1976 AFC Playoffs, Steelers at Colts, 12/19/76

This long-missing classic was made possible by tm101956, who unfortunately had his KZbin page deleted recently. This game is a truly amazing look at the most talent-laden team in NFL history at the absolute peak of their game. There has never been a better defense; don't even bother debating it. And in my opinion, this '76 team, when healthy, was the greatest football team ever assembled in terms of talent -- offense, defense, special teams -- and this game shows them at their pinnacle.
Visit our website at www.mcmillenandwife.com for more classic games, and be sure to check out our dub of the TV broadcast synced with the entertaining WCBM radio broadcast of Chuck Thompson, Vince Bagli and the one-of-a-kind Art Donovan, including the plane crash in the stadium after the game: • 1976 Playoffs Steelers...

[@starshiptrooper7670]

My Beloved Baltimore Colts. Mike 'Mad Dog' Curtis, Bubba Smith, Johnny U and others are gone but never forgotten...

[@MichaelSIngle-gn9qz]

I like how the players make a tackle and then jsut go back to the huddle. No flexing, no dancing, no celebrating. I wish the league would get back to this.

[@simonheadington5895]

I know, now every play is celebrated like winning the Super Bowl.

[@Maal7432]

Sounds boring as hell.

[@therose8521]

Thanks so much for your comment, I too wish they would go back to the old days. I'm so glad baseball players still have style. Show me your class not your a_ _.

[@devares2006]

In short, act like you been here before.

[@edscottable]

Damn Mark Gastineau

[@alfjgist]

Growing up, I always remembered the opening credits to games and pregame shows. The best were NBC, The NFL Today, and Monday Night Football. That’s what made me a football fan when I was little. The game has changed so much in those years.

[@kentkearney6623]

Snoopy Dolly Madison, the spinning SpEcIAL. WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS. The agony of defeat.

[@geraldwilson681]

Watching this brings back so many memories of yesteryear. My beloved Steelers were the king of the NFL in this era!! I will the rest of my life never forget growing up in this great time of the 70s when football was played by Ironmen like here!!💪

[@ms.felonystrutter2472]

As a lifer Cowboys fan this is omg REAL FOOTBALL. Bert Jones was sooo great, very underrated.

[@shrapnel77]

Hurt all the time. This was his best season.

[@ms.felonystrutter2472]

@@shrapnel77 Wrong, not hurt all the time...Dak has missed more time.

[@shrapnel77]

@@ms.felonystrutter2472 Missed the entire 1978 season, played 4 out of 16 in 79', had two decent seasons, then his last season, played 4 out of 16 games. Out of the league at 31 years old. Great QB, but just oo injury riddled. I am not even sure why you are bringing up Dak Prescott, but he has missed way less time in his career than Jones. Out of a possible 114 games, Dak has played in 97. Not great, but FAR lass than Jones.

[@ms.felonystrutter2472]

@@shrapnel77 I didn't bring Dak up at all. Also playing with that Colts offensive and are relying on those wide receivers to get open would get most QB's killed.

[@Condorman12]

@@ms.felonystrutter2472 read your own message. You DID mention Dak.

[@jon8062]

Dec 19 and already in the playoffs. The way it should be. Not playing until mid February 😁

[@jon8062]

That's exactly what I was thinking. Super Bowl will be in March in 5 years.

[@Biggdoom344]

SB was in Mid January and started early enough it was over by dinner time. The first late SB was #12.

[@CaptainOracle786]

i always loved the nbc opening back then the music and images; so perfect for football ...and so classic now; and i was such a steelers fan as a kid and was so proud of this team after starting 1-4 and losing bradshaw to injury winning 9 straight with the greatest defense of all time i was crushed when franco and rocky were injured and could not play vs the raiders for the afc championship...i KNEW they stood no chance without them; but i will always remember how great this team was without winning the superbowl

[@jaygreider4753]

I was at that game!!!!! A Steeler in the den of the Colts. This is when football was football.

[@kentkearney6623]

Did you buy the PRO official program ?

[@CaptainOracle786]

you were lucky to see the greatest team ever with the best most perfect defense anyones ever seen played

[@david320]

My father took us on a bus trip from Trenton, NJ to this game when I was 12 and my brother was 10. After the game we went a local restaurant buffet and we saw the plane crash into the upper deck. I can’t believe I found this game on KZbin !

[@billsav57]

A few years after this, I wrote to several national sportscasters for help with a senior paper for college. Some sent form letters but two sent personal responses ... Keith Jackson and Jim Simpson.

[@paulfeldner7893]

Real Football. Real Hitting. Real Men.

