1996: Steelers Overcome Upstart Colts for AFC Title

The Pittsburgh Steelers were hosting the AFC Championship game for the second straight year as they faced the Indianapolis Colts on January 14, 1996. Head Coach Bill Cowher’s team had been upset in stunning fashion by San Diego in the conference title game following the 1994 season and was looking to erase that memory. The conservative offense was efficiently directed by QB Neil O’Donnell (pictured at right), but it was the strong defense that was the key to success, despite the loss of star CB Rod Woodson in the season’s first game. Outside linebackers Kevin Greene and Greg Lloyd were both Pro Bowlers, as was CB Carnell Lake, who had been shifted from strong safety, and CB Willie Williams led the AFC with seven interceptions. After getting off to a 3-4 start, the Steelers hit stride by reeling off eight straight wins to top the AFC Central with an 11-5 record and defeated Buffalo in the Divisional playoff round.

Indianapolis was in the playoffs for the first time since 1987. Coached by Ted Marchibroda, who was in the fourth season of his second stint with the franchise, the Colts placed second in the AFC East at 9-7 and defeated San Diego and Kansas City on the road to reach the conference title game. QB Jim Harbaugh, formerly of the Bears and relegated to the bench early in the ’95 season in Indianapolis, had a career year, leading the NFL in passing and earning Pro Bowl honors. RB Marshall Faulk gained 1553 yards from scrimmage and also was a Pro Bowl choice, but he was out for the postseason with a knee injury. The defensive line was tough with DE Tony Bennett and tackles Tony Siragusa and Tony McCoy and the corps of linebackers, led by OLB Quentin Coryatt, was a good one. Still, the Colts had the look of an overachieving team and were 11-point underdogs against the Steelers.

There were 61,062 fans in attendance on a sunny and mild day at Three Rivers Stadium. The Steelers had the ball first but, on their third play from scrimmage, a pass by Neil O’Donnell was tipped by DT Tony Siragusa and intercepted by LB Jeff Herrod, who returned it 17 yards to the Pittsburgh 24. Three running plays netted seven yards and Cary Blanchard kicked a 34-yard field goal that gave the Colts an early 3-0 lead.

The teams traded punts before the Steelers put together a 40-yard drive in 11 plays. O’Donnell converted a third-and-six situation with a throw to RB John L. Williams for seven yards and he completed four other passes before the advance stalled at the Indianapolis 13 and Norm Johnson tied the game with a 31-yard field goal.

The Colts had the ball as the game headed into the second quarter. Jim Harbaugh (pictured at left) completed his first four passes, the longest to WR Sean Dawkins for 30 yards, and after a third down toss into the end zone under pressure from Kevin Greene was incomplete, Blanchard came on again to boot another field goal, this time from 36 yards.

Each team had a short series that resulted in a punt before Pittsburgh put together an 80-yard possession in 17 plays. O’Donnell had eight completions along the way, only one of which was longer than ten yards, during the methodical drive in which the Steelers converted four third downs. The last was on a five-yard touchdown pass from O’Donnell to QB/WR Kordell Stewart with 13 seconds remaining in the first half, although replays indicated that Stewart appeared to have stepped out of the back of the end zone before making the catch. Johnson added the extra point and the home team took a 10-6 lead into halftime.

Indianapolis took the second half kickoff and drove 61 yards in 10 plays. Harbaugh started off with a pass to TE Ken Dilger for 30 yards and followed up with a 14-yard completion to Dawkins. After reaching the Pittsburgh 12, Harbaugh was sacked by Greg Lloyd for a loss of eight yards on second down and, two plays later, Blanchard kicked a 37-yard field goal that made it a one-point contest at 10-9.

A short series by the Steelers ended with a punt and the Colts put together another promising drive. Harbaugh converted a third-and-six situation with a throw to Dawkins for 13 yards and converted another with a two-yard run. This time the advance was halted at the Pittsburgh 30 and the visitors came up empty when Blanchard was wide to the left on a 47-yard field goal attempt.

The Steelers responded by moving 44 yards in seven plays. O’Donnell threw to WR Yancey Thigpen for 14 yards and a pass interference call was good for 16 yards. The series resulted in a 36-yard Johnson field goal and Pittsburgh took a 13-9 lead into the fourth quarter.

Indianapolis went three-and-out on its next possession and WR Andre Hastings returned the resulting punt 33 yards to the Colts’ 42. O’Donnell passed the Steelers to the 22, but Johnson failed on a 40-yard field goal try. The Colts came back with Harbaugh firing two passes to RB Lamont Warren for a total of 13 yards and a completion to RB Zack Crockett gained another 10 before Harbaugh connected with WR Floyd Turner for a 47-yard touchdown. Blanchard converted and the visitors were back in the lead by a 16-13 score.

