Sunday, November 21, 2010
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH
Suddenly, it’s looking like the 1970s again for what once was the NFL’s nastiest and most compelling rivalry, one so inflamed it once spilled over from the football field to a federal courtroom.
Two storied franchises that have disliked each other since they first met 40 years ago face each other today in what might be the most meaningful game between them since 1984. That season, the last remnants of Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl teams of the 1970s upset the Raiders during the final weekend of the regular season to make the playoffs, and the Steelers went on to reach the AFC championship game.
It’s a rivalry that was kindled by the most miraculous game-winning play in NFL history, the Immaculate Reception in 1972. With Hall of Famers such as Al Davis, Chuck Noll and John Madden, Mean Joe Greene and Franco Harris, Gene Upshaw and Art Shell all playing key roles, the teams faced each other in the playoffs every season from 1972-76.
The games were so fearsomely physical, there were frequent allegations of crossing-the-line play and, even, a lawsuit after Noll accused the Raiders’ George Atkinson of being part of the league’s “criminal element.”
For much of the ’70s, it was the NFL’s rivalry beyond all others. Now there are hints it could be percolating again.
The Raiders scored three touchdowns in the final 81/2 minutes to beat the Steelers 27-23 in Pittsburgh last season, a significant upset that eventually put the reigning Super Bowl winners out of the playoffs. Of the Steelers’ five consecutive late-season losses, this one might have hurt the most.
“We went home and kept wondering, ‘What if? What if?”’ wide receiver Hines Ward said.
The Raiders (5-4), with a dozen-plus first-round draft picks, now look to be one of the league’s on-the-rise teams after winning three in a row and four of five. The Steelers (6-3), trying for a third Super Bowl in six seasons, looked like an elite team until Tom Brady shredded their defense for 350 yards passing in New England’s 39-26 rout last weekend.
“I hope everybody’s [ticked] off,” Steelers linebacker James Farrior said. “The way we played last week was unacceptable. It’s something we can’t have if we want to be a championship team. I haven’t gotten my butt whipped like that in a long time.”