[@robertkroberjr.157]

@Paul Feldner And respect for our Flag! 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

[@steveyoung4584]

Except for the CTE and other conditions. Some of those old players were really messed up later in life but, I agree about the great memories.

[@dallasbrubaker6054]

Yep....and if you think that they're not real men today then you need glasses.

[@mrtnt3462]

REAL STUPID!!

[@heavenlydays2838]

Dusty dried out winter fields. Miss it!

[@scottgood7888]

What great memories! I can't help but notice how much players got away with back then, from yelling in ref's faces to late hits out of bounds to piling on the QBs. I love it! The way football used to be and should be!

[@mcmillenandwife]

Yeah, they certainly called it differently in those days. Not quite like hockey where they let them duke it out, but there was a lot of piling on and "rough stuff" that would never fly today.

[@patrickallan481]

"Late hits out of bounds." Sigh. Sincerely, The Cincinnati Bengals, 2022-3.

[@mcmillenandwife]

@@patrickallan481 😂

[@MichaelMurphy-kj3xf]

And the game wasn't delayed by 10 minute challenges and reviews

[@Arturo-sm1tb]

@@MichaelMurphy-kj3xf Replays have helped the NFL though, more fair outcomes today. There was some bad ref calls that screwed over teams in the old days

[@quincee3376]

Thx! I love old football games, especially playoff games.

[@moemoney1785]

I'm obsessed with watching these old football games without knowing who won.

[@123slasher.16]

Two things I remember about this game 1-that plane crashing into the stands. 2-Pittsburgh dominating but losing Franco and Rocky Bleier to injury, along with Roy Gerela and being weakened going into the AFC title game against Oakland

[@lincolnmaceachern2410]

I never saw this game ( didn't know about the plane ), but I know the history. This defense was historic; when Terry was injured in 1976, it absolutely shut down their opponents. Going against Oakland without Franco and Rocky made a threepeat and 5 out o6 titles impossible.

[@123slasher.16]

@@lincolnmaceachern2410 Pittsburgh won 40-14, complete domination. Yeah a small plane crashed into the stands if I recall just as the game ended. In fact, years later I covered a Baltimore (CFL game) Colts versus a Doug Flutie team at Memorial Stadium and asked a reporter from there about it and he pointed to the area where the plane actually landed. I was told that what saved fans from being killed was that Baltimore fans left early since the Colts were getting slapped around and why that part of the upper deck was empty.

[@rayley1]

I also remember a young Bert Jones arrogance and cockiness !

[@funtyes1970]

sound like excuses to me all teams have injury's and know how to over come them .

[@123slasher.16]

@@funtyes1970 dumb comment. Both Harris and Bleier were 1000 yards rushers in 1976, back in a 14 game schedule . Pittsburgh was a running team and without them, they became one dimensional because Terry Bradshaw was either going to throw a bomb or throws INTs because he was not a accurate passer . They also played without their FG kicker . These were 3 key players to their offense . You must be under 30?

[@kbrewski1]

I always was amused by Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. I don't ever remember a football game there where the grass was green and lush. It was always brown, worn and often dusty even much earlier in the year. But, there was always something special about the Colts in Baltimore that the Colts in Indy will never have. I guess as a kid growing up watching Unitas marching down that worn yellow brown field is what did it (and I'm not a Colts fan).

[@MaximusWolfe]

Correct. The Indy Colts never had the kind of close relationship with the city that Baltimore players had. That was a love affair that deeply wounded Marylanders when it ended so surreptitiously.

[@jackprecip5389]

Heck, watch some game tape of the 1979 World Series played in Memorial, and even then there were large patches of dead grass. The field must of been grown on top of a toxic waste dump or something.

[@OaksArmorial]

The toxic waste dump is called Baltimore.

[@russs7574]

Yeah, but did Baltimore ever have a "mud bowl" game where a punt actually stuck in the turf where it landed? In it's own way the field at the "Stadium Formerly Known as Heinz Field" sucks just as badly.

[@danconroy8293]

All Baltimore had to do is give Irsay a new stadium and Colts would still be there.

[@DGamer76]

Now this is football. None of that dancing goofy stuff. Nothing but hard hitting football.

[@will.a.benjamin]

Exactly, I stopped watching football years ago because of all the stupid showboating.

[@dawoool]

@@will.a.benjamin I stopped for that and other reasons.

[@JohnQuincyPublicShow]

Unless you count the ref

[@MikeAndersonvinyloldies]

@@will.a.benjamini guarantee you havent stopped watching football. If you did, you’re a moron.

[@will.a.benjamin]

@@MikeAndersonvinyloldies I honestly haven't watched a live NFL game in about 3 years...is that clear enough for you? Douchebag.

