Epic NFL game ยท 1972

Pregame

Pregame: NFC Divisional

NFC Divisional: Oakland Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers (Three Rivers Stadium), with a Conference Championship spot at stake. Kickoff time: 1:00pm. Winner advances to the Conference Championship. The losing team's season is over.

Columnist

The divisional round is where the bracket is supposed to take its real shape. Oakland Raiders traveling to Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium, with the league watching to see whether the better team or the better matchup wins. Bye-week home favorites carry the weight of expectation; the visiting wild-card winner walks in with no one expecting them and nothing to lose.

Around the league

The bracket has narrowed to the teams that survived the regular season. Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers are two of them; the rest of the league is in scouting mode for the offseason. What happens in Three Rivers Stadium shifts the rest of the tree: a road favorite winning rearranges seeding expectations; a home upset shows the bracket math underweights heart.

Trend analyst

Oakland Raiders versus Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFC Divisional. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Oakland Raiders-Pittsburgh Steelers cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.

League standings entering Week 15

Standings as of kickoff, Week 15 (no future-game spoilers)

Around the league

  • Best record league-wide: Miami Dolphins (14-0).
  • Still unbeaten: Miami Dolphins.

AFC

AFC Central

TeamRecStrk
Pittsburgh Steelers11-3W4
Cleveland Browns10-4W2
Cincinnati Bengals8-6W1
Houston Oilers1-13L11

AFC East

TeamRecStrk
Miami Dolphins14-0W14
New York Jets7-7L2
Baltimore Colts5-9L2
Buffalo Bills4-9-1W1
New England Patriots3-11L1

AFC West

TeamRecStrk
Oakland Raiders10-3-1W6
Kansas City Chiefs8-6W3
Denver Broncos5-9W2
San Diego Chargers4-9-1L3

NFC

NFC West

TeamRecStrk
San Francisco 49ers8-5-1W2
Atlanta Falcons7-7L2
Los Angeles Rams6-7-1L2
New Orleans Saints2-11-1L3

NFC Central

TeamRecStrk
Green Bay Packers10-4W3
Detroit Lions8-5-1W1
Minnesota Vikings7-7L2
Chicago Bears4-9-1L1

NFC East

TeamRecStrk
Washington Redskins11-3L2
Dallas Cowboys10-4L1
New York Giants8-6W1
St. Louis Cardinals4-9-1W2
Philadelphia Eagles2-11-1L5

Game video

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Game info

Roof
outdoors
Surface
astroturf
Weather
42ยฐF, 88% humidity, wind 6 mph

Score

Reveal through:
1234T
Oakland Raiders000700077
Pittsburgh Steelers003100031313

Scoring plays

Q1

TeamPlayScore
No scoring this quarter.

Q2

TeamPlayScore
No scoring this quarter.

Q3

TeamPlayScore
SteelersRoy Gerela 18 yard field goal0-3

Q4

TeamPlayScore
SteelersRoy Gerela 29 yard field goal0-6
RaidersKen Stabler 30 yard rush ( George Blanda kick)7-6
SteelersFranco Harris 60 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw ( Roy Gerela kick)7-13

Box score

RaidersSteelers
Team totals
First Downs1313
Total Yards216252
Turnovers41
Passing
Comp/Att12/3011/25
Pass yards102175
Pass TD01
Interceptions21
Sacks taken43
Sack yards lost2431
Net pass yards78144
Rushing
Rushes3136
Rush yards138108
Rush TD10
Discipline
Fumbles30
Fumbles lost20
Penalties21
Penalty yards155

Passing

PlayerC/AYdsTDIntRate
OAK
Ken Stabler6/125700
Daryle Lamonica6/184502
PIT
Terry Bradshaw11/2517511

Rushing

PlayerAttYdsTDLong
OAK
Charlie Smith145709
Marv Hubbard1444010
Ken Stabler130130
Clarence Davis2705
PIT
Franco Harris1864014
John Fuqua162505
Terry Bradshaw219012

Receiving

PlayerRecYdsTDLong
OAK
Raymond Chester340019
Fred Biletnikoff328012
Pete Banaszak112012
Charlie Smith2805
Mike Siani1707
Jim Otto1505
Marv Hubbard1202
PIT
Franco Harris596160
Ron Shanklin355023
John Fuqua111011
John McMakin1909
Al Young1404

Recap

AI summary based on verified facts

Pittsburgh Steelers defeated Oakland Raiders 13-7 at Three Rivers Stadium in the NFC Divisional. The final scoring play was Steelers: Franco Harris 60 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw ( Roy Gerela kick). Top line of the day: Terry Bradshaw: 175 pass yards on 11-of-25, 1 TD, 1 INT. Pittsburgh Steelers move on to the conference final.

AI summary based on verified facts

Pittsburgh Steelers walked out of Three Rivers Stadium as the team that survived an NFC Divisional Oakland Raiders will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 13-7. A one-score game throughout. The decisive points came on the fewest possible margin, which is how these matchups usually resolve. The final scoring play came from Steelers: Franco Harris 60 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw ( Roy Gerela kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Pittsburgh Steelers move on to a conference championship.

AI summary based on verified facts

Pittsburgh Steelers 13, Oakland Raiders 7. Round: NFC Divisional. Q3: 1 scoring play. Q4: 3 scoring plays. Top performers: - Terry Bradshaw: 175 pass yards on 11-of-25, 1 TD, 1 INT - Franco Harris: 64 rush yards on 18 carries - Franco Harris: 5 catches for 96 yards

AI summary based on verified facts

NFC Divisional, played at Three Rivers Stadium. Final: Oakland Raiders 7, Pittsburgh Steelers 13, with Pittsburgh Steelers taking the result by 6. **Third quarter**

- Steelers: Roy Gerela 18 yard field goal

**Fourth quarter**

- Steelers: Roy Gerela 29 yard field goal - Raiders: Ken Stabler 30 yard rush ( George Blanda kick) - Steelers: Franco Harris 60 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw ( Roy Gerela kick)

**Top performers**

- Terry Bradshaw: 175 pass yards on 11-of-25, 1 TD, 1 INT - Franco Harris: 64 rush yards on 18 carries - Franco Harris: 5 catches for 96 yards

Sources

  1. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197212230pit.htm