1993: AFC Wins First Overtime Pro Bowl

The AFC-NFC Pro Bowl on February 7, 1993 was played before 50,007 fans at Aloha Stadium on a sunny day with intermittent clouds. It marked the 14^th consecutive year that the game was played in Honolulu. Coaches were Don Shula of the Dolphins for the AFC and San Francisco’s George Seifert for the NFC.

The NFC took the opening kickoff and drove 65 yards in 14 plays. QB Steve Young of the 49ers scrambled for eight yards in a third-and-three situation and completed five passes, the longest to his San Francisco teammate, TE Brent Jones, for 17 yards. The advance finally stalled at the AFC 10 and Morten Andersen of the Saints kicked a 27-yard field goal.

The AFC punted following their first series but got the ball back four plays later when a Young pass was intercepted by Denver FS Steve Atwater at the AFC 29. Miami QB Dan Marino completed consecutive throws to WR Anthony Miller of the Chargers for 16 yards and Houston WR Haywood Jeffires for 11 to get the ball into NFC territory, but a holding penalty moved them back, and on third down Marino was sacked by Minnesota DE Chris Doleman for a 15-yard loss, resulting in a punt.

The AFC managed to get on the scoreboard when, on the first play of the second quarter, LB Junior Seau of the Chargers intercepted a Young pass and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown. Kansas City’s Nick Lowery added the extra point to give the AFC a 7-3 lead. The NFC responded with a 10-play, 58-yard possession. An illegal blitz (an infraction specific to the Pro Bowl) on the AFC converted a third down and Dallas RB Emmitt Smith broke away for a 23-yard gain to the AFC 34. The NFC converted another third down before the drive came to an end at the AFC 20 and Andersen kicked a 37-yard field goal to narrow the score to 7-6.

QB Troy Aikman of the champion Cowboys (pictured at right) was behind center for the next NFC series and came out throwing, hitting on three straight passes to pick up 25 yards, two of them to his Dallas teammate, WR Michael Irvin. The nine-play drive covered 54 yards and ended with Aikman passing to Irvin once more for a nine-yard TD. Andersen converted and the NFC took a 13-7 lead.

The AFC went three-and-out and punted, and with 56 seconds remaining in the first half, Aikman again went to the air, connecting with Atlanta WR Andre Rison for 18 yards, RB Barry Sanders of the Lions for 19, and Rison again for 11 yards. But Aikman’s next two passes fell incomplete, with a Sanders run for no gain in between, and Andersen’s field goal try was blocked by DE Leslie O’Neal of the Chargers and returned by Miami LB Bryan Cox to the NFC 35.

Houston QB Warren Moon completed a pass to Jeffires and it appeared that time had run out in the half before the receiver got out of bounds. Players began to head to the locker room and technicians started to pull sets for the halftime show onto the field. But the officials ruled that there were still two seconds remaining and the field was cleared. On the final play of the half, Lowery booted a 42-yard field goal and the NFC margin was narrowed to 13-10 at halftime.

The AFC started the third quarter off with a short series and punted. On the NFC’s third play, Aikman threw to Dallas TE Jay Novacek for 26 yards, but after Sanders ran twice to gain another 14 yards, Aikman’s next pass was picked off by SS Henry Jones of the Bills, who returned it 32 yards to the NFC 42. With Pittsburgh RB Barry Foster (pictured at top) running effectively and his teammate with the Steelers, QB Neil O’Donnell, completing a pass, the AFC reached the 11 before settling for a 29-yard Lowery field goal to tie the score at 13-13.

Atlanta CB Deion Sanders returned the ensuing kickoff 46 yards and the NFC started with good field position near midfield. QB Brett Favre of the Packers was in the game and misfired on his first three passes before connecting with San Francisco WR Jerry Rice for 48 yards to the AFC two. RB Ricky Watters of the 49ers lost two yards on first down and, while Rice picked up three yards on a short toss from Favre, the AFC defense held as Favre was stuffed for no gain on a quarterback sneak and, on fourth down, Watters dove for the end zone and came up short.

The AFC had possession as the game headed into the fourth quarter. O’Donnell completed passes to Houston WR Ernest Givins for six yards and WR Andre Reed of the Bills for nine, but the AFC had to punt. RB Johnny Bailey of the Cardinals returned the kick but fumbled when hit by Buffalo WR Steve Tasker, the AFC’s special teams representative, and punter Rohn Stark of the Colts recovered at the AFC 39. However, on the next play O’Donnell’s pass was intercepted by Phoenix SS Tim McDonald.

The NFC punted for the first (and only) time following a short series and a 20-yard return by Indianapolis WR Clarence Verdin had another 15 yards tacked on for unnecessary roughness. Starting at the NFC 37, the AFC netted a yard in three plays and Lowery missed a 54-yard field goal attempt.

Favre threw to WR Fred Barnett of the Eagles for 16 yards on first down and the NFC maintained possession when an apparent interception was nullified by a pass interference penalty. Favre was sacked by DE Howie Long of the Raiders on third down and that set up another big play for the AFC on special teams. A field goal try by Andersen was blocked by Tasker and CB Terry McDaniel of the Raiders recovered and ran 28 yards for a touchdown. Lowery converted and the AFC was back in front by 20-13 with eight minutes left in regulation.

