1984 Week 16 - Pittsburgh at L.A. Raiders

[Music] with john brody jay randolph more than 80 000 at the coliseum magnificent day this one has the trappings and the excitement already john of a playoff game ready to go as the pittsburgh steelers gary anderson will put it in play montgomery and williams back to receive it comes to clean montgomery's at the 20 25 out to the 30-35 38-yard line the return of 26 yards the stop made by clayton number 33. so the raiders go on offense a record of 11 and 4 coming into today's game mark wilson at quarterback with the brilliant marcus allen kenny king branch barnwell and christensen christensen's caught 76. albeit center with marsh and marvin davis and lawrence first down at the 38 yard line crowd still coming in sun shining brightly hope you'll enjoy it wherever you are and out of the i formation they call on marcus allen and allen hit behind the line of scrimmage by mike merriweather number 57 the fine linebacker happy to welcome you just joining us who've been watching new england in indianapolis jay randolph along with john brody as we look at the steelers defensive unit goodman dunn and nelson up front meriwether little cole and hinkle the linebackers for chuck knowles club and woodruff washington shell and williams in the secondary second down and 11. wilson for the first time throwing way over throws that ball looked like it might have slipped away from him john he looked like he was trying to get it to the veteran cliff branch no doubt it fell out of his hand jay but that it's the sort of thing that if the steelers can do effectively they will put a big rush with six or seven players on on wilson he has days where he's very hot picks those those blitzes apart other days he's not quite as hot and didn't work so well unless he gets it going down the field that's right here is third down about 11 as the steelers go into the prevent defense they take those inside backers out the clayton's in there is the nickel back and the throw to the near sideline intended for the tight end top christensen under throw and i'll tell you something todd christensen was covered like a shadow but marcus allen was running cleanly in the middle see number 32 he's standing with nobody anywhere near him wilson obviously picked his target before he looked at the field that's what happens when you do made up his mind and didn't change his mind putting time grey guy of the raiders averaging 42.1 and there's lewis lips the exciting rookie both teams of course involved in a need to win here this afternoon cincinnati beating buffalo if the steelers lose they would not win the central this punt comes down to the 30-yard line and bounds out of bounds at about the 31. the raiders playing for the home field advantage in the wild card game next weekend against seattle a win here for them and they would host that game right here 31-yard punt and the steelers set to go with mark malone at quarterback abercrombie veteran john stallworth flips the rookie and daryl nelson also a rookie first down the ball just over the 30-yard line along with webster long and elkin up front for the steelers [Applause] and the throw to the far sideline complete as malone put it on consignment to john stallworth and the linebacker martin 53 made the tackle pickup of six on the play the raiders defensive unit with long kin law and lyle alzado and help millen squyrick and martin are the linebackers for tom flores hayes and haynes davis and mcelroy fine secondary second down and about four luigi thompson 87 in the lineup as a wide receiver now that's him going in motion [Music] pitch back to the single setback abercrombie abercrombie run out of bounds at about the 42-yard line by lester hayes abercrombie there you see 499 yards as he picked up six he's carried the ball 132 times now without coughing it up well i think it's not a very uh large gain per carry routine but but abercrombie is one who has come on late in the season and they feel if they're going to do any good and get into the playoffs he's the one fellow that can really do them some good once they get there malone 53.8 completion percentage first and ten for the steelers from their own 42-yard line lips going in motion and the handoff to abercrombie and there wasn't much there as matt millen the linebacker inside filled the hole you know jay we've got a young player that hasn't played an awful lot number 74 the right guard terry long five foot eleven that timing but he was uh one of those uh survival fellas in the in the services special services he has gained almost a hundred pounds over the last three years and they say he can from a standing jump dunk a basketball and he's got strength that is superior to even mike webster so they may have something he's a remarkable athlete on second down and six this is frank pollard pollard getting out to the 47 met there by reggie kinlaw we'll show you the scores oh look at this one my gracious the cardinals coming back from that one doesn't make you happy doesn't it well you know i'm a cincinnati over buffalo in the fourth quarter and of course that puts the pressure on pittsburgh tampa bay really doing it to the jets chicago banging detroit this afternoon new england over indianapolis many of you saw that game it is third down and three [Music] malone hands it off to polly and pollard is close to the first down i don't know if you'd call that second act for john it was continuous effort he did quite a job before mike davis 36 made the tackle well he's their inside running back and you talk about second effort sometimes it looks very easy from up here when you get down low you can see the effort being being expanded by number 30. when they get from tackle to tackle he's the man that does their job those legs were really churning one of the raiders van mcelroy who has been voted to the pro bowl again number 26 out of baylor shaken up on the play they're going to take a measurement here as we show you cleveland leading houston in the fourth quarter green bay winning over minnesota it is a first down for the pittsburgh steelers and van mcelroy up and coming off under his own power george anderson and h ron martin do the training for tom flores and the raiders and stacey torren number 30 will come in to take over at the free safety position mentioned earlier today that when the steelers play exceptionally well put a lot of points on the board it's generally due to their outs outside receivers and mark malone throwing the ball very well but against the raiders they really can't afford to do that on a steady diet because the defensive line for the raiders is very explosive and they anytime they know that quarterback's going to be back in the pocket it makes it tough the steelers now at the raider 48-yard line and malone gives it to abercrombie penalty markers down abercrombie getting across the 45 down to the 43 number 53 rod martin the right linebacker making the tackle five yard pickup if the play stands offside raiders red cashion 13th year of officiating in the national football league a graduate of texas a m our referee offsides number 36 on the defense still first down call win against mike davis the safety man and it'll be a pickup of five as they march it off and first down five for the steelers you talk about systems getting geared to play big ball games mike webster this morning was down in the coffee shop at 4 00 a.m his coach bill myers came down and said isn't it a little bit early he said no it's really getting late this is a very big game for these two clubs abercrombie inside the 40 down to the 38-yard line brad van pelt number 91 on the tackle as you've got a good look at abercrombie coming into today a 4.3 rushing average he's the big play threat for pittsburgh on the ground no doubt about that they've run the ball very well in this first drive when you pick up four or five yards of pop and they feel they have to do that to keep the pressure on the raider defense you can move the ball down the field and very few people have done that abercrombie 15 yards on three carries another measurement and a reminder the steelers need to win to win the