AFC Championship: Indianapolis Colts travel to face Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff time: 12:30pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.
Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship, with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The conference title round is the one that turns nameplates into legacy. For Pittsburgh Steelers, the home crowd at Three Rivers Stadium is asked to be a player; for Indianapolis Colts, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of Three Rivers Stadium with the conference title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Around the league, coaches are watching tape on both staffs for next year's prep. Every Super Bowl-bound team starts the offseason as the team to beat.
Indianapolis Colts versus Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship. 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 Indianapolis Colts-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.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-5 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7-9 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 7-9 | W2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5-11 | L1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 4-12 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 10-6 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 9-7 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 9-7 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 6-10 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 3-13 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 13-3 | W2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 9-7 | W5 |
| Denver Broncos | 8-8 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 8-8 | L6 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 8-8 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 11-5 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 9-7 | W1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7-9 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7-9 | W1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 7-9 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 11-5 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 10-6 | W7 |
| Chicago Bears | 9-7 | W2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-8 | L2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7-9 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 12-4 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 6-10 | W2 |
| New York Giants | 5-11 | L2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4-12 | -- |
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3691616 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 3 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 310132020 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Colts | Cary Blanchard 34 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| Steelers | Norm Johnson 31 yard field goal | 3-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Colts | Cary Blanchard 36 yard field goal | 6-3 |
| Steelers | Kordell Stewart 5 yard pass from Neil O'Donnell ( Norm Johnson kick) | 6-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Colts | Cary Blanchard 37 yard field goal | 9-10 |
| Steelers | Norm Johnson 36 yard field goal | 9-13 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Colts | Floyd Turner 47 yard pass from Jim Harbaugh ( Cary Blanchard kick) | 16-13 |
| Steelers | Bam Morris 1 yard rush ( Norm Johnson kick) | 16-20 |
| Colts | Steelers | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 16 | 21 |
| Total Yards | 328 | 285 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 21/34 | 25/41 |
| Pass yards | 267 | 205 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 3 | 1 |
| Sack yards lost | 22 | 0 |
| Net pass yards | 245 | 205 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 23 | 24 |
| Rush yards | 83 | 80 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties | 5 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 57 | 25 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IND | |||||
| Jim Harbaugh | 21/33 | 267 | 1 | 0 | |
| Lamont Warren | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| PIT | |||||
| Neil O'Donnell | 25/41 | 205 | 1 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IND | ||||
| Lamont Warren | 15 | 53 | 0 | 10 |
| Jim Harbaugh | 6 | 29 | 0 | 9 |
| Zack Crockett | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Ronald Humphrey | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| PIT | ||||
| Erric Pegram | 10 | 46 | 0 | 9 |
| Kordell Stewart | 4 | 12 | 0 | 5 |
| Bam Morris | 7 | 9 | 1 | 4 |
| John Williams | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Ernie Mills | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Neil O'Donnell | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IND | ||||
| Sean Dawkins | 7 | 96 | 0 | 30 |
| Floyd Turner | 2 | 55 | 1 | 47 |
| Lamont Warren | 7 | 37 | 0 | 7 |
| Ken Dilger | 1 | 30 | 0 | 30 |
| Zack Crockett | 2 | 22 | 0 | 12 |
| Brian Stablein | 1 | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| Aaron Bailey | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| PIT | ||||
| Yancey Thigpen | 6 | 65 | 0 | 14 |
| Ernie Mills | 3 | 52 | 0 | 37 |
| John Williams | 4 | 21 | 0 | 7 |
| Andre Hastings | 3 | 21 | 0 | 9 |
| Kordell Stewart | 2 | 18 | 1 | 13 |
| Bam Morris | 4 | 11 | 0 | 6 |
| Corey Holliday | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Mark Bruener | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Erric Pegram | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Pittsburgh Steelers defeated Indianapolis Colts 20-16 at Three Rivers Stadium in the AFC Championship. The final scoring play was Steelers: Bam Morris 1 yard rush ( Norm Johnson kick). Top line of the day: Jim Harbaugh: 267 pass yards on 21-of-33, 1 TD, 0 INT. Pittsburgh Steelers advance to the Super Bowl.
Pittsburgh Steelers walked out of Three Rivers Stadium as the team that survived an AFC Championship Indianapolis Colts will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 20-16. 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: Bam Morris 1 yard rush ( Norm Johnson 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 are bound for the Super Bowl.
Pittsburgh Steelers 20, Indianapolis Colts 16. Round: AFC Championship. Attendance: 61062. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 2 scoring plays. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Q4: 2 scoring plays. Top performers: - Jim Harbaugh: 267 pass yards on 21-of-33, 1 TD, 0 INT - Lamont Warren: 53 rush yards on 15 carries - Sean Dawkins: 7 catches for 96 yards
AFC Championship, played at Three Rivers Stadium. Final: Indianapolis Colts 16, Pittsburgh Steelers 20, with Pittsburgh Steelers taking the result by 4. **First quarter**
- Colts: Cary Blanchard 34 yard field goal - Steelers: Norm Johnson 31 yard field goal
**Second quarter**
- Colts: Cary Blanchard 36 yard field goal - Steelers: Kordell Stewart 5 yard pass from Neil O'Donnell ( Norm Johnson kick)
**Third quarter**
- Colts: Cary Blanchard 37 yard field goal - Steelers: Norm Johnson 36 yard field goal
**Fourth quarter**
- Colts: Floyd Turner 47 yard pass from Jim Harbaugh ( Cary Blanchard kick) - Steelers: Bam Morris 1 yard rush ( Norm Johnson kick)
**Top performers**
- Jim Harbaugh: 267 pass yards on 21-of-33, 1 TD, 0 INT - Lamont Warren: 53 rush yards on 15 carries - Sean Dawkins: 7 catches for 96 yards