Starting guard Kendall Simmons tore his Achilles tendon, and just like that, he too was done for the year. The offensive line couldn't protect Ben, who started throwing bad interceptions in a desperate attempt to generate some offense. The Ravens jumped out to a 13-3 halftime lead and were poised to kick the Steelers to the curb on their way to taking over the AFC North lead.

This was the lowest of the low points. It looked as if the Steelers just didn't have the manpower or the skill to be a threat in the AFC. Their offense had not scored a touchdown for eight straight quarters. The bully Ravens were pushing them around, and the Steelers defense was unable to make any big plays to bail the team out. When the team went three-and-out early in the 3rd quarter, the Heinz Field crowd vociferously booed them off the field. It was the ultimate insult to a once-proud team. The Steelers were at a crossroads.

With about five minutes left in the 3rd quarter, the offense once again took the field trying to make something happen, but this time, there was something different. Roethlisberger had the same "you are NOT going to beat me" look in his eyes that Kurt Russell had when the cowboys had him pinned against a tree in Tombstone. The Steelers were sick of being pushed around. On the first play of the drive, Ravens LB Jarret Johnson was flagged for unnecessary roughness after Hines Ward said or did something to irritate him. Before that point, Johnson had never once committed a personal foul in his entire six-year career. That got the ball rolling as the offense shifted into no-huddle mode. Three plays later, Ben found Santonio Holmes darting across the middle of the field, and he took it in for a 38-yard touchdown.

All of a sudden, the Steelers cut the lead to 13-10. The Heinz Field sound guy took advantage of the momentum and cranked up Renegade, which as always fired up the crowd and the defense. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Baltimore QB Joe Flacco dropped back to pass and was nailed by James Harrison. The ball popped loose and was scooped up by LaMarr Woodley, who carried it into the endzone. Just like that, the Steelers had the lead! If there would have been a roof over the stadium, it would have been completely blown off after that play.

It was a stunning turn of events. At the 4:10 mark of the 3rd quarter, the Steelers trailed by ten points. At the 4:10 mark, they were beaten down and hurt. At the 4:10 mark, they were not a championship caliber team. Sixteen seconds later, everything changed. At the 3:54 mark of the 3rd quarter, they led by four. At the 3:54 mark, their identity - a resilient team who could overcome any challenge - had just been created. At the 3:54 mark, they were bound for the Super Bowl, even if no one realized it at the time.

The Steelers would go on to win the game and play their way into an unprecedented 7th AFC championship. Every season has its defining moment, and for the 2008 season, it came during that 3rd quarter in September. The Pittsburgh Steelers had to show what they were made of. They overcame not just a deficit, but also an entire pattern of losing that had started nine months earlier. They became one of the best teams in the history of the franchise. And all it took was 16 seconds.

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