central just short there's a final right there cleveland defeating houston 27 to 20. of course again we'll remind you the raiders need the victory for the home field advantage next weekend against seattle in the wild card game and there are some home field advantages that are more important than others and certainly in seattle theirs is a big one denver doing quite a job yesterday up in that dome in seattle washington first down for the steelers very impressive drive that's lips going in motion malone throwing back intercepted coming up the far sideline mike haynes haynes still on his feet at the 40 midfield and out of bounds welcome those of you who've been watching the cleveland houston game as my pain the nine-year veteran from arizona state has just intercepted here's a replay well malone is trying to get down the field to any either one of his wide receivers on this case john stallworth was having a great year but the inside man is the linebacker underneath forced him to throw the ball high ain saw the play the whole way made a fine interception then picked up some blocks returned it down to the 47-yard line first and ten raiders that's john brodie and i'm jay randolph and happy to have you with us more than 80 000 at the coliseum in los angeles and the raiders after the turnover first down at the 47-yard line and play action by wilson now he's in trouble gonna hook it gets to the 45 and out of bounds at the 40-yard line a pickup of about seven on the play as david moodle number 50 the linebacker ran him out good coverage down there john and he did what he could do there's a final tampa bay playing very good late in the season with a victory over the jets today [Music] ball is spotted just inside the 40-yard line cincinnati's still putting it on buffalo [Music] just inside the 40-yard line make it second down and two [Music] hawkins doesn't get the first down hawkins out of nevada reno averaging 3.5 for kerry willis number 93 made the tackle there's the man that came up with the interception mike that was the 35th of his career now the steelers will beef up their defense as kansas city has an early lead down at san diego final in that tampa bay game victory for tampa bay [Music] john mccain's troops finished up the season well this pass is complete marcus allen did a good job of spinning around and making the catch and now they wave it off call it incomplete because when he hit the ground the ball was gone and you must come down on the ground with it that was a quick throw by wilson pretty good pressure being exerted by the steeler defense right now in the first drive they were able to get to him with five or six linemen this time they only needed four [Music] never had the ball oh they raiders cannot take advantage of the turnover ray guy out of southern mississippi this is his 12th season doesn't seem like that long that's lips back to receive i bet it seems that long to him welcome those of you who have watched tampa bay defeat the jets jay randolph and john brody at the coliseum in los angeles where the steelers and the raiders are going at it no score first quarter we just had a 39-yard punt from ray guy and the steelers will get the football at the 20-yard line up to now we've seen the steelers move the ball very well turn it over on a pass interception and the raiders not able to take an opportunity and get a score on it if the steelers win they are the afc central champions if the raiders win they play the wild card game here against the seattle seahawks next weekend mark malone quarterbacking the steelers slips going in motion give to the second man through abercrombie he got about three rod martin made the tackle rob martin made the tackle but howie long exhibits why he is considered by so many to be the best defensive lineman in this game people don't try them very often when they do they generally make a mistake number 75 watch him stand up his man at the line of scrimmage now when you take care of a running play that's coming at you that way the linebackers and the rest of pals can get in there pretty easily he's been elected to the pro bowl it'll be second down and eight [Music] malone may have called an audible here the pitch back coming to pollard cutting it in across the 25 to the 26 yard line reggie kinlaw out of oklahoma made the stop he plays that middle guard or nose tackle position for the raiders hollard with 773 yards and a four point rushing average five touchdowns heavy rains here last evening john you were on the field earlier it's in pretty good shape considering it's an excellent shape considering uh the weather they've had down here but it's getting a little sandy right now i mean it's it's good for offensive lineman you would think but uh hadn't looked that way so far today rich ehrenberg the rookie from colgate now in the backfield for the steelers and malone throws and complete at the 36-yard line a fine catch by the rookie lips picks up nine yards tackled by lester hayes number 37. more than anything jay lewis lips is strong and for a man to come down with people draped all over him and get his hands on the ball and not let anybody shake it loose it illustrates that fact that the steeler players feel that although he's very quick he's a great he's a great pattern runner his biggest asset is strength and a first down for the steelers 87 ouija thompson in the game goes in motion they pitch it to abercrombie and have a crumb he gets good yardage near the 45-yard line before the linebacker inside number 58 jack squirrik makes the play the dealers have moved the ball well here in the first quarter and they're doing something that's very sound technically they're putting two people on both the outside defensive ends and the linebacker they're trying to play a three-on-two game they're they'll take their offensive tackles they'll they're cutting down with their tight end they're running their flanker back in there and if you can nullify those fellas on the outside you've got a good chance because it's hard for them to contain from the inside the way they play their cornerbacks [Music] second down a little more than one for the steelers and getting the first down and more is pollard i'll tell you that offensive line of the steelers at the moment is doing a bang-up job he picked up nine yards on the play the tackle made by squirring excellent coordination number 74 terry long we mentioned to you he's just a rookie but he does exhibit his strength here and mike webster's always going to get that seal-off block that creates a pretty good hole another first down the steelers 44 yards on nine rushes malone has thrown three times he's completed two actually three through one for an interception [Music] again it is powered has another first down as he drives inside the 35-yard line jay we saw we've seen the offensive line jumping off the l at the line of scrimmage really getting the best of it take a look at number 99 the raider sean jones their first draft choice they're sending their offensive line right at people this is a little fuller play still pretty effective he had a shot at him but it took the defensive back mcelroy to make the play and he's made a lot of tackles this year the raiders and the steelers two teams with great traditions over the years pollard cutting it back in didn't get much this time as van mcelroy who was shaken up early in the game and is now back in there at free safety came up to make the tackle mcelroy number 26. let's watch mcilroy as he comes up he comes up because the cornerbacks play bump and run so much there's no force from them so that that free safety has to be ready to come up to force any sort of running play off up to the outside of the tackle he hesitates very little elton veals is in the backfield for the steelers for the first time the rookie from tulane number 38. [Music] [Applause] they got a perfect matchup they got walter abercrombie out there on matt millen and i mean to tell you when they get that one-on-one situation you've got to hit it for six points so you get in trouble now mcelroy is the deep man he knows they're in trouble he's got very little play he can't get