[@blackspider9561]

The Steelers were a dominant force in the 70's

[@raygu1818]

I loved it back when NBC televised AFC football. My favorite broadcaster was Dick Enberg. His legendary Oh My after a great play still rings in my ear.

[@mcmillenandwife]

Agreed, Enberg and Olsen were my favorite booth team ever.

[@indy_go_blue6048]

I did too. I still liked CBS coverage but Fox has always sucked especially with its main announcer Joe Sux. (His dad was great, that's what got him the job.)

[@markhall6306]

@indy_go_blue60 John Madden and Pat Summerall were great Joe Buck and Aikman are garbage 🗑

[@davidkopec9442]

Dick Enberg and Merlin were awesome. Madden And Summerall were even better.

[@tommyparkerparker]

Enberg was great oh my.

[@bayknight20]

This announcer is really on the ball also.

[@jaycompany4886]

I remember when it snowed, we'd go outside and play some tackle football...man those yrs were great....right after watching the Steelers, raiders or the vikings....cowboys too play.

[@ralphgreenjr.2466]

Compare the level of violence at this time and today. Today's players would have a hard time in this time. What hits on every play! Franco gets hit, goes off the field, gets smelling salts, and is back in the game.

[@kentkearney6623]

Just a concussion. Get in there Franco......

[@brianbarefoot6574]

Jack Lambert said about quarterbacks: "Put skirts on them".........and they did.

[@dallasbrubaker6054]

And backtrack 25 years from this era and you can say that too

[@SuperRowdyone]

This was the game where the dude lost control of his Cessna and crashed into the upper deck... luckily the game had ended...Colts got smoked..luckily no casualties!!

[@earlrudis2034]

I was there! Lucky it was a blow-out, most folks in the upper deck had left early in the 4th

[@jetjack74]

Which is why there became more enforced temporary flight restrictions over games becuase of this.

[@jaygreider4753]

@@jetjack74 I was a Steeler fan to watch the destruction of the Colts during that game. Fortunately, most Colts fans had left by the time the Cessna crashed. I was sitting in the end zone.

[@Lewis9700]

As a young Colts fan, this was one of the saddest days of my youth

[@mcmillenandwife]

Understandable. That was an excellent Colts team. Seriously great offense, best year of Bert Jones' career.

[@Lewis9700]

@@mcmillenandwife And then 2 years later Bert Jones was injured by a Bubba Baker cheap shot, the team turned to crap, and Bert was never the same.

[@johnraven7445]

Yes, just an unlucky draw to have to see Steelers in the Divisional Round. As I recall, the Raiders got to face Steelers in the AFC Championship Game without Franco nor Rocky B at RB. Game over, ‘76 Raiders will win that game 11 times out of 10. Colts likely could have at least gotten to face Oakland and possibly further that year. Jones was a gamer - tough guy as was Lydell Mitchell, Bruce Laird and of course Stan White. Too bad the Colts moved out of Baltimore - I’m still sad about that.

[@Lewis9700]

The Colts really f**ked up by not drafting Walter Payton in '75. I was never impressed w/Mitchell. Not a very good RB, IMHO. The Steelers still probably would've won, but if the Colts had sweetness, the game might've been more competitive.

[@OaksArmorial]

@@johnraven7445 I saw Stan White at Pastore’s while I was passing through not too long ago. It was a nice little Baltimore occurrence.

[@russs7574]

What struck me immediately was how small a lot of these players look, especially on defense. You knew it was going to be the Steelers' day when Frank Lewis actually held onto that scoring pass from Bradshaw. Lewis lightning speed and granite hands.

[@michmcginnity9452]

The Colts had a great regular season team in 1976, but were clearly out coached by the Pittsburgh staff. They weren't ready for the Steeler offense.

[@funtyes1970]

yeah to bad steelers got there ass kick next game by raiders

[@debrachampagne7715]

COLTS > steelers

[@hankfederico7299]

Jim Simpson wow. I'd forgoten that he did the nfl. I remember him doing the usfl on espn. Way better than what we have now.

[@hankkonstanty7138]

At 15:40, they show Lydell Mitchell holding the Colt season rushing record of 1200... Current record holder is Jonathan Taylor, who went to the same high school as Mitchell, Salem High in South Jersey.

[@mikeplummer5681]

Every time you watch a Steelers game from the ‘70’s, you can count on Gerela shanking an extra point or hooking a chip shot field goal. He wouldn’t make it as a Div I kicker nowadays 😂

[@michael.prescott4016]

the cowboys kicker, Herrea was awful in 77.

