The Ghosts of AFC Championship Games Past

I remember with shocking clarity the Steelers’ loss to San Diego in the 1994 AFC Championship game.

The final play is burned in my memory, a desperation Neil O’Donnell pass towards Barry Foster that was batted down in the end zone. Just as clearly I remember what lead to that. A slowly building feeling of doom as the Steelers dominated the first three quarters but failed to score. The moment of shock and terror when Alfred Pupunu torched Tim Mckyer for a long touchdown reception. The flicker of hope as O’Donnell led the Steelers down the field towards a potential winning touchdown. And the ultimate moment of dread when the drive failed.

One of the worst losses in Pittsburgh sports history for my money. At a time when there was an abundant supply to choose from.

Here is the other thing I remember. I remember going in to that game feeling with absolute certainty that the Steelers were going to win. There was not a doubt in my mind. The Chargers were a mediocre, warm weather team. The Steelers had nearly beaten them in San Diego on Jim Sorgi Sunday with a slew of back-ups in the game. I felt the game was little more than a coronation for Bill Cowher’s AFC Super Bowl representative.

I could barely sleep the night before. My 15 year wait to finally see the Steelers in the Super Bowl was finally going to end. All I had to do was sit through was a three hour demolition of Stan Humphries and friends. I did not know if the Steelers could beat San Francisco or Dallas in the Super Bowl but San Diego…please. That was a gimme.

That’s why I sat motionless on my couch in State College for a good 90 minutes after that game ended. I just could not comprehend that the Steelers lost to that joke of a team. I still can’t believe it and it’s been 16 years. I put that right up there with the Penguins losing to a beer league expansion team in the 1996 conference finals, excluding 20,000 plastic rats of course.

I can honestly say I’ve never been that confident going in to a championship game since.

That my friends, is what we call emotional scars. And when it comes to the AFC Championship game…I have many.

Rest assured it’s not just that one horrifying loss that caused this. It was three subsequent losses over the next decade, all at home, all against teams I perceived at the time (correctly or not) to be inferior. Five times in 11 seasons I prepared for a potential Steeler Super Bowl appearance. Four times I went home bitterly disappointed.

Even the one victory came with a healthy dose of pure angst. We all remember that the Steelers were a dropped hail mary pass from losing to a 9-7, Jim Harbaugh lead Indianapolis team in 1996. What you may not remember is that just like the San Diego game, the Steelers dominated play and yet fell behind late in the 4th quarter. This time, O’Donnell was able to pull off the late comeback, though not without help. Two weeks before he killed us in the Super Bowl, our buddy Neil threw a perfect pass in to the gut of a Colts defender. Amazingly, he dropped it and a few plays later the Steelers scored. Otherwise we would be talking about a 5th home loss.

Then of course came a loss to Denver following the 1997 season and losses to New England after 2001 and 2004. At the time those games were played, we thought the Steelers were superior to all three of those clubs. Denver was a wild card team with a history of playoff chokes. New England in 2001 was thought to be a fluke with some dopey second year QB from Michigan. And the 2004 Steelers were 15-1 and had battered New England in the regular season.

Of course given 15 years of perspective, and more importantly two Super Bowl championships to ease the pain, I have a far different view point on things. That Denver team went on to win back to back Super Bowls. That 2001 Patriots were the first of three champions in four years. And in all three cases, there was a tremendous disparity at quarterback. I’m sorry but all things being equal, Kordell Stewart is not going to beat John Elway in a championship game (not to mention Bill Belicheat). The true miracle is that the Steelers got to five championship games and a Super Bowl with a significant deficiency at quarterback.

(Note, I consider Ben Roethlisberger without question one of the top five QBs in football. That does not change the fact that as a rookie, he was not ready to win playoff football games, especially against a mini-dynasty and a future first ballot hall of fame QB).

You might think that armed with this perspective, I would be able to cope with those previous losses better, or at least not let them effect my view of this Sunday’s game with the Jets. And you would be wrong. I simply can’t shake the haunting memories of those bitter home defeats.

I came to this realization two years ago when the Steelers played Baltimore in the AFC Championship game. Notwithstanding that we had won the Super Bowl three years earlier, I was an emotional wreck. I knew the Steelers were the better team and I knew that the Flacco factor would likely doom the Ravens. And yet my head could not convince my heart of this.

When Baltimore got the ball, down 16-14 midway through the 4th quarter, I could foresee history repeating itself. The Steelers were clearly outplaying their hated rivals and yet I just sensed somehow Matt Stover was going to bank a 52 yard field goal off the cross bar and we were going to be left with yet another crippling home loss in a championship game.

A rational mind does not think that way but when it comes to the final game before the Super Bowl, I become devoid of such clarity. I just keep having flashbacks to those other losses. I see blocked field goals returned for touchdowns, kickoffs returned for touchdowns, and interceptions…returned for touchdowns.

That’s why I spent three plus hours that day alternately pacing, screaming, swearing, and throwing a roll of paper towels (the latter reaction I blame entirely on the late, great Limas Sweed). That I did all this in direct view of my future wife makes it all the more frightening. That’s how deep the scars run.

Thankfully, the incomparable Troy Polamalu picked off Flacco and the Steelers went on to one of the greatest victories in Super Bowl history. It’s telling of my scars that I was far more calm when Ben took over after the Larry Fitzgerald touchdown than I was while leading against Baltimore. It’s almost as though I have more faith in the Steelers to win on Super Bowl Sunday than I do if they are at home two weeks earlier.

So here we are again, another AFC Championship game at home against what appears to be a lesser opponent. We got exactly the scenario we wanted. The Jets knocked off Giselle’s husband and his arrogant, cheating head coach giving us a home game against a wild card team with a shaky second year quarterback. We could not get a better situation, unless Stan Humphries was behind center for the Jets (oops). And guess which fan and part time blogger is nervous beyond belief?

What’s amazing was I was totally relaxed and confident going in to last Saturday’s game. I never lost my faith in the Steelers, even down 14 to a hated rival with a bruising defense. Conversely, I started worrying about the Jets about ten minutes after they left the field in New England. I assure you it’s not because I think the Jets are better than Baltimore, New England or the Steelers.

I find some inner peace in my new found belief that champions find a way to win, regardless of obstacle or path. The Steelers showed their championship metal last Saturday. How many teams could overcome a 14 point deficit against Baltimore? How many quarterbacks could play like Big Ben did in the second half and especially on the winning drive?

That’s why I believe deep down the Steelers will win. It’s not about being better than the Jets, because the better team does not always win. It’s about having that championship metal, an exceedingly rare quality in sports.

These Steelers have great players; but more importantly players who know how to be great when it matters most. They have a quarterback who excels in the highest pressure moments, and a defense that dominates with shocking consistency. They accept no excuses, the standard is the standard. They never quit on a game, even when circumstances look dire.

My head thinks the Steelers will win 23-17. So does my heart. Sadly those title game scars will not let me believe that…until it happens.