there in time but abercrombie doesn't hold on that's the first time that one of malone's passes has hit the ground and it came close to being a very fine reception 451 to play first quarter no score third down and eight over the middle it is complete to stallworth and a first down at the 17-yard line davis the extra defensive back number 45 on the tackle 15-yard pickup malone is very sharp early in the ball game he's back there and he has been up and down throughout the year but when he's sharp he seems to he seems to exude poise he comes back he's going to stalwart the whole way he beats james perry easily just a little game of pitch and catch malone early in the season had a concussion was out again a concussion against miami out for a while a quick hitter right off the middle that's pollard and takes it inside the 10 yard line before mcilroy number 26 makes the play wolfely webster and long are blowing the interior line for the raiders right off the line of scrimmage you don't see it very often but when people are as strong as the steelers are interior wise it can happen the bears doing a job today and philadelphia out in front of atlanta in the first quarter three to nothing the ball is setting at the 10-yard line where it is second down and a long two [Music] [Applause] the give goes to and howard is down to the eight yard line and again mcilroy came up to crack him they're testing him they're trying to get just to the outside of the tackle again they're sending two and three people to seal the line of scrimmage washington has retaken the lead at rfk over st louis the cardinals have to win that game or tie it and have a bunch of other things happen to get into the playoffs but they must really win that game to be in the playoffs if they lose it they're out of the playoff picture malone coming out talk things over time out called the steelers mark malone drafted in 1980 behind mark wilson again it might be worth repeating mark is one of the very few uh players who calls his own plays chuck knowles philosophy is simply that they know more than anyone else about what's going on i think a few players who have played feel that way uh john brodie might be one of them oh i'm not i'm i used to be adamant about it but i think with all the different defenses and setups that you have today and and the computers that they use i think the coaches and the quarterbacks can get on the same page before the game starts and who calls them i don't think is is too material the quarterback always has the option to uh to audible but mark does a good job in the play calling area hollered over 800 yards on the year he had 175 yards in the seventh week of the season at san francisco when these steelers defeated the 49ers that's the only blemish on san francisco's record today 41 yards on seven carries well buffalo got a touchdown that's not going to make much difference like none third down about two penalty marker down the throw incomplete mcelroy had the coverage [Applause] and illegal procedure against the pittsburgh steelers you know a lot of times somebody will say illegal motion number 40 on the offense penalty is declined it's fourth down they were throwing to elkin that time on that play well the man they actually hit though was ehrenberg and he dropped the ball that would have given him another chance uh the opening is the tackle was lined up and uh apparently it was a tackle eligible situation for him field goal attempt coming anderson has made 17 of his last 18 7 4 8 inside the 30 26 yard attempt craig colquitt will hold gary anderson from durban south africa it is up and it is good and the pittsburgh steelers get on the board here at memorial coliseum in los angeles with two minutes and 56 seconds left to play in the first quarter tom flores 47 years old born in fresno california the head man of the raiders pretty good quarterback in his day well you take a look he he will have the best record of any coach going into the playoffs uh he's been quiet but he's been so effective since he's been the coach of the raiders and uh al davis knows that next saturday exciting bowl game action nbc sports presenting the florida citrus bowl from orlando florida that's at one o'clock eastern time the bulldogs of georgia meeting the florida state seminole so when those two teams get together they like to shoot it out i'll tell you that's a final now cincinnati has done all they could do john they have to just sit and wait now they started a little late and if they do end up getting in the playoffs they can they can feel a good bit lucky we've updated the standings for you that's the situation the steelers now must win to gain the playoffs the third tiebreaker is the better conference record and cincinnati has the advantage over the steelers in that department anderson ready to put the ball in play with montgomery and williams set to receive it steelers lead it three to nothing nice high kick and it's montgomery bringing it out at the 10. the 15. he's in a little trouble and he got to about the 19-yard line a stop made by chris brown number 23 the cornerback and the raiders will get set to go offensively 20-yard return the series is the 15th meeting between the raiders and the steelers and the raiders have really dominated this series in recent years and that that happens whenever you have match-ups the way these two teams match up it makes it tough for the steelers i mean they've picked the toughest possible situation to confront in a very critical time we mentioned that in nfl 84 today the way these teams match up and wilson gets away and throws it away [Applause] barnwell over on the sideline with the pass way overthrown it looked like he just decided to get rid of it he was in a little trouble he almost got sacked and uh now a little shoving down there he almost lost the ball and it never did come out of his hand cleanly kurt marsh number 60 having a small altercation there as they bumped around a bit will be second down we have 236 to play [Music] in the first quarter and the steelers lead it three to nothing marcus allen is running the football as we welcome those of you who watch the bengals defeat buffalo this afternoon alan picking up seven yards he came into the game with a thousand and thirty in a four point three rushing average eric williams number 21 the free safety made the tackle final score the washington redskins 29 st louis 27 37 yard field gold mosley in the final two minutes won it for the redskins the cardinals are out of the playoff picture third down conversions for the raiders they are old for two they're facing third down and two here pittsburgh leads it three to nothing jay randolph and john brody with you on the run wilson and down we go jane that time it was a beautifully executed play by by merriweather but they've got marcus ellen on a one-on-one they held him up at the line of scrimmage he couldn't get out wilson trying to buy time came out to the right side all to no avail and we've seen them rush five or six defensive people and they've been successful and when that happens it could be a very long day for mark wilson okay it looks like he's coming open but robin cole's got him covered all over the field wilson knows he can't go there [Applause] the result is a sack and meriwether with 14 and a half sacks coming into today a very happy gentleman guy standing in his own end zone lips back to receive it flag down flag is down as the ball rolls inside the 40-yard line it was scoop gillespie i believe who came in there and made contact with guy and i think that's where thunder really illustrates his quality he was able to put his attention on kicking that ball and i mean he had that man all over his frame that scoop and he hits his foot just as he gets rid of the ball ray guy's been a great kicker for a long time and that's a pretty good illustration first down you heard our referee red cash and indicate the penalty going against number 26 right there [Music] timeout is called here as we have 156 left to play in the first quarter the steelers lead the raiders jay randolph with john brody here in the coliseum beautiful day better than 80 000 