[@tomodonovan5931]

He was damn lucky the Steelers could put the ball into the end zone! Any other team, he would have been in the soup line for sure! You and I could have kicked for the Steelers back then, and got away with missing field goals, and PATS'

[@d0nKsTaH]

The ONLY good they got out of ole Roy... was his nasty kickoffs. Teams hated fielding them. They often fumbled them (like the first kickoff in this video)... But yeah his FG and XP tries were horrid

[@tomodonovan5931]

@@d0nKsTaH Didn't Randy White fumble that one shanked kickoff in the Super Bowl? Pittsburgh scored 2 TDs' in less then 20 seconds. Cowboy fans were peeved about that flag when Swann was tripped by I think Barnes, and the Steelers got the ball deep in Dallas territory. Those two plays were probably the biggest reason the Steelers won that game. The dropped pass in the end zone did not help the Cowboys one bit, so there is always good plays, and bad plays that can decide a football game.

[@haroldmccoy6748]

@@tomodonovan5931 The Swann Barnes incident didn't provide Pittsburgh with a first and goal and the Smith TD drop if caught only ties the game .Neither moment determined the games eventual outcome ,teams have recovered from having opposing teams offenses having superb field position via reason of turnover ,1976 raiders forcing turnover at their one TD line after Vikings blocked a Ray Guy punt ,or questionable call against them , 1974 Steelers forcing a fumble on 1 yd line after Vikings got pass interference call on Mike Wagner . A unfortunate incident dosent mandate the defense surrenders a TD . Steelers were simply the superior team . Plus Pittsburgh had a little SB history flavor in their favor for SB 13 cowboys rematch .Every team who had defeated that same opponent in a previous SB matchup ,always won the rematch if the second contest was within a 8 year time frame , examples cowboys Steelers 75,78, Bengals 49ers 81,88, Bills ,Cowboys 92,93, Patriots ,Giants 2007,2011 , and typically both contest were in the same fashion as the original . Too many times for ut to be merely coincidentally .

[@reesepacker7983]

wow thks for this upload ...i so appreciate folks who upload these games i was too young to have watched being only six yrs old in 76 ..but i do recall the ambience and sounds of these retro games(mostly as background mostly images and noise in the living room ) as my kid watched pretty regularly ....the presentation was so "bare bones" and toned down corporate compared even to the early 80s games i i started watching around 12 and 13

[@mcmillenandwife]

Reese, if you haven’t seen it, be sure to check out our site: www.mcmillenandwife.com/steelers_mp4.html

[@derkardinal9781]

Bert Jones always seemed to throw the ball with a near perfect spiral.

[@ronhoover5516]

He was a very underrated QB.

[@JDrumUK]

Thanks for sharing. Tremendous quality for something from 1976!

[@erichammer2751]

It's kind of interesting that Terry requested that the WRs send in the plays as they had been doing for Krukzak, and had one of the most dominant games of his career. He must have felt rusty, because he could kill you calling his own plays also.

[@georgeliakaris53]

On the first TD /Bradshaw 65 yards with flick of his wrist wow

[@brianstupar7433]

I remember thinking the same thing! How the hell did the ball travel that far when he didn't even seem to put energy into the throw? Bradshaw had one of the most economical throwing motions in NFL history. He could generate power just bringing the ball from his hip and behind his ear before releasing it.

[@troybarnette8002]

Mike Kruzeck was QB at BC along with my brother who was his Fullback! 1972-75. Ah, memories!

[@kentkearney6623]

Cheers

[@watsonwanderer8306]

I played freshmen high school football the same fall that this game was played. I loved that Baltimore Colts team. Lydell Mitchell was one hell of running back; Bert Jones was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL--what a game--the hitting etc.

[@stanleygoss5922]

C-O-L-T-S! I absolutely love the Colts!

[@user-ys2wp4cr9g]

The right defensive end here for the Colts was traded to The Dallas Cowboys in 1979, and became their left defensive tackle next to Randy White (John Dutton).

[@kaminator515]

The picture for this video. Jack Lambert would probably get jailed for this tackle in todays NFL.

[@keithwolfe1204]

I was at this game. Woo Hoo go Steelers!!! As we were leaving, a single engine plane, crashed in the upper stands

[@jaygreider4753]

At the game too!!!!!!!! GO STEELERS!!! Cut me - I bleed Black and gold - since the 60's

[@wglide444]

Just saw this - commented on it beforehand - thanks

[@MrLeroythecat]

Like the theme song, brings me back to being a kid. This guys (players) were the top back in the day! Half the games were played on green cement.

[@kevinflynn7652]

I was at this game. The famous plane crash game.

