March Madness of Steelers Moments ROUND 2: Pierogi Bracket

It’s round 2 of Steelers March Madness. The top 64 moments are now at 32. Let’s take a look at this week’s matchups in the Pierogi Bracket.

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1 - The Immaculate Reception - 12/23/72 AFC Divisional Round

Round 1 recap: won its first round match with 94.7% of the twitter vote & 93% of website vote.

The Play: Nuff Said

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9 - Swann Saddles Broncos - 12/30/78 AFC Divisional

Round 1 recap: won with 60% of the website vote & 74.7% of the twitter vote.

The play: The game was already well in hand, thanks to Stallworth’s 156 yds and Franco’s 105 yds and 2 TDs. But the highlight was Swann leaping over double coverage in the end zone.

Bonus Commentary: My only argument against the Immaculate Reception going forward is that it didn’t happen during a Super Bowl year, so its significance is more symbolic. The standard is still the Lombardi.

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2 - AB’s Helmet Catch - 1/15/11 AFC Divisional

Round 1 recap: Although, Franco won the website vote by only 2 ballots, AB advanced by earning 62.7% of the twitter vote.

The Play: The Steelers were tied at 24 with 2:07 left, facing a 3rd and 19 from their own 37. Ben heaved it toward the end zone as AB ran by double coverage.

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10- Ike’s Redzone INT - 2/5/06 Super Bowl 40

Round 1 recap: won with 70% of the website vote and 65.9% of the twitter vote.

The play: The Seahawks were down 14-10 in the fourth quarter and driving. Ike Taylor intercepted Matt Hasselbeck at the Steelers 5 to keep the four-point advantage in Super Bowl XL intact.

Bonus Commentary: If you use the same argument here as I did with Franco, we could see another upset.

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3 - “The Tackle” - 1/15/06 AFC Divisional

Round 1 recap: won with 91% of the website vote and 87% of the twitter vote.

The play: A shoestring tackle that saved the entire season. One of Ben’s greatest plays is one of the ugliest.

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6 - Randel El’s Playoff Punt Return - 1/5/03 AFC Wildcard

Round 1 recap: won with 79% of the website vote and 86.8% of the twitter vote.

The play: The Browns had a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, when Antwaan Randle El created a spark and the first points of an incredible comeback.

Bonus Commentary: Is there any room for a special teams play in the Sweet 16?

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4 - Santonio’s Game-Winning Goal Line Lean - 12/14/08 Week 15

Round 1 recap: the twitter vote was a statistical tie, so it came down to the website vote where this play won by a tight 54% to 46% margin.

The play: 50 seconds left down 3, division on the line. Holmes crosses the goaline by a lean.

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5 - JT Thomas Picks Off Stabler - 12/29/74 AFC Championship

Round 1 recap: a controversial finish. Although O’Donnel to Slash in ‘95 AFCC earned more votes on twitter by almost a 2-to-1 margin, the website tally weighed heavily in favor of JT Thomas.

The play: After going down 10-3 in the 3rd quarter, Pittsburgh fought back to claim a 17-13 lead in the fourth. Stabler had a chance to for a go-ahead touchdown, but future Applebee’s mogul JT Thomas made a clutch interception and returned the ball 37 yards to the Raiders 24 to seal the trip to Super Bowl 9.

Bonus Commentary: the JT Thomas play happened in a bigger moment in a bigger game, but could recency bias give Holmes the advantage?

We’ll take a look at the other brackets each day this week. Vote early and often!

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Kyle Chrise is the host of the Steel Curtain Network podcast “What Yinz Talkin’ Bout.” New episodes debut every Thursday.