America Loves Countdowns

Countdown #8: Biggest Steeler-Killers

Over the years there have been some NFL players who always seem strike fear into the heart of Steelers fans. These are not guys who had a single moment of success against the Steelers (like Dennis Gibson or Larry Brown). Instead this list contains players who consitently beat the Steelers over an extended period of time. Some of these guys earned the respect of The Nation while others were flat-out hated, but they all had one thing in common: they found ways to torch the Steelers over and over again.

Webster Slaughter (Browns, Oilers)
The talneted wide receiver burned the Steelers twice a year from 1986-94, which also happened to be a fairly tumultuous time period for Pittsburgh and its once-proud defense.

Signature Moment: In week 12 of the 1986 season, the Steelers and Browns went into overtime at Municipal Stadium deadlocked at 31-31. With 6:37 left in overtime, Slaughter got behind the Steelers secondary to catch the game-winning 36 yard touchdown pass.

Fred Taylor (Jaguars)
From the minute they entered the league in 1995, the Jaguars gave the Steelers fits, and Taylor was a big part of that. His cut-back style always seemed to confound the Steelers front seven.

Signature Moment: Taylor set the all-time record for most rushing yards vs. a Steelers defense when he reeled off 234 yards during a Sunday night game in 2000.

Tom Brady (Patriots)
Brady has twice stopped the Steelers from advancing to the Super Bowl and has beaten us two other times in the regular season. The 2004 Halloween game was the only time the Steelers ever got the better of him.

Signature Moment: In week 1 of the 2002 season, Brady employed a spread offense and subsequently torched the Steelers for 294 yards and 3 TD's, most of which occured in the second half.

Troy Aikman (Cowboys)
Aikman faced the Steelers four times in his career, and he beat them all four times by a double-digit margin. The closest we ever got to beating him was in Super Bowl XXX, but he was still able to do enough to become the only QB to ever defeat the Steelers in a Super Bowl. I always thought that given the hype surrounding the other great quarterbacks of that era - Young, Favre, Elway, Marino, ect - the deadly accurate Aikman was a severely underrated passer.

Signature Moment: On opening day 1997, Aikman had 295 yards passing and a career high 4 TD passes against a stunned Steelers defense. When it was all said and done, the Cowboys walked out of Three Rivers with a convincing 37-7 victory.

Matt Stover (Browns, Ravens)
In 17 seasons (and counting) of kicking at least twice a year against the Steelers, Stover has never once missed a clutch kick. He has been especially deadly considering he was the main source of offense for many of the teams he played for.

Signature Moment: In two games against the Steelers in 2005, Stover kicked seven field goals (five of which were over 40 yards). The most deadly of those was an overtime game-winner in week 11. That kick not only won the game, but it also started a skid that nearly destroyed a Super Bowl season.

John Elway (Broncos)
Elway's first two career starts against the Steelers were disastrous. In the first (opening day 1983), he got knocked out of the game screaming about how scared he was of Jack Lambert. In the second (the 1984 AFC Divisional Playoffs), the Steelers intercepted a late Elway pass which led to a huge upset at Mile High. But after that, Elway owned the Steelers. He beat us 7 out of the next 10 times, including twice in the post-season.

Signature Moment: In the 1997 AFC Championship Game at Three Rivers, Elway rallied the Broncos back from an early deficit by leading two touchdown drives in the final two minutes of the first half. He then calmly iced the game in the final minutes of the 4th quarter after the Steelers had attempted to mount a comeback.

Jeff Blake (Bengals, Ravens, Cardinals)
Even though the Bengals stunk during the 1990's, Blake always came to play - at least against the Steelers. In his prime he threw the best-looking deep ball in the league. Had he played against other teams the way he played against Pittsburgh, he would have been a superstar. He may be washed up now, but two years ago as a member of the Cardinals he came to Pittsburgh and still managed to throw for 307 yards.

Signature Moment: In a Thursday night game at Three Rivers in 1995, Blake made the Steelers secondary look like a high school team. His completed 18 of 22 passes for 275 yards. He also threw for three touchdowns in a 27-9 blowout of the Steelers.

Eric Metcalf (Browns)
Metcalf was one of the few kick returners who could single-handedly change the outcome of a game, and he played against the Steelers during an era in which they were very poor on special teams. That combination led to Metcalf being feared by the Steelers every time they played.

Signature Moment: The infamous 1993 game in which Metcalf returned two punts for scores, including the game-winner late in the 4th quarter. He became the first player in NFL history to return two punts for touchdowns 75 yards or more in the same game.

Carl Pickens (Bengals, Titans)
The guy just absolutely owned our defense as a member of the Bengals. He turned into Jerry Rice every time he played Pittsburgh. This says it all: in his final NFL season (with Tennessee), he only caught 10 passes the entire year, but still somehow managed to turn in a 105 yard effort against Pittsburgh! The guy hung on one more year just to sign with a team that had Pittsburgh on its schedule.

Signature Moment: In a 1998 game at Cincinnati, Pickens burned the Steelers for 13 receptions and 204 yards, but the Steelers were still going to win the game. They had the Bengals down to a 4th and 12 at their own 15 yard line with only 1:12 left in the 4th quarter. Pickens not only converted the 4th down with a 50 yard reception, but he also scored the game-winning touchdown a few plays later on a 25 yard catch.

Steve McNair (Oilers, Titans)
There is only one word to describe the relationship between Steve McNair and the Pittsburgh Steelers: dominance. From 1998-2003, McNair's Titans beat the Steelers 9 out of 11 times, including a heartbreaking playoff defeat in 2002. And if you take Tennesee's disappointing 2001 season out of the mix, then it's a perfect 9 for 9. That's just complete and total ownership.

Signature Moment: In week 4 of the 2000 season, the Steelers were clinging to a 4-point lead late in the game when an injured McNair stumbled off the bench and calmly led the Titans on a game-winning 70 yard drive which took all of 35 seconds. Yes, that's right - 35 seconds.

Honorable Mentions:

• Bernie Kosar (Browns)
• O.J. Simpson (Bills)
• Tony Boselli (Jaguars)
• Jermaine Lewis (Ravens)
• Dick Anderson (Dolphins)
• Eddie George (Oilers, Titans)
• Corey Dillon (Bengals, Patriots)