Visitor:  Oakland Raiders

Home:  Pittsburgh Steelers

Date:  January 4, 1976

AFC Championship

 

Scoring:

Team                1          2          3          4          Final

OAK               0          0          0          10          10

PIT                  0          3          0          13          16

 

Visitor playmakers:

WR Mike Siani, S Jack Tatum, DE Otis Sistrunk, DE Ted Hendricks

 

Home playmakers:

RB Franco Harris, WR John Stallworth, LB Jack Lambert, DB Mike Wagner, DT Ernie Holmes, LB Andy Russell

 

Network:  NBC

Announcers:  Curt Gowdy, Al De Rogatis, Don Meredith

 

Pregame:  Yes

Halftime:  No

Postgame:  No

Commercials:  Yes

 

Grade:  Very Good

 

Notes:  The Steelers moved into the Super Bowl for the second straight year with a 16-10 victory over the Raiders in a hard-hitting game played in 16-degree temperature, 20-mile-an-hour winds, and snow flurries.  A 3-0 defensive battle for three quarters with Pittsburgh leading on a 36-yard Roy Gerela field goal, the game turned into a free scoring affair with 23 points in the last period. 

 

Franco Harris ran 25 yards for a touchdown after Jack Lambert recovered Clarence Davis’ fumble.  Oakland came right back with a 14-yard scoring pass from Ken Stabler to Mike Siani.  Lambert’s third fumble recovery set up the Steelers’ TD that proved to be the winner, a 20-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw to John Stallworth. 

 

With only 17 seconds to play and the Steelers leading 16-7, Coach John Madden gambled on a 41-yard successful field goal by George Blanda and an onside kick by Ray Guy that Marv Hubbard recovered with seven seconds left.  Stabler passed 37 yards to Cliff Branch on the Pittsburgh 15 as time ran out. 

 

Harris led the rushers with 27 carries for 79 yards and Bradshaw hit with 15 of 25 passes for 215 yards.  Pete Banaszak’s 33 yards led the Raiders and Stabler completed 18 of 42 for 246 yards.  Harris caught five passes for 58 yards, Siani five for 80, and Casper five for 67 yards.  Pittsburgh lost the ball five times on fumbles and Bradshaw had three passes intercepted, two by Jack Tatum.  Oakland lost three fumbles, all recovered by Lambert, and Stabler had two picked off, both by Mike Wagner.

 

PIT – FG Gerela 36

PIT – Harris 25 run (Gerela kick)

OAK – Siani 14 pass from Stabler (Blanda kick)

PIT – Stallworth 20 pass from Bradshaw (kick failed)

OAK – FG Blanda 41

 

Thanks Dean!

 

Running time: 2:49 (2 discs)