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Steelers Undefeated In The Division

No this isn't a prediction for this season, this is a look back at the so-called dreaded third game of the season. This is a reflection on those nine games when the Steelers faced off against a divisional rivalry in the playoffs. In the 25 seasons that the Steelers have made the playoffs since 1972, they have only faced a division rival 9 times. The Steelers have won all 9 of those games by a margin of 264 to 148. Pittsburgh has gone on to the Super Bowl 5 out of the 9 times they have faced a division foe, winning four of the five Super Bowls.

January 7, 1979, Houston Oilers, AFC Championship 34-5

On a wet, slippery field, the Steelers dominated the Oilers by forcing 9 turnovers and only allowing 5 points. The Steelers, while already leading 14-3, scored 17 points in the final 48 seconds of the 1st half. This was accomplished when the Oilers fumbled 3 consecutive times and Pittsburgh capitalized by scoring two TDs and one FG. Houston never posed a threat after this as they turned the ball over on 4 of their 6 second-half possessions.

Jack Ham had an all-pro HOF day as he accounted for 3 takeaways that led to 17 points. The Oilers attempted to run HOF RB Earl Campbell 10 times to Ham's side of the field and it netted them 11 yards.

January 6, 1980, Houston Oilers, AFC Championship 27-13

This game is known for the controversial play where Mike Renfro appeared to catch a TD in the end zone that would have tied the game at 17 a piece near the end of the 3rd quarter, but was ruled an incomplete pass. This has been proven to be the right call with evidence coming from an angle not available to the TV broadcast.

Franco Harris rushed for 85 yards and caught 6 passes for 50 yards. Earl Campbell was held to 15 yards on 17 carries.

December 31, 1989, at Houston Oilers, Wild Card, 26-23 OT

This would prove to be Chuck Noll's last playoff victory and it came against his personal rival, Jerry Glanville. This is also the only overtime game on the list. Pittsburgh won the overtime toss and received the ball, but ended up punting it back to the Oilers. On the Oilers first play QB Warren Moon handed the ball off to Lorenzo White, who was quickly leveled by Rod Woodson and DE Tim Johnson, causing a fumble that Woodson recovered and returned 4 yards to the Oilers 46. Pittsburgh only gained 13 yards, but old reliable #1 Gary Anderson booted a 50 yard FG to win the game.

Merrill Hoge was the unsung hero of this game gaining 100 yards on 17 carries, catching 3 passes for 26 yards and scoring the touchdown that tied the game on a 2 yd run.

January 7, 1995, Cleveland Browns, divisional round, 29-9

This was a classic Bill Cowher game where the team ran the ball down the opponent's throat and controlled the clock for a whopping 42 minutes and 27 seconds. Neil O'Donnell threw touchdown passes to Eric Green and Yancey Thigpen, and John L. Williams ran for a score from 26 yards out. Carnell Lake scored the last points when he sacked Vinny Testaverde for a safety.

Barry Foster gained 133 yards rushing in helping the Steelers control the time of possession in a game that was never close.

January 20, 2002, Baltimore Ravens, Divisional Round, 27-10

All of Steeler Nation was saddened when they heard that Jerome Bettis would not be starting this game, but his replacement, Amos Zereoue, rushed for 2 touchdowns. The Steelers' offense controlled the ball for over 40 minutes in this game as they defeated the defending champions.

The Steeler defense held the Ravens to 150 yards and 7 first downs, forcing 4 turnovers (1 Int by CB Chad Scott and 2 for S Brent Alexander, FR by LB Jason Gildon) and recording 3 sacks.

January 5, 2003, Cleveland Browns, Wild Card, 36-33

In this unusually high scoring game, QB Tommy Maddox became a cult hero as he led the Steelers to 29 second-half points to overcome a 17 point deficit. Maddox threw 3 touchdowns to three different receivers, Burress, Ward, and Tuman, as he set a franchise postseason record with 367 yards passing.

Antwaan Randle-El, after fumbling on an earlier return, got the scoring started as he scored the only Steeler touchdown in the first half on a 66-yd punt return.

January 8, 2006, at Cincinnati Bengals, Wild Card, 31-17

The Bengal's first playoff game in 15 years and the Steelers come to town to knock them out of the playoffs and QB Carson Palmer out of the game. After jumping out to an early 10 point lead the Bengals then allowed the Steelers to score 24 unanswered points and it was Pittsburgh that advanced to the next round to play again and Cincinnati was once again the Bungles.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had 3 touchdown passes and defensive leaders James Farrior and Troy Polamalu both had an interception a piece in the 2nd half.

January 18, 2009, Baltimore Ravens, AFC Championship, 23-14

The Steelers had already swept the Ravens in the regular season and now they had to beat them again to make the Super Bowl again. Pittsburgh held the Ravens to 184 yards and forced five turnovers, including three in the last 3:13 of the game, en route to their 7th Super Bowl appearance and 6th Super Bowl win in franchise history.

This game has two of my all-time favorite Steelers plays and they both came in the fourth quarter. First Troy Polamalu intercepted Joe Flacco and returned the ball 40 yards for the final score of the game. Then Ryan Clark put a hit on RB Willis McGahee (knocking him out) that was heard all the way back in Baltimore and caused a fumble that was recovered by Lawrence Timmons.

January 15, 2011, Baltimore Ravens, Divisional Round, 31-24

Another game against the hated Ravens and another victory for the Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger was able to lead the Steelers back from an early 21-7 deficit by going 19 of 32 for 226 yards and two touchdowns. He was able to accomplish this with a huge 3rd quarter assist from the defense, who held Baltimore to negative yardage and forced three turnovers in the third quarter.

James Harrison was able to continue his dominance against the Ravens by recording 5 tackles, two assists, and three sacks.

So as far as facing a divisional opponent a third time in a season goes, the Steelers have faired pretty well in those situations. However, even though the Steelers are undefeated against their divisional foes in the playoffs, when these situations arise in the here and now there is always a sick feeling in my stomach. Thank the football gods that so far the Steelers have not lost that third game against a division rival, because as much as I don't want Pittsburgh to lose in the playoffs, I really do not want them to lose to a divisional foe.

The opinions shared here are not those of the editorial staff of Behind the Steel Curtain or SB Nation. These posts are not approved in any way by the editorial staff of this web site.