The Conference Championships matchup pairs the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Miami Dolphins on 1985-01-06 at Orange Bowl. The conference bracket's postseason slate includes this matchup as one of the calendar's most-anticipated games.
The starting quarterbacks, the lead-back rotations, and the receiver rooms project the kind of game-script the wire copy has been writing into.[1][2]
The Conference Championships game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins is the kind of postseason matchup where the conference's projected leaders carry their regular-season pacing into the bracket. The week of preparation produced the kind of game-plan continuity both staffs have been pointing toward.
The Sunday's biggest unknown is the front rotation against the home team's offensive line. The bracket continues for the winner.
Around the conference the Conference Championships bracket produces the kind of matchups the wire copy has been writing into across the postseason slate. The Pittsburgh Steelers versus Miami Dolphins game is one of the calendar's most-anticipated postseason windows.
The opposite-conference bracket carries through to its own conference matchup. Around the conference the slate continues to clarify the playoff seeding picture across the closing weeks.
Across the regular season both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins tracked the kind of pace that anchored their conference seeding into the Conference Championships. The starting quarterbacks' passing lines came through. The lead backs' rushing workloads were the staffs' projected calls. Vegas opens the lines accordingly. A figure to follow: the front rotations' pass-rush production.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-7 | W2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8-8 | W4 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5-11 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 3-13 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 14-2 | W2 |
| New England Patriots | 9-7 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 7-9 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 4-12 | L5 |
| Buffalo Bills | 2-14 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 13-3 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 12-4 | L2 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 11-5 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8-8 | W3 |
| San Diego Chargers | 7-9 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 15-1 | W9 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 10-6 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7-9 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4-12 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 10-6 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8-8 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-10 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-11-1 | L3 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 3-13 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 11-5 | W4 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 9-7 | L2 |
| New York Giants | 9-7 | L2 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 9-7 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6-9-1 | L1 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | Mark Clayton 40 yard pass from Dan Marino (Uwe von Schamann kick) | 0-7 |
| Steelers | Rich Erenberg 7 yard rush (Gary Anderson kick) | 7-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | Uwe von Schamann 26 yard field goal | 7-10 |
| Steelers | John Stallworth 65 yard pass from Mark Malone (Gary Anderson kick) | 14-10 |
| Dolphins | Mark Duper 41 yard pass from Dan Marino (Uwe von Schamann kick) | 14-17 |
| Dolphins | Tony Nathan 2 yard rush (Uwe von Schamann kick) | 14-24 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | Mark Duper 36 yard pass from Dan Marino (Uwe von Schamann kick) | 14-31 |
| Steelers | John Stallworth 19 yard pass from Mark Malone (Gary Anderson kick) | 21-31 |
| Dolphins | Woody Bennett 1 yard rush (Uwe von Schamann kick) | 21-38 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | Nat Moore 6 yard pass from Dan Marino (Uwe von Schamann kick) | 21-45 |
| Steelers | Wayne Capers 29 yard pass from Mark Malone (Gary Anderson kick) | 28-45 |
The Miami Dolphins won the Conference Championships game on 1985-01-06 against the Pittsburgh Steelers 0-0. . . . For the other side Mark Malone went 20 of 36 for 312 yards with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Walter Abercrombie ran for 68 on 15 carries. The 49ers stay on track for the divisional standings expected coming into the calendar's back half.[1][2]
The Miami Dolphins took the Conference Championships game over the Pittsburgh Steelers on 1985-01-06. . . .
The afternoon's outcome maps to the kind of postseason game-script both staffs have been projecting since the regular season closed. The offensive line's pocket time on the dropbacks produced the kind of pass-protection the winning playbook called. The defensive unit's pressure produced the kind of takeaway that defined the closing two quarters. The Conference Championships's afternoon ends with the projected outcome.
The week of preparation produced the kind of game-plan continuity the wire copy has been writing into. The closing-drive coverage was the kind of stop the winning unit has been generating.
Miami Dolphins 0, Pittsburgh Steelers 0. The Conference Championships's box score reads: . . . On the other side: Mark Malone went 20 of 36 for 312 yards with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Walter Abercrombie ran for 68 on 15 carries.
The Miami Dolphins's Conference Championships game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on 1985-01-06 ended with the kind of game-script the wire copy has been writing into. The conference bracket continues to shape across the calendar's projected postseason pacing.
How it unfolded
. . . The Sunday's offensive output produced the kind of full-sixty pace both playbooks have been working through across the bye-week preparation. On the defensive side Mark Malone went 20 of 36 for 312 yards with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, and Walter Abercrombie ran for 68 on 15 carries.
The turning point
The in-game adjustment that, in postseason play, decided the closing two quarters. The winning front's pressure on the third-down dropbacks produced the kind of pass-rush volume the unit has been generating across the calendar's back half.
By the numbers
. The lead-back rotation: . Receiver room: .
Personnel watch
The rotation produced the kind of full-sixty effort both staffs have been projecting. The offensive line's pocket time was the kind that, in postseason play, anchors the bye-week preparation. The receiver room's distribution carried the offensive production.
What it means
The Conference Championships's outcome maps to the projected postseason pacing. The next-round bracket continues. The film room note is the in-game adjustment that decided the closing two quarters.
| Steelers | Dolphins | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 22 | 28 |
| Total Yards | 455 | 569 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 20/36 | 22/33 |
| Pass yards | 312 | 435 |
| Pass TD | 3 | 4 |
| Interceptions | 3 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 0 | 0 |
| Sack yards lost | 0 | 0 |
| Net pass yards | 312 | 435 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 32 | 38 |
| Rush yards | 143 | 134 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 2 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 3 | 3 |
| Penalty yards | 30 | 25 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | |||||
| Mark Malone | 20/36 | 312 | 3 | 3 | 77.5 |
| MIA | |||||
| Dan Marino | 21/32 | 421 | 4 | 1 | 135.4 |
| Tony Nathan | 1/1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 118.7 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | ||||
| Walter Abercrombie | 15 | 68 | 0 | 20 |
| Frank Pollard | 11 | 48 | 0 | 9 |
| Rich Erenberg | 6 | 27 | 1 | 7 |
| MIA | ||||
| Tony Nathan | 19 | 64 | 1 | 16 |
| Pete Johnson | 10 | 39 | 0 | 12 |
| Woody Bennett | 8 | 33 | 1 | 17 |
| Don Strock | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | ||||
| John Stallworth | 4 | 111 | 2 | 65 |
| Rich Erenberg | 5 | 59 | 0 | 24 |
| Louis Lipps | 3 | 45 | 0 | 33 |
| Calvin Sweeney | 3 | 42 | 0 | 20 |
| Wayne Capers | 1 | 29 | 1 | 29 |
| Walter Abercrombie | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Frank Pollard | 3 | 13 | 0 | 7 |
| MIA | ||||
| Mark Duper | 5 | 148 | 2 | 41 |
| Tony Nathan | 8 | 114 | 0 | 30 |
| Mark Clayton | 4 | 95 | 1 | 40 |
| Nat Moore | 2 | 34 | 1 | 28 |
| Joe Rose | 1 | 28 | 0 | 28 |
| Bruce Hardy | 2 | 16 | 0 | 14 |
Find or start the canonical thread for this game on r/49ers. The thread title is deterministic so anyone running this Rewatch lands on the same place.
Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1984 Conference Championships - Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins - Game Thread