as i mentioned earlier the trappings really of a playoff game here today john they are and i think both teams are playing with that sort of intensity jay and pittsburgh now has had two opportunities to do something has only got three points to show for it well after the penalty dropping the putter we have another flag down as wilson throws to his tight end todd chris they'll sort this penalty out right now while they do let's go to new york nfl 84. jay when you take the red eye back home to st louis tonight you'll find an unhappy town time running out about a 50-yarder by neil o'donoghue it is wide to the left washington 29 st louis 27 the redskins are the champions of the nfc east the cardinals are eliminated jay costas hail to the redskins and congratulations to to those cardinals they've come a long way under jim hanafan mr costas of course spent many years in st louis my hometown and he doesn't have a great deal of credit [Music] right now we are looking at first and 15 and the handoff going to hawkins one of hawkins raiders picks it up out of the 14-yard line cliff crash the veteran alertly popping on it as that ball slipped out of there and something that hasn't been happening to the raiders in the last four weeks is they've been they've been getting beat at the line of scrimmage both offensively and defensively now that play never did look like it was going to break anywhere kenny king was running laterally it's been tough over the years to run against pittsburgh but the raiders aren't having much much success throwing either at this point greg pruitt 34 frank hawkins 27 the backfield duo now for the raiders [Music] wilson may have called an audible he gives it to the second [Music] at the line of scrimmage pruitt who had carried the ball seven times for only two yards coming into today's game hit by edmond nelson number 64. and now he's back to even uh you talk you take a look at the hitting that's taking place the raiders have lost the ball 20 times on fumbles throughout the year and people say that's such an important statistic in the raiders case they i don't know if they could operate otherwise i don't know why third down 14. looks like they're coming again [Applause] [Music] the speedster out of virginia union the coverage wayne woodruff they were stride for stride now that white strike they're not trying to fool anybody the steelers they lined up with seven men on the line of scrimmage they said okay dwayne you just cover barnwell all over the field we'll see if we can't get to the passer and they've done it very effectively ray guy will do the punting standing just in his end zone lips is back to receive guy with two punts 35 yard average today this is a dandy lips going back takes it at the 32 turns it up at the 35 gets away at the 40 45 midfield he's down to the 45-yard line the exciting young man from southern mississippi number one draft choice 57-yard punt 25-yard return that's the end of the first quarter here in the coliseum the steelers have the lead they're working on ray guy there loosening him up lips with that fine return now only needs 24 yards to set an nfl record for punt return yardage this pass is complete to the far sideline from malone to luigi thompson now it's stolen away [Music] and they'll bring it back they're calling people in they'll have a little conference ouija thompson the receiver caught the ball on his knees he was on the ground because he was on the ground when he was hit he was it was dead as soon as he was touched had he not been scrambling around there that ball went went out of his arms pretty freely but it was a correct call so it is second down and four a ball just inside the 40-yard line as tom flores looks out of the scene steelers leading three to nothing that's abercrombie at the 35 just inside the 35 yard line he is wrapped up making the play rob martin number 53. these fellas are doing a lot of things take a look at number 63 first-year player out of the university of connecticut pete rostowski rod martin finally falls off and makes the play but that that's getting the job done he gained six seven yards and i'll tell you the offensive line although it's supposed to be a makeshift group is playing very well the first quarter statistics 13 consecutive games now the steelers have not given up a touchdown in the first quarter first down a handoff goes to abercrombie abercrombie getting a couple before reggie kinlaw put the clamps on him in law number 62 the mvp of the orange bowl game back in 78 and of course new year's night you'll see the orange bowl right here big day for you kicking it off with the fiesta followed by the rose and then the orange the best of the bowls new year's day on nbc sports fall down at the 32-yard line as we are just underway here in the second quarter sun shining brightly clear glorious day in southern california [Music] a handoff goes to abercrombie and he is inside the 30-yard line before jeff barnes the eight-year veteran from california made the tackle and john it's been a very impressive job by this offensive line this afternoon for the steelers here in the early going we'll see just how how much confidence their offensive line has right now because it's third down and four yards to go that's definitely a passing down unless they elect to try and pick it up in two downs and i don't think you'll see that ouija thompson 87 calvin sweeney 85 are in there they spread them out the steelers [Music] [Applause] the big play is that it took them out of field goal position now they've got to punt that's something that a quarterback as smart as mark malone has to think of before he gets trapped he knows right now where the ball is they could kick about a 47 48-yard field goal but if he gets trapped they're out of field goal position good play by martin but it was a mental mistake by mark a loss of 10 yards on the play 10 quarterback sacks this season for martin and craig coquitt will do the putting he's on for the first time this afternoon in that role cle montgomery back to try and have an opportunity to bring it back montgomery with that 69 yarder against detroit on monday night has a 21.7 hunt return yard average a low liner and it's going to go into the end zone he was trying to get it more to the near sideline it'll come out to the 20-yard line so we have 12 10 to go in the first half next weekend nbc sports presents a unique look at the past on sports world with john brody jay randolph in the coliseum if the steelers win they are the afc central champions if the raiders win they get the home field advantage next weekend against seattle in the wildcard game the handoff going to marcus allen and alan doesn't get much half a yard at the most robin cole who's going to the pro bowl and has done an excellent job since being moved inside number 56 made the play on marcus allen mark wilson is out there quarterbacking this club plunkett did play some on monday night john brodie is he going to play today i think you'll see him i think right now it's critical for mark to get the ball moving down the field because obviously they've got two healthy quarterbacks now and they haven't had any throughout most of the season uh mark's got to put some points on the board on second down he throws and it is complete penalty marker in the center of the field at the 33-yard line branch made the catch sam washington 41 the right corner making the tackle well branch almost made the catch he was the intended receiver but the ball went through his hands a little defensive holding branch with 26 catches six holding before the pass number 31 on the defense first down call goes against donnie shell well you can't blame him he's got to handle todd christensen and when it's a one-on-one coverage it's a very tough thing to do he's going to get caught a few times michelle has 41 career interceptions the most by any acting player but he's never had one against the raiders a lot of time wilson froze and out of the 30-yard line christensen makes the catch hit immediately by merriweather number 57 the linebacker i think the steelers have more than anything taking the personality away from oakland