Conference Championships: Denver Broncos travel to face Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff: Sun January 11, 1998 at 12:30pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.[1][2]
Denver Broncos 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 Denver Broncos, 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.
Denver Broncos 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.
Denver Broncos 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 Denver Broncos-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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 11-5 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-5 | L1 |
| Tennessee Oilers | 8-8 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7-9 | W3 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 6-9-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 10-6 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 9-7 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 9-7 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6-10 | L3 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3-13 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 13-3 | W6 |
| Denver Broncos | 12-4 | W1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 8-8 | W2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 4-12 | L5 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-12 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 13-3 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-9 | L1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7-9 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 6-10 | L1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 13-3 | W5 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 10-6 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 9-7 | W2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9-7 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 4-12 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 10-5-1 | W3 |
| Washington Redskins | 8-7-1 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6-9-1 | L3 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6-10 | L5 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4-12 | -- |
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 7 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 724242424 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 714142121 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Broncos | Terrell Davis 8 yard rush ( Jason Elam kick) | 7-0 |
| Steelers | Kordell Stewart 33 yard rush ( Norm Johnson kick) | 7-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | Jerome Bettis 1 yard rush ( Norm Johnson kick) | 7-14 |
| Broncos | Jason Elam 43 yard field goal | 10-14 |
| Broncos | Howard Griffith 16 yard pass from John Elway ( Jason Elam kick) | 17-14 |
| Broncos | Ed McCaffrey 1 yard pass from John Elway ( Jason Elam kick) | 24-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | Charles Johnson 15 yard pass from Kordell Stewart ( Norm Johnson kick) | 24-21 |
Denver Broncos defeated Pittsburgh Steelers 24-21 at Three Rivers Stadium in the Conference Championships. The final scoring play was Steelers: Charles Johnson 15 yard pass from Kordell Stewart ( Norm Johnson kick). The result came down to the final possession; Denver Broncos won by 3. Top line of the day: John Elway: 210 pass yards on 18-of-31, 2 TD, 1 INT. Denver Broncos advance to the Super Bowl.[1][2]
Denver Broncos 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 24-21. The game stayed within 3 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Steelers: Charles Johnson 15 yard pass from Kordell Stewart ( 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. Denver Broncos are bound for the Super Bowl.
Denver Broncos 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 21. Round: Conference Championships. Attendance: 61382. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 4 scoring plays. Q4: 1 scoring play. Top performers:
- John Elway: 210 pass yards on 18-of-31, 2 TD, 1 INT
- Terrell Davis: 139 rush yards on 26 carries
- Yancey Thigpen: 6 catches for 92 yards
Conference Championships, played at Three Rivers Stadium. Final: Denver Broncos 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 21, with Denver Broncos taking the result by 3. **First quarter**
- Broncos: Terrell Davis 8 yard rush ( Jason Elam kick)
- Steelers: Kordell Stewart 33 yard rush ( Norm Johnson kick)
Second quarter
- Steelers: Jerome Bettis 1 yard rush ( Norm Johnson kick)
- Broncos: Jason Elam 43 yard field goal
- Broncos: Howard Griffith 16 yard pass from John Elway ( Jason Elam kick)
- Broncos: Ed McCaffrey 1 yard pass from John Elway ( Jason Elam kick)
Fourth quarter
- Steelers: Charles Johnson 15 yard pass from Kordell Stewart ( Norm Johnson kick)
Top performers
- John Elway: 210 pass yards on 18-of-31, 2 TD, 1 INT
- Terrell Davis: 139 rush yards on 26 carries
- Yancey Thigpen: 6 catches for 92 yards
A 3-point margin in Conference Championships is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.
| Broncos | Steelers | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 23 | 23 |
| Total Yards | 345 | 354 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 18/31 | 18/36 |
| Pass yards | 210 | 201 |
| Pass TD | 2 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 3 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 3 |
| Sack yards lost | 15 | 8 |
| Net pass yards | 195 | 193 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 30 | 27 |
| Rush yards | 150 | 161 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 2 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 4 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 21 | 71 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | |||||
| John Elway | 18/31 | 210 | 2 | 1 | |
| PIT | |||||
| Kordell Stewart | 18/36 | 201 | 1 | 3 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | ||||
| Terrell Davis | 26 | 139 | 1 | 43 |
| John Elway | 2 | 9 | 0 | 10 |
| Vaughn Hebron | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| PIT | ||||
| Jerome Bettis | 23 | 105 | 1 | 16 |
| Kordell Stewart | 3 | 44 | 1 | 33 |
| Fred McAfee | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | ||||
| Rod Smith | 6 | 87 | 0 | 20 |
| Shannon Sharpe | 3 | 49 | 0 | 18 |
| Ed McCaffrey | 5 | 37 | 1 | 11 |
| Howard Griffith | 2 | 26 | 1 | 15 |
| Vaughn Hebron | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Terrell Davis | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| PIT | ||||
| Yancey Thigpen | 6 | 92 | 0 | 27 |
| Charles Johnson | 3 | 34 | 1 | 14 |
| Courtney Hawkins | 4 | 30 | 0 | 9 |
| Will Blackwell | 2 | 19 | 0 | 16 |
| Mark Bruener | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Tim Lester | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Jerome Bettis | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
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