The teams exchanged punts, with Indianapolis failing to convert a third-and-one situation thanks to an alert play by Willie Williams to tackle Warren for no gain, and the Steelers, regaining possession at their 33, advanced 67 yards in eight plays. O’Donnell hit on his first two passes, missed on two (one of which was nearly intercepted), and then threw complete to Hastings for nine yards to convert a fourth-and-three situation. O’Donnell’s next pass was to WR Ernie Mills, who just beat CB Ashley Ambrose and kept his feet inbounds for a 37-yard gain to the Indianapolis one and, two plays later, RB Bam Morris scored from there. Johnson added the point after and Pittsburgh was ahead by four points with 1:34 remaining to play.

Starting from their 16 after the ensuing kickoff, the Colts moved down the field as Harbaugh went to the air on every play. A third-and-three pass to WR Brian Stablein gained 18 yards and, facing fourth-and-two at the Indianapolis 49, Harbaugh connected with Dawkins for 13 yards. Harbaugh ran for nine yards and then had to spike the ball with six seconds left at the Pittsburgh 29. A final throw into the end zone was tipped by FS Darren Perry and fell onto WR Aaron Bailey, who was on the ground. However, he was unable to maintain possession and the Steelers came away with a closely-fought 20-16 win.

The Colts had more total yards (328 to 285) but Pittsburgh led in first downs (21 to 16). The Steelers had three sacks, to one by Indianapolis, but also gave up the game’s only turnover.

Neil O’Donnell completed 25 of 41 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown while being intercepted once. Yancey Thigpen had 6 catches for 65 yards and Ernie Mills gained 52 yards on three receptions that included the big one to set up the game-winning TD. RB Erric Pegram topped the Pittsburgh rushers with 46 yards on 10 carries.

For the Colts, Jim Harbaugh was successful on 21 of 33 throws for 267 yards and a TD with none picked off and ran the ball six times for 29 yards. Sean Dawkins (pictured at right) caught 7 passes for 96 yards and Lamont Warren had 7 receptions as well, for 37 yards, in addition to leading the club in rushing with 53 yards on 15 attempts.

Pittsburgh went on to lose the Super Bowl to the Dallas Cowboys. While there were significant personnel changes during the offseason, the Steelers came back to top the AFC Central again in 1996 but lost in the Divisional playoff round. The Colts also underwent changes, most notably the departure of Coach Marchibroda, but they again compiled a 9-7 record and qualified for a Wild Card playoff spot. They met up with the Steelers in the first round and were soundly defeated.

1989: Testaverde Leads Bucs to Upset of Bears

The Chicago Bears were off to a 4-0 start as they faced the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay on October 8, 1989. Head Coach Mike Ditka’s team had won in double-digits in each of the previous five seasons, including a NFL Championship in 1985, and was used to contending. While colorful QB Jim McMahon, who often clashed with Ditka, was dumped off to San Diego during the preseason, the powerful defense still contained many of the veteran stalwarts from the title-winning team, including DE Richard Dent, DTs Dan Hampton and Steve McMichael, and MLB Mike Singletary.

The Buccaneers, under third-year Head Coach Ray Perkins, had not been nearly as successful. They were 2-2 as they faced the Bears, but were a perennially losing club that had last been over .500 in the strike-abbreviated 1982 season. Moreover, they had been beaten by Chicago twelve straight times. QB Vinny Testaverde had gone through plenty of growing pains after being the first overall pick of the 1987 NFL draft, and while he was showing improvement, he was coming off of a poor performance the previous week in a loss to the Vikings.

There were 72,077 fans in attendance at Tampa Stadium. The Bears went three-and-out in their first series and, following a short punt, the Buccaneers took over with good field position at their 47. Vinny Testaverde completed all five of his passes in a six-play possession with the last one tipped by RB Lars Tate and caught by WR Mark Carrier for an 11-yard touchdown. Donald Igwebuike’s extra point made it 7-0 for the home team.

Chicago again had to punt and once more the Bucs drove to a score, this time covering 69 yards in seven plays. Testaverde threw to WR Bruce Hill for a 41-yard gain to the Chicago 17, ran for 12 yards on a third-and-six play, and FB William Howard dove into the middle of the line for a one-yard TD.

It seemed as though Tampa Bay would be able to pour it on after, on the third play of the ensuing Chicago series, WR Dennis McKinnon was stripped after gaining 17 yards on a pass from QB Mike Tomczak and FS Harry Hamilton recovered for the Buccaneers. Testaverde immediately went to the air and connected with Carrier for a 30-yard gain to the six and a penalty on the Bears made it first-and-goal at the one. But Chicago’s defense stopped four straight running plays and the Bucs came up empty.

