Three proud franchises in the National Football League have made at least seven Super Bowl appearances. And two of them will be squaring off this week at Foxborough.
The Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers have made eight trips to the Super Bowl and the New England Patriots are right behind with seven appearances. And this Sunday the Steelers and Pats clash in what has become one of the more fascinating series in recent years.
From 2001-11, the Patriots (5) and Steelers (3) combined to represent the AFC in eight Super Bowls, and in five of those years (three by New England) these proud franchises combined hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.
These days, the 6-2 Patriots own a two-game lead in the AFC East while the 2-5 Steelers are bringing up the rear in the AFC North. But it is fun to look back and what was the first of two conference title game clashes in four seasons.
It would be a battle of the top two seeds in the conference this afternoon at Heinz Field in 2001. In the AFC Divisional Playoffs, the Steelers (13-3) were coming off a convincing win over the division rival Baltimore Ravens, while the second-seeded Patriots (11-5) outlasted the Oakland Raiders in overtime in snowy New England in the infamous “Tuck Rule” game.
Head coach Bill Cowher and his team had been down this path numerous times in recent seasons and unfortunately most of those didn’t end well. The Steelers hosted the 1994, ’95 and ’97 AFC Championship Games at Three Rivers Stadium, losing to the Chargers (’94) and Broncos (’97) while holding off the Colts in 1995. And while Cowher and company got to Super Bowl XXX, they fell to the Dallas Cowboys.
Meanwhile, Bill Belichick was in his first conference title game as a head coach and in the playoffs for the first time with the Patriots. He had taken the Browns to the postseason in 1994, where they had ironically defeated Bill Parcells’ Patriots in the Wild Card round before (more irony) losing at Pittsburgh in the Divisional Playoffs.
But back to this tilt which became the kind of game that epitomized New England’s improbable postseason run in 2001. The Patriots drew first blood when punt returner Troy Brown returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown, the score coming when Belichick’s team got second life following a Steelers’ penalty on the first kick.
But New England’s good fortune wouldn’t last long. Leading 7-3 with less than two minutes before halftime, Brady was injured and lost for the rest of the afternoon. In stepped quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who began the year as the team’s starter but was severely injured against the Jets in Week 2. The veteran signal-caller took care of the remaining 40 yards of the drive and his 11-yard scoring pass to wide receiver David Patten gave the Patriots a 14-3 halftime lead.
Pittsburgh’s next three series were not only forgettable but self-destructive. Steelers’ quarterback Kordell Stewart threw the first of three interceptions on the final play of the first half and then fumbled away the team’s first drive of the second half. And when the Steelers next got the ball, a promising drive would result in a 34-yard field goal attempt by placekicker Kris Brown. But the kick was blocked by defensive lineman DL Brandon Mitchell, the ball picked up by Troy Brown and after a short run, lateraled to defensive back Antwan Harris, who covered the last 49 yards and gave New England a stunning 21-3 lead.
The Steelers would regroup quickly and before you knew, a pair of quick touchdowns narrowed the Pats’ lead to 21-17. Soon afterwards, placekicker Adam Vinatieri would give Belichick’s team a 24-17 edge and the deal was sealed courtesy of a pair of Stewart interceptions on the team’s final two drives.
So it was onto the Super Bowl for New England, the first of three appearances and wins in a four-year span. That 2001 season was the first of 12 straight winning campaigns for the Patriots…and counting.
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