uh or the raiders today because uh they haven't allowed marcus allen to pick up his five and six yards of carry now in the previous four games he's gained over 400 yards and it just happens that that's when they play their best football if his offensive line blows people off the line of scrimmage marcus does well and so do the raiders it hasn't happened early the steelers have allowed a 100-yard game only once that last week the miner of cleveland oh he had him wide open and threw it behind him right at midfield eric williams had the coverage but he was five steps away there were two people open marcus allen on the left flank and of course malcolm bramwell was wide open in the middle throwing it behind him there was really nobody if he'd let him a little bit farther and those are the sort of things that some days mark does well other days not so well one out of five isn't going to get it in this league and mark knows that as well as anybody else third down coming in this big crowd in the coliseum getting a little restless [Music] the raiders over four and third down conversions but this is very close to the first down dokey williams number 85 made the catch let's see where they're going to spot it well they had two people with different viewpoints one that was a little short of the first down the other gave it to him and i think they'll rule it it's a first down big fast play for mark that keeps him alive first down for the raiders you know it's not like it's not like uh you're trying to replace your quarterback but they've got a guy sitting on the bench that's healthy now and hasn't played much in the last couple months but he took them to two super bowls in the last five years so i mean it's uh nice to have him nice to have john 10 minutes to play second quarter pittsburgh leading three to nothing marcus allen to the outside 45 to the 49-yard line sliding and gliding to his right before eric williams 21 and wayne woodruff 49 made the tackle this is the first good running opportunity that marcus has had when they spread the defense out you complete a few passes and people get spread out just a step or two when he gets to the line of scrimmage he is so explosive at moving to the outside inside getting his shoulders square and picking up yardage that time for a first down an 11-yard pickup a little delay and allen the other way and he almost broke that for big yardage fine tackle by robin cole number 56 a pickup of five but if coal hadn't eclipted it could have been a lot more and marcus one time said that a running back can really only do his best when he's been given the ball enough so that he allows his natural instincts to take over and i think it's a very true statement on monday night the raiders defeated detroit 24-3 last sunday the steelers edged the browns 23-20 penalty markers are down and it may be too much time i think it's henry lawrence it started a little bit too quick that's illegal procedure lawrence apparently jumping off false number 70 on the offense lawrence going to the pro bowl a number one draft choice out of florida a m lawrence born in pennsylvania danville pa now in his 11th season i think anybody that's playing for the raider organization that's a first string tackle could go to the rose bowl they demand them to keep them off the passer for four and five seconds that may be just a little beyond the call now we've got a lot of pro bowl performers on this field today on second down wilson gets it away and a penalty marker goes down down the 30-yard line it was intended for dokey wilson the pass was poorly thrown but a penalty marker is on the field offensive interference i don't think see dokey wilson williams didn't see where the ball was thrown and he restricted uh washington from being able to get to it now take a look at the pass rush these fellas were effective early this is frank merriweather number 57. he gets a piece of mark's throwing arm and that's why the ball went like a kickoff see they're coming right up the middle to play number 85 on the offense still stuck it down a call against doki williams of ucla well doki don't know why it was because he didn't even see the ball thrown and uh but he actually did impede the opportunity for for whims to come in or washington to come in and pick it off ball just shy of the 40-yard line eight minutes and 29 seconds to play in the first half and the steelers lead three to nothing on a field goal by anderson allen back to the inside to the 42-yard line before he's gang tackled look out there this was very predictable keith gary number 92 was uh doing a little dan looks like he was crushing grapes up in the napa valley there well it's a it's uh oh here we go again marcus allen isn't the type to sit back and say that's okay fellas we'll be back uh he gets out there and well there's never been any love lost between these two units but i wouldn't want to fire marcus up no no let a sleeping dog live kansas city's been playing great football for john mcavic they lead 21 to nothing atlanta now has taken the lead over philadelphia 6-3 philadelphia going to stay in philadelphia good news for the great fans of that city blitz third down and 17. [Music] [Applause] they fooled him he could not find a way to get the proper audible call rick woods was in there before anybody could do anything about it and you can see that right now the steelers have had the best of it they forced wilson into too much time and the tempers are also flaring a tad allen and gary again getting involved and you know the play of the game five yards on the offense still third down this activity of the last few minutes john has kind of taken this big crowd out of the game the steelers are leading at three to nothing 7 27 to go in the first half we're talking to a few of the coaches for the steelers they said you know the only time that the raiders don't really play well is when you can get them thinking about you physically and i i don't know if that's true but it was kind of predictable that this would happen third down and 22. wilson throwing to the short man of the tight end christensen and he only gets to the 43-yard line a pickup of seven robin cole made the tackle and funny time for the raiders and ray guy well played defense there were no wide receivers open on the play obviously mark didn't want to come to christensen when it's third down in 22 unless he has to and he had to ray guy three punts and a 42.3 average lewis lips who is bearing down on greg pruitt's nfl record for punt return yardage 783 of 666 yards flips across the 20 and gets outside 25 out to the 31 yard line a stop made by otis mckinney number 23 a 13-yard return after a 38-yard punt we've got a timeout with six and a half to play in the first half and pittsburgh leads los angeles [Music] [Applause] with john brodie jay randolph los angeles memorial coliseum the steelers leading it lips now has set a new rookie record for return average a return yardage i should say beating neil poses 775 [Music] [Applause] on first down the handoff to abercrombie gets away from one raider and now he's in a lot of trouble but look at that oh he made a good move up the sideline john mccall number 71 knocked him out but abercrombie deserves a lot of credit for this play some plays when you get back to the line of scrimmage you've done more than can be expected number 75 howie long comes into the play after he's forced backwards it looks as though how he's got him his strength usually prohibits anybody from getting loose in this case abercrombie did picked up three yards second down and seven [Applause] the steelers with a three to nothing advantage 26 yard field goal in the first quarter by gary anderson [Applause] a little delay abercrombie is across the 35 and out to the 38 yard line lyle alzado number 77 made the tackle after a pickup of five lyle born in brooklyn [Applause] went to yankton south dakota he's a boxing champion there what a character it's been around yes he has great years at denver [Music] cleveland of course and it's more difficult if certain agents to play different positions now when you're playing a defensive end and you're in