Conference Championships: San Diego Chargers travel to face Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff: Sun January 15, 1995 at 12:30pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.[1][2]
San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers in the Conference Championships, 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 San Diego Chargers, 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.
San Diego Chargers 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.
San Diego Chargers versus Pittsburgh Steelers in the Conference Championships. 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 San Diego Chargers-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 | 12-4 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 11-5 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-13 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 2-14 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 10-6 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 10-6 | W7 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 8-8 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-9 | L3 |
| New York Jets | 6-10 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 11-5 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9-7 | W2 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 9-7 | L1 |
| Denver Broncos | 7-9 | L3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 13-3 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-9 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7-9 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4-12 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 10-6 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 9-7 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 9-7 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 9-7 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-10 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 12-4 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 9-7 | W6 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 8-8 | -- |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7-9 | L7 |
| Washington Redskins | 3-13 | W1 |
San Diego Chargers None, Pittsburgh Steelers None
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 03101717 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 710131313 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | John Williams 16 yard pass from Neil O'Donnell ( Gary Anderson kick) | 0-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chargers | John Carney 20 yard field goal | 3-7 |
| Steelers | Gary Anderson 39 yard field goal | 3-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | Gary Anderson 23 yard field goal | 3-13 |
| Chargers | Alfred Pupunu 43 yard pass from Stan Humphries ( John Carney kick) | 10-13 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chargers | Tony Martin 43 yard pass from Stan Humphries ( John Carney kick) | 17-13 |
San Diego Chargers defeated Pittsburgh Steelers 17-13 at Three Rivers Stadium in the Conference Championships. The final scoring play was Chargers: Tony Martin 43 yard pass from Stan Humphries ( John Carney kick). Top line of the day: Neil O'Donnell: 349 pass yards on 32-of-54, 1 TD, 0 INT. San Diego Chargers advance to the Super Bowl.[1][2]
San Diego Chargers walked out of Three Rivers Stadium as the team that survived a Conference Championships Pittsburgh Steelers will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 17-13. 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 Chargers: Tony Martin 43 yard pass from Stan Humphries ( John Carney kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. San Diego Chargers are bound for the Super Bowl.
San Diego Chargers 17, Pittsburgh Steelers 13. Round: Conference Championships. Attendance: 61545. Q1: 1 scoring play. Q2: 2 scoring plays. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Q4: 1 scoring play. Top performers:
- Neil O'Donnell: 349 pass yards on 32-of-54, 1 TD, 0 INT
- Natrone Means: 69 rush yards on 20 carries
- Ernie Mills: 8 catches for 106 yards
Conference Championships, played at Three Rivers Stadium. Final: San Diego Chargers 17, Pittsburgh Steelers 13, with San Diego Chargers taking the result by 4. **First quarter**
- Steelers: John Williams 16 yard pass from Neil O'Donnell ( Gary Anderson kick)
Second quarter
- Chargers: John Carney 20 yard field goal
- Steelers: Gary Anderson 39 yard field goal
Third quarter
- Steelers: Gary Anderson 23 yard field goal
- Chargers: Alfred Pupunu 43 yard pass from Stan Humphries ( John Carney kick)
Fourth quarter
- Chargers: Tony Martin 43 yard pass from Stan Humphries ( John Carney kick)
Top performers
- Neil O'Donnell: 349 pass yards on 32-of-54, 1 TD, 0 INT
- Natrone Means: 69 rush yards on 20 carries
- Ernie Mills: 8 catches for 106 yards
| Chargers | Steelers | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 13 | 22 |
| Total Yards | 226 | 415 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 11/22 | 32/54 |
| Pass yards | 165 | 349 |
| Pass TD | 2 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 1 | 0 |
| Sack yards lost | 5 | 0 |
| Net pass yards | 160 | 349 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 24 | 26 |
| Rush yards | 66 | 66 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 0 | 3 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties | 3 | 8 |
| Penalty yards | 15 | 111 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDG | |||||
| Stan Humphries | 11/22 | 165 | 2 | 1 | |
| PIT | |||||
| Neil O'Donnell | 32/54 | 349 | 1 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDG | ||||
| Natrone Means | 20 | 69 | 0 | 17 |
| Stan Humphries | 4 | -3 | 0 | 0 |
| PIT | ||||
| Barry Foster | 20 | 47 | 0 | 11 |
| John Williams | 3 | 16 | 0 | 11 |
| Bam Morris | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Neil O'Donnell | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDG | ||||
| Alfred Pupunu | 4 | 76 | 1 | 43 |
| Tony Martin | 1 | 43 | 1 | 43 |
| Natrone Means | 2 | 19 | 0 | 15 |
| Shannon Mitchell | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| Shawn Jefferson | 2 | 16 | 0 | 11 |
| Ronnie Harmon | 1 | -8 | 0 | -8 |
| PIT | ||||
| Ernie Mills | 8 | 106 | 0 | 19 |
| Eric Green | 4 | 80 | 0 | 33 |
| Andre Hastings | 5 | 55 | 0 | 18 |
| John Williams | 7 | 45 | 1 | 16 |
| Yancey Thigpen | 3 | 35 | 0 | 21 |
| Jonathan Hayes | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Barry Foster | 3 | 12 | 0 | 6 |
| Bam Morris | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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