The reprieve for the Bears was a short one as they turned the ball over again three plays later when Tomczak was intercepted by SS Mark Robinson to give Tampa Bay the ball at the Chicago 14. This time, as the game moved into the second quarter, the Buccaneers didn’t fail to capitalize. Testaverde threw a play action pass to TE William Harris for a touchdown and Igwebuike’s conversion made it 21-0.

The Bears were still unable to get anything going on offense and punted. But now it was their turn to make the most of a turnover as LB Jim Morrissey intercepted a Testaverde pass and Chicago had the ball at the Tampa Bay 27. Five plays later, the Bears got on the board when RB Neal Anderson (pictured at left) ran for a five-yard TD.

A short Tampa Bay series ended with a punt but the Bears once again turned the ball over when Tomczak fumbled while being sacked by LB Kevin Murphy and DE Reuben Davis recovered at the Chicago 28. While a tipped pass was nearly intercepted by LB Mike Singletary, the Bucs scored another touchdown, this time on a Testaverde throw to Hill from 22 yards out.

Down once more by three touchdowns, the Bears responded by driving 64 yards in seven plays. Anderson had a 19-yard run on a sweep to start things off and Tomczak threw to TE James Thornton for a 34-yard gain to the Tampa Bay 9. Anderson ran for a one-yard TD and, with Butler’s second successful PAT, the score was 28-14 and remained that way at the end of the half.

On Chicago’s first possession of the third quarter, the Bears went 54 yards in six plays to cut the margin further. Tomczak threw to RB Thomas Sanders for a 16-yard touchdown and, with the PAT by Butler, Tampa Bay’s lead was down to 28-21.

That was the score entering the fourth quarter, but a short punt gave the Buccaneers the ball at the Chicago 44 and, four plays later, Tate ran for a 16-yard touchdown.

Following a short series by the Bears, the Bucs drove to another TD, this time covering 80 yards in six plays. Tate (pictured at left) took off for a 48-yard gain on the first play and Testaverde converted a third-and-three situation with a completion to Hill for 12 yards. Tate finished the possession off with a four-yard run and when the snap on the extra point sailed high, holder Chris Mohr ran the ball into the end zone. Tampa Bay had a commanding 42-21 lead with under seven minutes left on the clock.

The Bears fought back as Jim Harbaugh replaced Tomczak at quarterback. Throwing on almost every down, the visitors went 74 yards in nine plays. Harbaugh completed four passes and, after being sacked to force a third-and-15 situation, he escaped pressure and ran for a 26-yard touchdown.

A short series by the Bucs gave the ball to the Bears one more time and they again drove to a score, this time on a one-yard carry by Anderson, but the ensuing onside kick with 53 seconds remaining was recovered by the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay held on for a 42-35 win.

The Buccaneers led in total yards (415 to 350) and first downs (27 to 22). They had the edge both on the ground (147 to 136) and through the air (268 to 214). Chicago turned the ball over three times, to two by Tampa Bay.

Vinny Testaverde, who left the game midway through the fourth quarter after taking a hit from Steve McMichael, completed 22 of 36 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. Bruce Hill and Mark Carrier (pictured below) had nearly identical numbers as they each caught 6 passes and scored a TD while Hill accumulated 107 yards and Carrier had 105. Lars Tate also had a fine performance as he ran for 112 yards and two scores on 18 carries.

For the Bears, Mike Tomczak was successful on 16 of 29 throws for 162 yards with a TD and an interception. Jim Harbaugh, in his relief performance, completed 6 of 8 passes for 65 yards and also ran the ball three times for 34 yards and a touchdown. Neal Anderson rushed 17 times for 86 yards and three TDs and also caught 6 passes for 30 more yards. WR Ron Morris gained a team-high 54 yards on his three receptions.

“This is the kind of win we’ve been looking for, the kind of win to get us over the hump,” said a jubilant Ray Perkins on behalf of the Bucs.

“We were out-coached and out-played. It’s as simple as that,” was the response of a terse Mike Ditka regarding Chicago’s performance.

The hoped-for turnaround in Tampa Bay’s fortunes did not materialize as the Buccaneers lost their next five games in a row, finally winning in their rematch with the Bears. They ended up at the bottom of the NFC Central with a 5-11 record.

The loss did prove to be a turning point for the Bears. They lost their next two games and won only twice more the rest of the way to finish just a step up from the Bucs in the division at 6-10.

Vinny Testaverde ended up throwing for 3133 yards and 20 touchdowns, but with 22 interceptions. Lars Tate’s rushing total against Chicago was the best of his brief career as he gained 589 yards. Mark Carrier went on to receive Pro Bowl recognition with 86 catches for 1422 yards (16.5 avg.) and nine touchdowns but Bruce Hill was less consistent and caught 50 passes for 673 yards (13.5 avg.) and five TDs.

