I agree with him, and that's probably why post game celebrations are now done on the field. On third and one with the Colts up three late, Williams sprinted from the opposite end of the field to trip up Colts running back Lamont Warren for no gain.
With a gaping hole, Warren probably would have gained at least 20 yards. Instead, the Colts had to punt, and the Steelers took the lead on their ensuing possession. Two plays before Williams' stop, one of the weirdest bounces by a ball you'll ever see on a football field took place. After Levon Kirkland popped the ball out of Warrens hands at about the mark , the ball ricochet off of Darren Perry's knee, went up in the air and into the arms of Colts linemen Joe Staysniak.
While the play seemed like a bad omen at the time, it's now just a forgotten crazy play from this crazy game. It was ironic that late in the game and trailing by three points, Pittsburgh faced fourth and three yet again.
The Steelers converted this time, however, with Andre Hastings snaring in a nine-yard pass to keep the Steelers' drive alive. Williams, and receivers Hastings and Ernie Mills, to name a few.
Mills, who led the team in touchdown receptions that season, was clutch on that day when the team needed him most. Three plays after breaking up what would have been a game-ending interception by Quentin Coryatt, Mills pulled down a yard pass down the far sideline, setting up Bam Morris' one-yard touchdown run to give Pittsburgh the lead for good. On the ensuing kickoff following Morris' touchdown, Pittsburgh's special teams missile shot through the Colts blocking wedge to trip up Bailey at the yard-line.
But it's McAfee's reaction that I'll never forget, as he threw he helmet down to the delight of the 60, plus delirious Steelers fans.
While I do think that that type of celebration is almost never necessary and should be penalized, at that moment, with the energy in the stadium being what it was and being in that moment, McAfee's reaction was spot-on. That's why you have home field advantage, for moments like that in championship games, to feed off your crowd, and to try to rev them up even more. Harbaugh and the Colts' grit made this game what it was, a battle that was almost won by David instead of Goliath.
The play that defined Harbaugh on that day occurred on that final drive. Standing tall amidst a rushing Buckner, Harbaugh completed the pass despite suffering a hit by Buckner that drew blood. Harbaugh and the Colts lost, but he surely gained respect that day by the fans that witnessed his efforts.
This one was as close as you can get without it working, with the pass landing into Bailey's lap before squirting out of his grasp just long enough to hit the turf. When it was over, tears immediately began to fall from Bill Cowher's eyes.
He would experience more great wins, and would win a Super Bowl a decade later, but here, in Three Rivers Stadium at the young age of 38, Cowher's pure joy that day was something we'd never see again. Do you have a sports website? Or write about sports? We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Find out more. We present them here for purely educational purposes.
Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos. Data Provided By. All rights reserved. Prev Game. Prev Game Next Game. In another deja-vu moment, the Steelers face 4th-and-3 with left when O'Donnell finds Andre Hastings for a game-saving conversion, giving the Steelers a first down at the Colts' 38 at the two-minute warning.
On the next play coming out of the break, O'Donnell hits Mills for the biggest play of the season. The Steelers run "Move-Go" which sends Mills deep down the right sideline. O'Donnell makes a quick pump fake, then launches the ball deep to Mills, who makes an incredible, lunging grab, gracefully dragging his left toe to make sure he gets both feet inbounds before going out at the 1.
Two plays later, Bam Morris pounds the ball through the middle for the go-ahead TD with to play.
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