Young was back at quarterback for the NFC and he threw to Irvin for 19 yards and ran for eight. Sanders ran for six yards and it was Young to Irvin again for 12 to the AFC 35, but a holding penalty backed the NFC up and the next two passes were incomplete before Young was intercepted by Buffalo CB Nate Odomes.

The AFC punted following the next series and the NFC took over at its 22 with less than three minutes remaining on the clock. Young threw to Rice for 16 yards but was sacked by DE Neil Smith of the Chiefs for a loss of eight. Two plays later, he passed to Brent Jones for 16 yards and a first down and, after another sack, connected with Rison for 18. Throws to Novacek and Rison got the ball to the AFC 20, but the next two passes were incomplete and Young was sacked by Cox on third down. Facing fourth down and with time running out, a scrambling Young completed a throw to RB Rodney Hampton of the Giants at the goal line for a 23-yard touchdown with ten seconds remaining in regulation. Andersen tied the score at 20-20 with the point after and, with the score tied at 20-20 at the end of four quarters, the game went into overtime.

The NFC won the toss and had the first possession in overtime, but Young fumbled when caught from behind by Kansas City LB Derrick Thomas while scrambling and Long recovered for the AFC at the NFC 28. Foster ran the ball four times to reach the NFC 16 before Lowery came on to kick the game-winning 33-yard field goal at 4:09 into OT. The AFC won the first overtime Pro Bowl game by a final score of 23-20.

The NFC far outgained the AFC (472 yards to 114) and also had big margins in first downs (30 to 9) and offensive plays (90 to 50). However, the NFC turned the ball over six times, to one suffered by the AFC, and the AFC had both an interception and blocked field goal returned for touchdowns.

Dan Marino completed just three of nine passes for 31 yards and Neil O’Donnell had the most completed passes for the AFC, with four, out of seven attempts for 23 yards with one intercepted. Barry Foster rushed for 57 yards on 15 carries to lead the team by far (runner-up was RB Harold Green of the Bengals with nine yards on four attempts). Haywood Jeffires led the receivers with three catches for 26 yards and Anthony Miller contributed 23 yards on his two receptions. Steve Tasker (pictured below) was named the game’s MVP as he accounted for four tackles, a forced fumble, and a blocked kick. Regularly recognized for his outstanding play on special teams, Tasker was appearing in his fourth of an eventual seven Pro Bowls.

For the NFC, Steve Young was successful on 18 of 32 throws for 196 yards and a TD, but gave up three interceptions and had the disastrous fumble in overtime. He also led the team in rushing with 34 yards on six carries. Troy Aikman was 10-of-15 for 120 yards with a touchdown and an interception and Brett Favre, making his first Pro Bowl appearance, completed four of eight passes for 74 yards with no TDs or pickoffs. Andre Rison had 8 catches for 80 yards and Jerry Rice gained 78 yards on his four receptions while Michael Irvin scored a TD among his 5 catches for 59 yards.

The game marked the first time that the Pro Bowl went into overtime and reduced the NFC’s lead in the series to 13-10 since going to the AFC vs. NFC format following the 1970 AFL/NFL merger.

1992: Steelers Score 2 TDs in 4th Quarter to Rally Past Oilers

The Pittsburgh Steelers were off to a good 5-2 start under new head coach Bill Cowher as they hosted the Houston Oilers on November 1, 1992. QB Neil O’Donnell was a good fit in the conservative offense and RB Barry Foster (pictured at right) had five hundred-yard rushing games thus far. The defense blitzed heavily and was strongest at linebacker and in the backfield, which featured CB Rod Woodson and SS Carnell Lake. The overachieving Steelers had beaten Houston in their opening game and were looking to sweep the season series.

Much was expected of the Oilers, who had been to the playoffs following each of the previous five seasons and breezed to the AFC Central title in ’91. Houston, coached by Jack Pardee, was also 5-2 and featured a pass-heavy run-and-shoot offense directed by QB Warren Moon, who had a fine group of receivers available. The defense was anchored by DT Ray Childress, LB Al Smith, and SS Bubba McDowell.

There were 58,074 fans in attendance on an overcast day with light rain at Three Rivers Stadium. The Steelers had the first possession and Barry Foster ran the ball on each of the first six plays, picking up 27 yards. The drive stalled at the Houston 48 and resulted in a punt, and the Oilers punted in turn following a short series.

After the Steelers kicked the ball away again, Houston advanced 57 yards in nine plays. Warren Moon completed three passes along the way but two throws from the Pittsburgh 12 fell incomplete and Al Del Greco kicked a 29-yard field goal.

Neil O’Donnell completed passes to WR Dwight Stone for 20 yards and Foster for 16 but gave up an interception to Al Smith on a throw that was tipped. However, Smith fumbled on the return and O’Donnell recovered to regain possession for the Steelers. As the game entered the second quarter, WR Ernie Mills fumbled after gaining 18 yards on a reception and Bubba McDowell recovered for the Oilers at the Pittsburgh 44.