In the midst of the down year for the Bears, Neal Anderson rushed for 1275 yards on 274 carries (4.7 avg.) and had 50 catches for 434 yards. He scored a total of 15 touchdowns and was chosen to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year.

1991: Saints Lose for First Time as Bears Score on Final Drive

The Chicago Bears were 5-2 as they traveled to New Orleans to take on the undefeated (7-0) Saints on October 27, 1991 at the Louisiana Superdome. The Bears were in their tenth season under the direction of fiery Head Coach Mike Ditka and were used to contending – since Ditka’s third season in 1984, they had only once had a losing season (or for that matter, failed to win at least 10 games), and that had been two years before, in 1989 when they were 6-10. They had bounced back to 11-5 in ’90 and had every expectation of dominating the NFC Central.

New Orleans, long an NFL bottom feeder, had begun to win in 1987 under the direction of Head Coach Jim Mora. The Saints had twice been in the playoffs, although with a mediocre 8-8 record in 1990. QB Bobby Hebert had returned after sitting out the ’90 season due to a contract dispute, and whether he or Steve Walsh, the previous year’s starter, was behind center, the team kept winning thanks to an outstanding defense – they had not allowed an opposing team to score in double digits since the second week of the season.

Neither team was able to muster much offense in the first few possessions until, late in the first quarter, Hebert threw a pass down the middle to WR Floyd Turner for a 65-yard touchdown. The Bears managed two field goals by Kevin Butler in the second quarter, of 34 and 48 yards, but had difficulty sustaining any sort of drive. New Orleans took a 10-6 advantage at halftime when Morten Andersen boomed a 60-yard field goal on the final play of the period.

Chicago QB Jim Harbaugh (pictured above) managed to complete just two of his 10 passes in the first half. The Saints had been far better at throwing the ball, but had gained just 16 yards on 10 rushing attempts.

The Bears got a break in the third quarter when New Orleans CB Vince Buck was called for pass interference, resulting in a 37-yard gain to the Saints nine yard line. Two plays later, RB Brad Muster ran six yards for a touchdown and Chicago was in the lead at 13-10.

Two possessions later, the Saints put together a 56-yard drive in six plays highlighted by a 34-yard pass completion from Hebert to Turner. An eight-yard touchdown pass to Turner put New Orleans back in front, 17-13.

Early in the fourth quarter, Butler missed a field goal attempt from 51 yards out. The Bears came no closer to scoring as the game progressed and they continued to struggle on offense against the fierce pass rush. With just under two minutes to go, they took over on their own 48 after a poor 12-yard punt by Tommy Barnhardt of the Saints. Even with the good field position, it seemed as though the New Orleans defense was in control – Harbaugh had failed to complete a pass in the second half and was now a combined two of 19.

However, the passing game suddenly came alive as Harbaugh immediately completed a throw to WR Wendell Davis for 27 yards to the New Orleans 25. RB Neal Anderson ran up the middle for seven yards, and then caught a pass from Harbaugh for six more. Finally, Harbaugh threw to WR Tom Waddle for a 12-yard touchdown and, with the successful extra point, a three-point lead.

The Saints were unable to come back in the final seconds – a fourth-and-16 pass from their own 21 fell incomplete and the Bears, stymied on offense for so much of the game, won by a score of 20-17.


New Orleans easily outgained Chicago, 313 yards to 178, including a net 262 passing yards compared to 36 for the Bears. Jim Harbaugh ended up with 5 completions in 22 attempts for 61 yards with the game-winning TD and two interceptions. Brad Muster led the running game with 57 yards on 10 carries, while Neal Anderson was right behind at 53 yards on 12 attempts. Three receivers accounted for all of the Bears’ pass receiving – Anderson and Tom Waddle (pictured at left) each caught two passes for 17 yards apiece, and Wendell Davis was the yardage leader on his lone 27-yard reception.

For the Saints, Bobby Hebert was successful on 27 of 39 passes for 291 yards with two touchdowns against one interception. Floyd Turner had a big day, catching 9 of those passes for 179 yards and both TDs. However, the running game never caught fire, as the team ran for a total of 51 yards on 23 carries – RB Gill Fenerty was the leader with 25 yards on 8 attempts.

The win over New Orleans was the second of an eventual five straight for the Bears on the way to an 11-5 record and second place finish in the NFC Central - it was good enough to secure a wild card spot in the postseason, although they lost to Dallas in the first round. The Saints, after the strong start, faltered in the second half of the season. They won their next two games but then dropped four straight and finished at 11-5, still good enough to win the NFC West although they fell to arch-rival Atlanta in the Wild Card playoff.