your middle to late 30s you've been through some things he's there at age 35. third down and one first down and more for the pollard say they have it and they do van mcelroy number 26 came up with the football so another turnover and another turnover is not a good thing for pittsburgh at this point in the game they've really had things going their own way and when you'd only show three points on the board having had all the best of it throughout the first half you're going tough here's a super bowl flashback he's got his man stalwart he's got the 40 45 50 45 40. he's gone he's at the 20 15 and he's in for the touchdown no flags are down it's a touchdown all the way 75 yards bradshaw to stallworth the voice of a great gentleman kurt gowdy super bowl 13. and on first down the pitch comes to allen he's out across the 45 and down to about the 43 keith willis number 93 on the tackle pittsburgh continues to play strong defense we've got those seven men standing at the line of scrimmage they're not giving much ground there here's todd christensen we mentioned that if they're going to run anywhere he's got to do some blocking raiders on the 43-yard line second down and seven wilson has time he's going long and it is intended for farmwell penalty marker is down again you cannot tell which way it's going to go donny woodruff there number 49 out of louisville had the coverage i get the feeling that it was intense and that's what it is wayne woodruff just ran fartwell right out of bounds actually tripped him up a little took the angle away critical call close call they've gone both ways and with four minutes and 54 seconds left to go in the first half the raiders are going to set up shop at the 10-yard line and penalty gives them 32 yards to the 10 and a first down and we've got dave casper the veteran number 87 in the game now with christensen he's got he's gone from 260 listed as a guard we're in number 69 to where he got back with his old teammates he's down to 235 and he might be a man to watch here it is frank hawkins penalty marker down as hawkins is run out of bounds at the seven yard line hawkins coming into the game with 363 yards and a 3.5 average and a holding penalty against the raiders [Applause] let's pause briefly for station identification this is the nbc television network channel 11 wpxi tv pittsburgh pulling during the run number 46 on the offense still first down the call goes against christensen it's going to put the ball back out at the 20-yard line this is jay randolph along with john brody the coliseum in los angeles sun shining brightly great day for football the steelers leading it on a 26-yard field goal by anderson in the first quarter the raiders though with an opportunity here 4 49 left in the first half [Music] wilson going and intercepted the pass intended for doki williams donnie shell came up to make the play and that is his first interception against the raiders in his long career number 42 of his career and the first ever against the raiders john and he made it a real good one because it looks as though this may be a touchdown to dokey whims the ball was just a little under thrown by mark wilson donnie shell does it again well it'll be the seahawks and the raiders next weekend check your local listings for the day and the time nbc sports will be bringing you that one from right here or from the kingdome there's a very happy donnie shell he came up with the interception and it's first down for the steelers leading three to nothing they operate from the 20-yard line [Music] the gift goes to abercrombie and he is out of bounds near the 31-yard line and mcelroy number 26 done an excellent job in the first half and had to work very hard from that free safety spot knocked him out over there so far jay it looks as though uh the steelers have been are very willing to just let john stallworth and louis lips play games out there with aids and hayes and they haven't they haven't really tried to go to either one of them so far they're very intent to just running to run the ball off tackle make mcelroy come up and contain and it's been effective for them second down and less than a yard ehrenberg and collard now in the backfield erenberg number 24 incomplete at the 40-yard line along the far sideline intending for louis lips [Applause] putting the pressure on you know quarterbacks so often get their best licks after they've thrown the ball and that's when everybody's attention goes astray rostowski trying to handle alzado malone never sees him oh how many times he's done that you remember a few hits like that right on the floor of this coliseum don't you yeah but you know you asked me before how i like playing in la it's a beautiful it's a beautiful coliseum but when you're playing the deacon in merlin and lamar lundy and roger brown it diminishes the enjoyment fearsome foursome they were something special weren't they three nothing pittsburgh third down in less than a yard quarterback sneak malone straight ahead they may want to measure but it looks to me like he has the first down abernathy this afternoon 51 yards on 11 carries hollard 48 yards on eight carries so the steelers have 99 yards abercrombie i should say did i say abernathy i'm sorry 99 on the afternoon it's okay it is a first down you'll do it again probably clock running with four minutes and 15 seconds left to go in this first half a good look at mark malone who has the size and strength and a lot of ability over the middle wide open and on the move with it is cunningham for the first down at midfield a little pop pass for 21 yards to cunningham you could well expect that when they did throw to their tight end he'd be open because that's the 11th reception at that position and the first in four weeks so uh they haven't exactly featured their tight end benny cunningham got injured early in the year daryl nelson's been playing there he's another first year fella so when they do go it should be open cunningham coming back off injured reserve and a hip injury all spotted at the 48 of the raiders slashing crew abercrombie to the 44-yard line rod martin number 53 stalled him at that point the clock running with three minutes and 15 seconds to go in the first half and the steelers leading at three to nothing if the steelers win it they win the afc we'll be central you up to date on the scores here in a moment or two and then of course at halftime nfl 84 with bob and ahmad bill and axe they'll bring you up to date with highlights and all the news today second down and six from the raider 44 yard line the little delay hollard hollard to the 41-yard line matt millen number 55 on the play the redskins knocked saint louis out of the playoffs buffalo was banged by cincinnati that put the pressure on the pittsburgh steelers tampa bay an easy winner over the jets chicago they're in the playoffs they beat detroit new england got by indianapolis cleveland over houston and green bay took it to minnesota today third down and two pittsburgh three out of seven on third down situations and the ball slices high as it hit the intended receiver lewis lips and bounced out to the side another illustration of how they've got everything set up it looks like they're going to be okay a mis a mis-thrown ball a man not being able to get open to stop pittsburgh's drives for about the fourth time in a row three to nothing taking control of the line of scrimmage the way they have is not enough craig coldwell set to do the punting clay montgomery back to receive [Music] oh quit angling for the far side and it goes into the end zone it's going to come out to the 20-yard line didn't get it far enough to his right to get it out of bounds punt [Applause] we're getting a two-minute warning here and we'll be back with more in just a moment another super bowl flashback super bowl number 10 bradshaw the swan oh what a combination that was over the years pittsburgh beat dallas 21-17 in super bowl 10. these two teams have played in seven of the last ten super bowls here are the raiders now from the 20-yard line two minutes left in this first half and the steelers have the lead three to nothing wilson throwing