Raiders-Steelers rivalry lost amid time, bad teams

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Raiders-Steelers games once were long-awaited, once were special and, at times, once were otherworldly.

The Steelers had to win two of them before claiming their first two Super Bowls. John Madden had to win one of them before lifting his one and only Super Bowl trophy as a head coach. During the 1970s, the rivalry was the NFL’s best and most combative, creating bad feelings, momentous games, allegations of cheating and field-doctoring, even federal lawsuits.

Steelers coach Chuck Noll was sued for calling Raiders cornerback George Atkinson part of the NFL’s “criminal element.” The Raiders charged the Steelers intentionally iced the playing field before an AFC title game to slow their fast receivers. In turn, the Steelers alleged the Raiders intentionally deflated footballs so they wouldn’t fly far off Terry Bradshaw’s hands — and, while they were doing so, wrote obscenities on them.

And, oh, yes, arguably the greatest play in pro football history, Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception, percolated this rivalry in 1972 — creating endless arguments, utter joy and disconsolate sadness, a lifetime of memories and, too, a lifetime of regrets, during a few unforgettable seconds.

“I don’t remember being around for it, but [I kept] hearing the stories and how big it was,” said Raiders quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, who grew up in Pittsburgh. “When I first went to Oakland, the people were like, ‘Ahhh, the Steelers rivalry.’ ”

Those were the days, those were the times, those were the games.

Now, it’s just another game. Just another game of many the Super Bowl champion Steelers (6-5) need to win in December to save their season. Just another game the Raiders (3-8) are expected to lose — they’re two-touchdown underdogs, just as they are nearly every game now that the good old days are long gone.

After losing their last two in overtime and three in a row, the Steelers need to beat somebody to get turned around and back into position to make the AFC playoffs. If it’s the Raiders, well, nostalgia can wait.

“We’ve got to go out there, we’ve got to take it to the NFL,” defensive lineman Chris Hoke said. “We know we’ve got the firepower to do it. We’ve got to do it now.”

Wide receiver Hines Ward calls it a must-win game, saying the Steelers’ season will effectively be over if they lose. Maybe that’s the one parallel between this game and the 10 contests the Raiders and Steelers played during that magnificent ’70s rivalry, four of them in the postseason.

“The playoffs begin for us this week,” Ward said. “Lose, and we’re pretty much out of it. We know what’s at stake. Our playoff season begins this weekend.”

No doubt the Raiders will be cheered to hear they’re involved in something resembling the playoffs again, given they haven’t appeared in a postseason game in seven years. They’ve upset the Eagles and Bengals but have won only one other game, and they could be headed toward their fifth season since 2003 with four wins or fewer.