[@dexterbernard2701]

I remember this game. This was the game that a plane crashed into the stadium after the game and I said afterwards, the man should've died. Immediately my mother smacked me and said that I should never wish anyone dead. Funny, how you can recall when you learned a valuable life lesson. We were on our way to perform our Christmas play at church. I had a busted lip.

[@MarloSoBalJr]

That idiot was careless. It was actually a good thing the Steelers did blow the Colts out cos the upper deck was cleared

[@edgarphuquett8176]

very excited to watch that awesome pittsburgh defense video quality is beyond belief great

[@mcmillenandwife]

Edgar Phuquett, be sure to check out our site. Tons of great quality Steelers games to watch. www.mcmillenandwife.com

[@radar0412]

I really bought into Jim Simpson's "The irresistible force vs the immovable object" buildup for Steelers vs Colts playoff game 1976. Physics were on the Steelers side that game. My team was Bert Jones and the Colts. I don't need to watch this whole game again Thank you very much! 😅

[@mcmillenandwife]

You might enjoy the version of this we dubbed with the Baltimore radio crew of Chuck Thompson, Vince Bagli and Art Donovan. I realize the game might be painful to watch, but listening to Art Donovan alone is worth the price of admission. Funny stuff! LOL kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWXMYYl7aZuAeMU

[@Arturo-sm1tb]

Every late season and playoff game in Baltimore was a Dust Fest, the grass died in November and the field was hard dirt by December. NFL films made a great video on this for the 1970 AFC Champ game.

[@BudIce05]

Colts got their asses handed to them by the Steelers this game. As a Colts Fan it was a devastating end to a great season

[@Biggdoom344]

As a Steelers fan I was surprised at how badly the colts got beat that game. They had a good team.

[@RK-cd7kg]

That ref on the first missed extra point putting on a show out there.

[@davee164]

This is football. The Jogger Football League IS NOT.

[@muffs55mercury61]

Yes, good old smashmouth.

[@MaximusWolfe]

Correct. Fuck the imposter NFL of 2023.

[@rogergriffith212]

Jim simpson was underated a nice announcer

[@JBM425]

I remember this game for Chuck Noll putting in Ray Mansfield to kick that final extra point. Noll broke character and was all smiles after the kick.

[@superbowltournament1692]

I remember watching this game as a kid. The TV was left on in our home, and after the game, the breaking news report of the small plane that crashed into the stadium. There is radio audio on youtube of the news coverage, but I've never found the breaking news video of the coverage of the plane crash.

[@wglide444]

Great game! I'm a Steeler fan 100%, but I admired Bert Jones and the Colts. We lost to a great Raider team the next week - no excuses - they were better that day. Also, if memory serves me, didn't a small plane crash into the upper deck seats after the game was over? Anybody remember?

[@mcmillenandwife]

Yeah, a plane crashed into the upper deck. If you go to our version of this game with the radio version dubbed in, they talk about the plane crash at the end: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWXMYYl7aZuAeMU

[@wglide444]

@@mcmillenandwife thanks

[@russs7574]

I wouldn't go that far, wglide. The Steelers would have been more competitive that day (the game wasn't even as close as the 24-7 score looked) had they been able to use their whole offense. Chuck Noll was so damn stubborn about getting both Franco and Rocky out of the game in the 2nd half of the Colts game, and got both of them injured to the extent that they couldn't play vs. Oakland. Plus, the Steelers had no kicker...Roy Gerela had gotten hurt as well, and center Ray Mansfield (who had done some kicking years earlier when he was a member of the Eagles) "handled" the kicking duties. Noll is especially guilty with Bleier. With the Steelers well in control of the Colts game, the moment that Franco got hurt, he should have had Bleier out of the game as well. But we all know how stubborn Noll was. All they had to hand the ball to that day was Reggie Harrison, not exactly a starting-caliber running back.

[@mcmillenandwife]

@@russs7574, Rocky got hurt immediately and never returned after Pittsburgh's opening drive. He was in the game for exactly 3 plays.

[@michaelconnor5378]

@@wglide444as a Raider fan, I have four things to say. A clip on Villapiono; Fuqua touched the ball; Harris caught the ball off the ground; and Swann jumped offsides

[@Jiltedin2007]

Pittsburgh won an incredible 9 in a row to get there! That Game would be #10.

[@giseleigoa4941]

Including 5 shutouts !

[@SingleTax]

Two of the four best teams in the AFC that season -- any of which would have easily beaten the Vikes in Super Bowl 11.