wide open that's cliff ranch branch first down out to the 36 yard line sam washington number 41 off the stop 17-yard pickup sometimes when you don't see a lot of cliff branch you wonder why because very seldom does anyone have him covered whenever they give him a one-on-one situation he'll find a way to get open and he did by six yards there wilson throws again it's marcus allen allen to the 45-yard line didn't get out of bounds clock running with 125 to go an 8-yard pickup and we're going to get a timeout now called by the raiders three to nothing pittsburgh has the lead back with more in a moment cliff branch 501 career receptions 13th man in the history of the national football league to get more than 500 on second down and two in trouble wilson goes down back at the 31-yard line and it was brian hinkle number 53 the third year linebacker from oregon a loss of 14 on the play and joe gordon has just said so much he is the publicity director for the steelers he said you know the one linebacker although we have two going to the pro bowl who's just had a great year for us is brian henkel and i guess pittsburgh's had a tradition of great linebacking and this year is no exception well you know when they moved coal inside john this gave hinkle the opportunity to show what he could do we'll be back in just a moment [Music] third down coming up for the raiders after the sack back at the 31-yard line raiders ninth on offense in the national football league coming into today's game the steelers seventh on defense third down and 16. wilson pumps now goes long and it is almost intercepted he was going for dokie williams and rick woods the extra defensive back number 22 almost picked it off that's right he got plenty of time to throw the ball he never saw rick woods but rick was back there playing center field saw the ball the whole way and every time the steelers have had an opportunity to make either a big turnover or something good happened for them they've come up empty with the exception of donnie's donnie shells pick off in the end zone they've had a lot of opportunities in this first half and it's still only three to nothing and we have a minute and 11 seconds left to play lips is back to receive ray guy's fifth front of the afternoon lips moving in on the all-time return yardage records for punt returners lets this one go oh now he tried to pick it up and one of the other steelers back down there came away with it i think and now we've got a little battle going over at the 30-yard line 50-yard punt and it was squyrick downfield there is jim plunkett on the sideline when we see him in the second half [Music] united way salutes pittsburgh and one of its leading citizens for more than 50 years art rooney has guided his beloved pittsburgh steelers he helped build the foundations of professional football and set a standard of quality that has made the nfl unparalleled in professional sports his calm selfless counsel saw his team through the tough early years to the steelers first super bowl victory in 1975 the steelers are the only nfl team to win four super bowl titles our rooney and his family have been part of the vitality and tradition of the pittsburgh community his strong commitment to the united way and the catholic charities which they support has made him one of the most universally loved and respected citizens of pittsburgh and he's still helping others pittsburgh is said to be one big family art rooney is the heart of that family this message furnished by the national football league kansas city boy oh boy we'll have scores and all the highlights coming up at halftime nfl 84 and atlanta now 13-3 over philadelphia here it's three to nothing a steelers lead on a 26-yard field goal in the first quarter by gary anderson david casper looks like a young boy again revitalized back with his old team [Applause] first down for the steelers and they're going to keep it on the ground abercrombie to the 25-yard line brad van pelt number 91 stopping in there a lot of shoving and dancing going on seven yard pickup on the play i'm sure they wanted to see if they could move it out from their 20-yard line so if they do throw the ball they'll throw it out there around midfield where even a raider pick-off wouldn't be wouldn't be fatal i don't think they're going to be settling for a three to nothing lead with 40 seconds left but it looks as though i'm going to be wrong because the second let's keep clicking off we're down to half a minute to play right now the raiders down three to nothing [Music] walter abercrombie down the sideline got good yardage before he stepped out of bounds at the 36 he picked up the first down howie long and macmillan running him out over there a nine yard gain on the play well now this is a an opportunity for pittsburgh to score with one long completion or two medium range and they can get the ball 35 yards down the field they've got a great field goal kicker and gary anderson maybe the best that's ever played by the time he's finished and i'll be very surprised if they don't put a little air under it abercrombie's had a very good first half 72 yards on 14 carries all just over the 35-yard line gary anderson who played at syracuse he's put the only points on the board here today well they're not going to the air average for a couple to the 40-yard line and he was wrapped up by number 55 matt millen time called with 12 seconds remaining [Music] many of you folks of course back in the keystone state remember he played at penn state he's the raiders run defense he's had six interceptions in his career and that's pretty good for a man who plays that inside linebacker spot and doesn't play much during in passing situations uh i think as much as anyone he emulates the raider attitude late at whitehall high school in pennsylvania there's a good look at the coliseum this magnificent structure built in 1923 and hosted the 32 olympics and of course the last olympics here this past summer the city of los angeles a very bright breezy place today pretty dang here in the southland here in southern california as these two teams get it on for the 15th time over the years the raiders lead this series with nine victories the steelers with five they've got three wide receivers to the right side so i don't think they'll be fooling anybody going down there and they've got a defensive back all the way down field at the 20-yard line to the raiders took care of the situation as he came across to sac park malone for a loss of 14. long who played at villanova all pro and like alzado was quite a boxing champion in college those two guys in the ring john you'd have a tough time i think he feels that he was still doing it all right we come to the end of the first half here at memorial coliseum in los angeles the steelers have the lead three to nothing on the 26 yard field goal by anderson more in a moment the carson high school marching band from carson california entertaining here and the pittsburgh steelers lead the raiders three nothing back to new york nfl 84. all right jay and they've asked me to run through the scores once more in the next two minutes here we go washington over saint louis today 29 to 27 and so the redskins are the champions of the nfc east this also clinches a wild card spot for the rams this is how the game concluded time running out st louis has no timeouts left nilo donahue tries a 50-yarder it's wide to the left the gallon cardinals go down to defeat they are eliminated from the playoff picture the rams as i say are in as a wild card and now it comes down to this if the cowboys beat the dolphins tomorrow night they're in as a wild card and they play host to the rams if the cowboys lose they're out the giants sneak in and the giants play the rams at la next week what a game this was the redskins led 23-7 at halftime the cardinals rallied back to take a 27-26 lead a mark mosley field goal of 37 yards won it with a minute 33 remaining art monk caught 11 passes on the day for two touchdowns for washington 106 for the year and that's an nfl record roy green caught two td passes for the cardinals one of them of 75 yards cincinnati beat