The Chargers made it back to the playoffs, but after beating the Steelers in the first round, they lost to the Dolphins 34 – 13 in a rematch of their playoff game from the previous season.

And in 1974, the Steelers picked linebacker Jack Lambert, center Mike Webster and wide receivers Lynn Swann, John Stallworth and defensive back Donnie Shell as a free agent.

While the Steelers defeated the Buffalo Bills, 32-14, in the first round, the favored Dolphins lost to the Oakland Raiders, 28-26, giving up Raiders running back Clarence Davis ' 8-yard touchdown reception with 26 seconds remaining in the game with a play now known as the Sea of Hands.

The Steelers ' " Steel Curtain " defense dominated the league, ranking third in fewest yards allowed ( 4, 019 ) and sending 8 of their 11 starters to the Pro Bowl: defensive linemen Joe Greene and L. C. Greenwood ; future Hall of Fame linebackers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert ; Andy Russell, the team's third starting linebacker ; future Hall of Fame defensive back Mel Blount ; and safeties Glen Edwards and Mike Wagner.

The Steelers offense got the ball back their own 6-yard line with 3: 47 left in the half.

As Hoopes stepped up to make the kick, Steelers running back Reggie Harrison broke through the line and blocked the punt.

Then Steelers running back Mike Collier returned the free kick 25 yards to the Cowboys 45-yard line.

Then on the first play of the Cowboys ' next drive, Steelers defensive back Mike Wagner intercepted a pass from Staubach and returned it 19 yards to the Dallas 7-yard line.

After play resumed, Gerela missed the extra point attempt, but the Steelers now had a 21 – 10 lead with 3: 02 left in the game, and the Cowboys needed two touchdowns to come back.

Steelers running back Franco Harris was the leading rusher of the game with 82 rushing yards, and also caught a pass for 26 yards.

Oakland went on to defeat the previous season's Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, which was missing starting running back tandem of Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, 24 – 7.

In the Steelers ' rushing game, running back Franco Harris was the team's leading rusher for the 7th consecutive season, recording 1, 082 yards and 8 touchdowns, while also catching 22 passes for another 144 yards.

After defensive lineman John Banaszak recovered the loose ball on the Pittsburgh 47-yard line, the Steelers attempted 2 running plays with running back Franco Harris carrying the ball, but only gained 1 yard.

On their next drive, the Cowboys responded by advancing to the Steelers 39-yard line, but were pushed back to their own 39-yard line after quarterback Roger Staubach was sacked twice, and they were forced to punt.

But Pittsburgh defensive back Mel Blount intercepted a pass from Staubach and returned it 13 yards to the 29, with a personal foul on Dallas tight end Billy Joe Dupree adding another 15 yards and giving the Steelers the ball at their own 44-yard line ( note: The interception happened on exactly the same play that Drew Pearson scored on in the first quarter of Super Bowl X. Mike Wagner intercepted Staubach on exactly the same playcall in the 4th quarter of the same game .).

Running back Franco Harris was the Steelers leading rusher for the 8th consecutive season with 1, 186 yards and 11 touchdowns.

On their final drive, The Steelers advanced to the San Diego 3-yard line on their ensuing drive, but Chargers linebacker Dennis Gibson sealed the victory on fourth down by deflecting quarterback Neil O ' Donnell's pass intended for running back Barry Foster to turn the ball back over to San Diego.

On their next drive, the Steelers had second down and 2 on their own 47-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs after running back Bam Morris was tackled for no gain on 3 consecutive running plays: a draw play to the left, a run to the left, and one to the middle.

After that, Dallas ran out most of the clock with three quarterback kneels and an intentional delay of the game penalty before punting the ball back to the Steelers.

In time, Mitchell would be joined by black stars like receiver Charley Taylor, running back Larry Brown, defensive back Brig Owens, and guard John Nisby from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

* Ike Taylor ( born 1980 ), a defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL

* Deshea Townsend – Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back

* Isaac Redman ( born 1984 ), running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Skorich, who is 39 years old, played football at Cincinnati University and then had a three-year professional career as a lineman under Jock Sutherland with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

When the merger took place, all ten AFL franchises became part of the merged league's new American Football Conference ( AFC ), with three teams from the original 16-team NFL ( the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and Baltimore Colts ) joining them.

Though the Bengals ran it with some success, like the West Coast Offense the scheme became more successful elsewhere, in this case with the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, where LeBeau has served two stints as defensive coordinator.

The franchise shares the record for most Super Bowl appearances ( 8 ) with the Pittsburgh Steelers, corresponding to most NFC championships ( 8 ).

It is said that the rivalry was fueled in the 1970s due to the stark contrast of the teams: the Cowboys, being more of a " flashy " team with Roger Staubach's aerial attack and the " flex " Doomsday Defense ; while the Steelers were more of a " blue-collar " team with a strong running game and the 1970s-esque Steel Curtain defense, a contrast that still exists today.

Although the Cowboys are tied with the 49ers for the second most Super Bowl victories ( Steelers have 6 ), Dallas actually holds the record, with Pittsburgh, for the most Super Bowl games played ( 8 ) and solely holds the record the most Super Bowl MVPs with 7:

Indianapolis finished the season with a 14 – 2 record, the best record in the league that year and the best in a 16 games season for the franchise, but would go onto lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers in divisional round, a disappointing end to the season.

In 1997, the franchise's third season, the Jaguars and the Steelers both finished the season with an 11 – 5 record, tops in the AFC Central Division.

The team started off 2 – 0, defeating the Dallas Cowboys earning the NFL's highest winning percentage on opening days at. 750 with a record of 9 – 3 ), and shutting out the defending champs Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Jaguars ' identity, in terms of colors, as of 2009 is exclusively teal and black, with gold only being used in the logo ; just as the Steelers identity is gold and black, with red and blue only being used in the logo.

The Jaguars also have rivalries with other teams that arose from the AFC Central days, most notably with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

They are third in appearances in a Super Bowl with seven ( the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys each have 8 ), and have the most appearances in the last 25 years.

" Featured on the magazine cover is defensive player Dennis Gaubatz, number 53, in midair pursuit with this description: " That is he, looming 10 feet tall or taller above the Steelers ' signal caller ... Since Gaubatz acts like this on Sunday, I'll do my quarterbacking Monday.

The Eagles, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the now-defunct Cincinnati Reds, joined the NFL as expansion teams.

In 1943, when manpower shortages stemming from World War II made it impossible to fill the roster, the team merged with the Pittsburgh Steelers forming the " Phil-Pitt Eagles " and were known as the " Steagles.

In 1993 the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh purchased the South Side Works steel mill property, and worked together with the community and various developers to create a master plan for a mixed-use development including a riverfront park, office space, housing, health-care facilities, and the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pitt Panthers indoor practice fields.

Kellen Winslow caught 10 passes for 171 yards and Chargers clinched their second straight AFC West title by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 26 – 17 and finished the regular season with an 11 – 5 record.

Along with the Colts, the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to join the 10 AFL teams to form the AFC.

But the Steelers ' main strength during the season was their staunch " Steel Curtain " defense, which led the league with the fewest total yards allowed ( 3, 074 ) and the fewest passing yards allowed ( 1, 466 ).