[@trevorlee7945]

as a Vikings fan of that 76/77 team I have to admit its most likely true

[@mickeylynch8982]

Vikes were 11-2-1 in 76 so this was their last really good team of the 70's. Let's remember that Vikes had the best record in NFC and handled the Rams. I think they could beat Balt, who was not a very physical team, evidenced by Pitt steamrolling them on both sides of the ball. Pitt and Oak would've crushed any other team that yr.

[@trevorlee7945]

@@mickeylynch8982 The Vikings beat the Stealers early in that season with Bob Lee subbing for Fran during the game .

[@mickeylynch8982]

@@trevorlee7945 saw that game recently. A Mon night game w' awful QB play. Vikes had bout 170yds and 4 TO's and still won cause Pitt had 6 as Bradshaw threw 4 Int.

[@tomcoleman6403]

Love the opening video montage, much different from the original from 1973.

[@brucep9729]

Good to hear Jim Simpson again

[@keithclark7266]

At the start of the 1976 season, 8 of the 10 AFL teams were beginning their 17th season. Miami was starting their 11th season, and Cincinnati their 9th

[@rayehill9578]

Old school, best EVER

[@CaptainOracle786]

awesome ain't it!

[@seand67]

I love these vintage broadcasts

[@NEPatriot]

Recorded off of Channel 11, WIIC-TV (now WPXI) Pittsburgh. How this was not for the AFC championship given all those stats, I'll never know. Then again, no flashy graphics, competent announcers and smash mouth balling...THAT'S OLD SCHOOL!

[@rpm324]

People forget how great the Steeler defense was and how good Jones was. Injuries killed his career.

[@Maal7432]

Ron Miles What? Who forgets how good their defense was? People talk about it all the time.

[@MaximusWolfe]

@@Maal7432 Yup. The steel curtain is synonymous with dominating defensive football yet somehow forgotten? Strange comment. He’s right about Bert Jones though.

[@ozzieray]

Bert Jones would not take care of himself,he would take on the defense by himself

[@Fernando-R]

If I could compare Bert Jones to a more recent qb, it would be John Elway. He was tough, gritty, and had an accurate cannon of an arm. The 75, 76, and 77 colts were very, very good teams. They ran into some legendary teams during that era which kept them out of the Super Bowl.

[@kennyhuskisson2684]

@@Fernando-R Agreed, Jones & Bradshaw both had cannons, both could throw the ball 100 yards👍✌️

[@edlawn5481]

70s NBC Theme was the best of the network NFL theme music.

[@brucep9729]

This was definitely the best Steelers team that didnt win the Superbowl. 5 shutouts and 3 pts given up in 2 other games! 6pts from shutting out half their games, can you imagine? Great team!

[@nyterpfan]

When Bradshaw connected with Frank Lewis on that opening drive TD I knew in my gut it was going to be a rough day for Baltimore.

[@vancedurbin1132]

He wasn't Lynn Swann or John Stallworth!

[@therose8521]

My love for the Pittsburgh Steelers almost cost me my salvation. This team was a spiritual idol of mines for 37 years.

[@SillyGoose2024]

Wut

[@SGtem]

@@SillyGoose2024 they are confessing that their love for the Steelers was greater then their love for God which may have put their salvation in spiritual jeopardy

[@kentkearney6623]

Welcome back home.

[@mejorgy]

Man I love watching the Steelers of the 70s and the Niners of the 80s

[@joemajewski7710]

I like old football cuz plays were sent in by players not today with helmet head set . 70's ,80's and 90's football I love watching .

[@indy_go_blue6048]

'60s football was good too. Packers were terrific, and those AFL games were a blast to watch.

[@haroldmccoy6748]

During the 1950's ,Cleveland Browns Goat Paul Brown authored in the radio head set communication system , crafting extensive communication between QB and offensive personel .

[@kenarthur6253]

Pittsburgh won the game, but lost their season due to injuries to both star running backs. Bummer. Healthy, it would have been an awesome game against the Raiders.

[@Biggdoom344]

Ken Arthur it would have definitely helped. Lack of a running game allowed Oakland to eventually wear down the D. A one dimensional Steelers offense was a dead duck v that raider defense.

[@dchometownboy]

And Roy Gerela got hurt too...

[@eltonrainner1982]

I remember that game Oakland players had all that glue on them the glue championship cheaters but good game

[@johnwiseman17]

Not just both star running backs, but EVERY running back with the exception of Jack Deloplane. The NFL also had a cap on roster moves for the season, which the Steelers had reached.

[@keithclark7266]

@@dchometownboy Gerela wasn't a factor in the playoff game against Oakland. He had just 2 kickoffs and made his lone P.A.T.

[@kazilziya830]

I watched this game in 76 and have been a Steelers fan for over 50yrs. The games back then were football minus the silly showboating. The Colts were just overwhelmed.