Houston drove 43 yards in eight plays that included a third-and-nine throw by Moon to WR Ernest Givins for 17 yards to the Pittsburgh six. Three running plays got the ball down to the one and Del Greco kicked another field goal, this time of 19 yards to stake the visitors to a 6-0 lead.

The Steelers responded with a long possession of 14 plays that covered 82 yards. O’Donnell had completions to TE Eric Green for 23 yards, Mills for 15, and RB Leroy Thompson for 20 yards in a third-and-10 situation, and Foster ran eight times, the last for a one-yard touchdown. Gary Anderson added the extra point and Pittsburgh went ahead by 7-6, which remained the score at halftime.

On the first series of the third quarter, Moon suffered a concussion when he was hit hard by blitzing CB Rod Woodson and was replaced by backup QB Cody Carlson (pictured below). Carlson, who had led the Oilers to a win in Pittsburgh two years earlier when Moon went down, completed four passes during the nine-play, 76-yard drive, including the last to WR Webster Slaughter for an 11-yard TD. Del Greco converted and Houston was back in front at 13-7.

On the second play following the ensuing kickoff, O’Donnell fumbled while being sacked by DT Jeff Alm and Ray Childress grabbed the loose ball and returned it eight yards for a touchdown. Del Greco added the point after and the Oilers’ lead was extended to 20-7, the visitors having scored two TDs in the span of just over a minute.

The teams traded punts, but as the period was winding down, the Steelers were at the Houston 13 yard line. O’Donnell completed three straight passes to start the drive, hitting FB Merrill Hoge for 20 yards, WR Jeff Graham for another 11 yards, and then Mills for 20. Foster ran on the next three plays and picked up 11 yards and O’Donnell followed up with a completion to Mills for eight yards. Four plays into the fourth quarter, O’Donnell tossed a pass to TE Adrian Cooper for a two-yard TD to complete the 11-play, 75-yard series. Anderson’s PAT narrowed the gap to six points.

The Oilers backed themselves up with penalties on the next series before Carlson completed two passes to get a first down, but he fumbled on a third-down play and LB Greg Lloyd recovered for the Steelers at the Houston 38. Following a run by Foster, DE Sean Jones sacked O’Donnell for a loss of 10 yards to put Pittsburgh in a third-and-16 hole, but O’Donnell completed a pass to Green for 24 yards to climb out of it and reach the Houston 20. Foster ran three times to get inside the ten and then O’Donnell again threw to Green, this time for a five-yard touchdown. Anderson kicked the extra point and the home team was ahead by a point.

The teams exchanged punts and the Oilers found themselves with the ball at their 14 with 3:53 left to play. Carlson completed six passes to get to the Pittsburgh 27 and, after two short carries by RB Lorenzo White, Del Greco came in to attempt a 39-yard field goal with the clock down to six seconds. The kick was wide to the left and the Steelers held on to win by a final score of 21-20.

Pittsburgh had the edge in total yards (302 to 283) while the Oilers had more first downs (21 to 20). The Steelers turned the ball over three times, to two by Houston, and were also penalized nine times at a cost of 101 yards, to five flags thrown on the Oilers.

Neil O’Donnell (pictured below) completed 14 of 22 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns while giving up one interception. Barry Foster rushed for 118 yards on 31 carries that included a TD. Ernie Mills caught four passes for 61 yards and Eric Green contributed 52 yards and a score on his three receptions.

For the Oilers, Warren Moon was successful on 13 of 19 throws for 104 yards with no TDs or interceptions before leaving the game and Cody Carlson went 15-of-23 for 137 yards and a touchdown while also giving up no interceptions, although he did fumble the ball away once. Lorenzo White ran for 44 yards on 12 carries and added 32 yards on six catches. Haywood Jeffires had 9 receptions for 68 yards and Webster Slaughter gained 71 yards on his five catches that included a touchdown.

“We were down 20-7, but we’ve been there before,” said Pittsburgh’s Coach Cowher. “That was a great game, a classic, and it was decided by inches.”

The win put the Steelers in first place in the AFC Central at 6-2 and they went on to finish on top with an 11-5 record, their best since 1979. The sweep of the Oilers was critical in the division race as Houston placed second at 10-6 and qualified for the postseason as a Wild Card. Both teams lost to Buffalo in the playoffs, the Oilers in epic fashion in the Wild Card round and Pittsburgh at the Divisional level.

Barry Foster went over a hundred yards 12 times as he led the AFC in rushing with 1690 yards on 390 carries (4.3 avg.). He was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection as well as Pro Bowl choice. Neil O’Donnell finished third in passing in the AFC (83.6 rating) and was named to the Pro Bowl for the only time in his career.

Warren Moon came back from the concussion suffered against the Steelers but was lost for five games with a broken arm. He still led the AFC with a passer rating of 89.3. Cody Carlson remained effective in relief, completing 65.6 percent of his passes for 1710 yards and 9 touchdowns, as opposed to 11 interceptions.