[@joelalleman9591]

you are dead on , the greatest team in nfl history !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@filippoilpoeta6437]

Super Bowl 9, mighty fine! Super Bowl 10, did it again! Super Bowl 11, should have been Steeler Heaven!!!

[@keithclark7266]

This was the 2nd of 5 playoff victories against the Colts without a loss

[@p.j.4738]

The Steelers only allowed 2 touchdowns in 9 games! Wow!

[@RHV617]

BRADSHAW STARTING TO FORGE HIS IDENTITY! BETWEEN 76, 77, 78, BRADSHAW really started to flourish in 77, and 78 he went over the top.

[@lee-pc5jq]

The Rush that intro gave a ten year old me.

[@montanaelkwhisperer1744]

I just watched the Steelers/Cowboys '78 game, and wasn't going to watch any more football today....but then i saw the thumbnail of Jack "hayseed" Lambert trying to rip an opponent's head off, and had to watch it.

[@razzledazzle8631]

Playing QB in the 1950s, 60s and 70s was much harder than today. Plus less games. When they count the best passing QBs of all time they really need to distinguish that .

[@mcmillenandwife]

No question. The rules surrounding the QB were so different then. It was open season on QBs. Only in the late 70s did they start to protect them a little, and by the mid-80s, the pendulum had swung wildly the other way. It’s ridiculous today. You can barely breathe on them. QBs still take hard shots, it’s still rough out there. But nothing like it was pre-80’s.

[@zoffwolfgung2933]

Nice interception and he's holding the football out like a loaf of bread lol...Great commentary

[@jackkitchen737]

Third play of the freaking game. The best defense, coupled with the offense that had two 1,000 yd rushers. And then Bradshaw unloads a 75 yd bomb to their #3 WR to start things off. I was rooting for Baltimore, and quickly knew that the Super Steelers were going to win.

[@mcmillenandwife]

🎯🖤💛

[@troybarnette8002]

Can't ever imagine Tom Brady and company ever playing drop-back passing in the dust-field, especially in a playoff game. They probably wouldn't even allow it today. The NFL today is pathetically SOFT!!

[@Maal7432]

TROY BARNETTE If Brady and company had to, I’m sure they would!

[@wbmstr24]

@@KS-xo3oh yeah, three time loser, spygate Tommy? Choked against eli twice? Choked against a backup qb against Philly ? Yeah, no, give me a real qb undefeated in sb, called his own plays, and didn't have speshul referee treatment

[@venutiraines2413]

This was probably the best Steelers team of all of them however the injuries were impossible to overcome and when they went to Oakland the raiders knew the Steelers were limping in there missing some of their best players. The game was 1 sided Pittsburgh went home regrouped came back n won another 2 Superbowl championships in a row. Proving they are were and always will be the greatest football team in NFL history.

[@sidDkid87]

43:21 *_”Hey! HEY!! You hold that stick and don’t officiate!!”_* … *PRICELESS!*

[@realMartinHamilton]

Niicccee. Great quality too! Thanks so much.

[@thefrase7884]

Without a doubt the best D ever. And I’m a Raven fan. Totally dominant. It’s too bad the injury bug hit this Steeler team.

[@russs7574]

As a Steelers fan, I say you can make the argument that the Steelers and Ravens defenses of the early 2000's...the ones featuring Troy Pulamalu, James Harrison, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed were every bit as good....the reason being that they were as great as the were while playing under a whole lot of limitations that the '76 Steelers did not have to deal with. Today, quarterbacks might as well be playing in tutus. DB's cannot so much as breathe on a WR without getting flagged. OL are permitted to clutch and grab DL, almost at will. OT's are allowed to get "head starts" on their pass blocks without being flagged for a false start. And on and on and on. It is terrifying to think what both of those defenses would have been like had they been free to play under the rules of the 1970's.

[@evinhindes9776]

Actually free agency messed it up. Back then, the team that drafted you maintained your rights throughout your career unless they traded you. The draft had 17 rounds back then and it wasn’t the fan fair crap it is now

[@CaptainOracle786]

@@russs7574 no argument this steelers defense permitted 27 pts over the last 9 games of the season including 4-5 shutouts ... greatest defense anyones ever seen; basically every yr from like 72 -79 they were absolutely dominant ... no defense has ever been that good for that long

[@user-ys2wp4cr9g]

​@@CaptainOracle786Though the 1977 Atlanta Falcons allowed fewer points than these 1976 Steelers 129-138 for a season.

[@stephencabrera9476]

Without injury,they beat Oakland and do something only the packers did (three in a row). To me the greatest dynasty of all time

[@FlipTrojan]

Jim Simpson and John Brodie commenting Roy Gerela pulled his calf, which is why he hadn't been kicking well as of late. It seemed like Gerela was in an eternal slump from the Steelers games I watched.

[@giseleigoa4941]

That would explain the Ray Mansfield kickoffs in this game.

[@lemontadams3029]

Roy was awful

[@eyeofthescar6890]

Presenting the best of the national Football League. The American Football conference

[@atokadjoe]

I remember as a 13 yr old screaming at the tv after halftime "Pull Franco from the game." By Noll not pulling Franco, it cost them a Super Bowl.

[@christopherking4932]

Greatest Era of football.

[@mullen25]

agree Bert Jones underrated. what a great quarterback. and Terry Bradshaw always threw a beautiful deep ball. i loved these 70's playoff games.

[@CaptainOracle786]

bert jones was NOT under rated... just people don't know nfl history that's all; he was widely regarded as maybe the most gifted qb out there at the time with stabler and roger staubach maybe being favored a bit at times... bert jones to roger carr was the best combo pretty much from 75 to 77

[@mullen25]

@@CaptainOracle786 im talking underrated today dude. Not the 70's.

[@CaptainOracle786]

@@mullen25 not amongst true fans who were around then; of course he and many others are underrated to those who never saw them play...dan fouts for example i even hear clowns saying the "namath wasn't really that good" after checking his stats...people are just clueless

[@justthink5854]

70's football. such a pleasure to watch

[@kesleycottrell1416]

That team was just amazing. That defense was ruthless. It was like the apposing offense didn't even want to step on the field. Really they probably got a nervous twitch when they got to Three Rivers Stadium.

[@clifftanton8385]

Hel the only team that matched them in my opinion as far as sheer terror was my Cowboys and a few time the Raiders

[@harrishoward5924]

Bradshaw in the post season was the best long ball passer in history!

[@mcmillenandwife]

Harris Howard... TRUTH.

[@brianstupar7433]

What strikes me watching Bradshaw during this era was how compact his throwing motion was. Nobody threw the ball like that before or after. He brought the ball from his hip right behind his ear and the ball was out of his hand fast! You'd think he wouldn't be able to generate that much power with that motion, but he sure did. That pass to Lewis in the first quarter is a great example. 65 yards in the air and it looked like he just flicked it with his wrist.

[@tacey01]

@@brianstupar7433 his passes really zing. Not much arc at all. Amazing strength and talent.

[@tedkiser6860]

Reggie Harrison running in the touchdown where he stumbled through the endzone reminded me of Bettis.

[@mountainryder3056]

A real football game, Thank You!

[@mcmillenandwife]

You're welcome!

[@comfortat]

Man, I love those old school openings!

[@murphyotoole9014]

Man . . .these two guys from Louisiana playing QB can sure toss that bean . . ..

[@mcmillenandwife]

Two of the strongest arms in NFL history. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see this matchup more often.

[@robbie192]

@Tim McMillen - mcmillenandwife oh ya...Bradshaw flicked 50 yard darts

[@rolandbush8463]

BALTIMORE WAR MEMORIAL STADIUM When football was football

[@kbrewski1]

It was just called Memorial Stadium. You might be confusing it with Buffalo's old War Memorial Stadium.

[@rolandbush8463]

@@kbrewski1 Ok thanks that's nice to know I thought all memorial stadiums had war in them. Now I gotta look up how many memorial stadiums were made.

[@kbrewski1]

@@rolandbush8463 The previous Busch Stadium in St Louis' full name was Busch Memorial Stadium, but most just called it Busch Stadium. The Buffalo one is the only pro stadium I can think of that had the word "war" in it.

[@gregsells8549]

Another War Memorial Stadium is in Little Rock, second home of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

[@kbrewski1]

@@gregsells8549 I was talking about pro stadiums, see above.

[@johnhofstetter5515]

Jones and Mitchell would fit perfectly in todays up tempo offensive schemes.

[@user-ys2wp4cr9g]

Fun fact, John Cole, Pittsburgh offensive lineman in this game, appeared in the Worlds strongest man contest in 1977 (The first season).

[@p.j.4738]

You mean Jon Kolb, Steelers tackle 1969-1981? He was a MONSTER!

[@user-ys2wp4cr9g]

@@p.j.4738 Yes, I had my names mixed up

[@johnanthony8546]

Your right its kinda like seeing your first love your over it but when you see her it still hits you in the gut for just a split second

[@indy_go_blue6048]

'80s Falcon loss to the Cowboys. I'll never get over that game. Ever.