buffalo 52-21 three touchdown passes for ken anderson if the bengals win the afc central at 8-8 it's the worst record ever for a division titleist tampa bay over the jets 41-21 chicago with greg landry quarterbacking beat detroit 30-13 the bears had a record 12 sacks ties the single game record 72 for the year and that's a season's record new england over indianapolis 16-10 craig james had 138 yards cleveland beat houston 27-20 green bay over minnesota 38-14 the pack closes well at 8-8 the vikings limp home at 3-13 worst season in their history in the game many of you are watching pittsburgh over the raiders three nothing at halftime if pittsburgh wins they're the champs in the afc central if they lose it the title belongs to the bengals the raiders need to win in order to have home field advantage in the wild card game next week against seattle kansas city is hammering san diego 28-20 as they approach halftime if san diego loses they'll go 0-8 in their own division the afc west 7-1 against the rest of the world this year and atlanta trying to halt a nine-game losing streak is in front of philadelphia the eagles know they'll be in philly hereafter that's been settled 13-3 atlanta as they approach the half let's go back to jay randolph thank you very much bob costas and happy holidays to all the gang there at nfl 84 from me and from john brody as we do have a three-nothing game here and you've explained all the playoff situations john pittsburgh had a couple of opportunities they did get the field goal they do lead at three to nothing and of course the raiders had an opportunity but were thwarted on a very fine play by donnie shell i think the things that i've been most surprised about jay is the way they've manhandled both sides of the line of scrimmage now uh the raiders their personality is such that they're expected to to dominate in those areas they certainly haven't i think if the steelers had just a couple big plays in the first half offensively they'd have run the raiders out of the tub but being only three to nothing ahead i think it is it could get tougher well in the second half it'll be interesting to see if we are going to see jim plunkett i think we i think we will i think that his teammates have grown to love jim he's coming in these sort of situations in playoff games and big games he's only lost one throughout his career and we all know he's taking them the two super bowls i know the coaching staff will get a good look all right and we'll be back after these messages and the word from your local station [Music] [Applause] crowd has been chatting we want plunkett we want plunkett pittsburgh leading three to nothing there is jim plunkett the former stanford star want to correct one score for you kansas city is shutting out san diego 28 to nothing plunkett in 84. of course he's coming back with the problems that he had with his stomach muscle and also uh john brody uh hip pointer that really bothered him as much as anything yeah but those things don't bother him now and i'll tell you one of the plus points of jim plunkett is that he can handle adversity about as well as anyone that's ever played this game and uh he stated that hey he doesn't really know how he'll play having not played as much as he'd like but uh i'm sure we'll see him total yards for the raiders 54. a flashing reminder of their problems here in the first half the kickoff they were also offsides on the kickoff yep and the penalty marker goes down as erenberg was back to take the kickoff he downed it in the end zone but it looks like we'll do it again the referee today red cashion fred's an insurance executive who has been around the national football league for a long time he heads up this crew this afternoon art demos the umpire with him jay you can always tell a man that has gained respect when they put him on a game like the pittsburgh uh raider game and this man has over the years he keeps control of the ball game and i think it's necessary in a game like this yes sir derrick jensen was the man offside for the raiders oh we'll do it again and this time back from the 30-yard line there is jensen jim plunkett now 36 years old in his 14th nfl season he's taken out of action until his appearance monday night in detroit since october the 7th people seem so concerned with that fact that you know sometimes uh just the not having to take the continual hits can help a quarterback can help his outlook and if you'll recall last year the same thing happened we all know how he came back so came back very strong culminating it all in tampa with the victory over the redskins [Music] the kickoff by chris barr and erenberg looking up into the sun had a little problem here he comes at the 10 15 and he gets only to the 17-yard line ted watts number 20 the quarterback down to make the play so the steelers will start with mark malone at quarterback abercrombie and pollard have been doing the bulk of the running lips 83 stalworth 82 the wide receivers they've used both nelson and cunningham a tight end cunningham is in there right now webster a pro bowler at center wilkley and long and rotowski and elkin at the tackles first down for the steelers who made it three to nothing as he starts the second half here in the coliseum [Music] by the inside linebacker matt miller number 55 loss of one [Applause] [Music] that's the first time the raiders have won at the line steelers offensive line did an outstanding job in the first half it'll be second down and 11. the steelers ranked 10th on offense 8th rushing and 15th passing coming into today and the raiders were third on defense fifth against the pass and eighth against the run malone throws the quick out and abercrombie makes a fine move and has a first down at the 29 now wait a minute see did he get the first down very close van mcelroy 26 made the tackle and it is a first down pickup 13 on the play mike davis had a long way to cover the strong safety had to handle one on one abercrombie that's a tough assignment he's been hurting over the past few weeks so they expected not to play him as much as they have in this ball game and i think that's true with several of the players of course he had some knee problems in 83 first down from the 29-yard line lips comes in motion called the action and they give it to pollard and pollard straight up the middle to the 33-yard line mike davis 36 the strong safety made the play martin 55 there it is alzado and long at the ends and millen and squirrel inside van pelt martin outside the corners are hayes and haynes davis and mcelroy the safeties for the raiders jim plunkett licking those fingers and wondering when he will be called on by tom flores [Applause] [Music] second down five sweeney going in motion big play by rod martin i'll tell you who made the play was lyle alzado he got through a double team block we mentioned that the steelers have been double teaming both ends that's why you haven't heard an awful lot from howie long or have you heard from lyle alzado watch this a double d block when you can split it and he does right here he's in a position to force abercrombie back behind the line of scrimmage stringing it out that allows martin to get in there hands to get in there those players don't get back to the line third down for the steelers at the 44. they lead three to nothing we're in the third quarter throws it away the rookie was the intended receiver but otis mckinney had the coverage number 23 the extra defensive back and good job of coverage by the raiders and a good hand now for this defensive unit as they come out here [Applause] the coverage has been best jay and it's been third down on both teams that's why the score's green another to do the putting he played at tennessee averaging 40.9 coming into today montgomery is back [Applause] downfield a booming low spiral montgomery at the 20 set up trying to find the wall can he turn it up he gets into the 25 to 30 and up to about the 33 33-yard line the steelers david little number 50 made the play a 47-yard punt an 11-yard return and another fight a little battle at the 25-yard line we'll come back with more in just a moment [Music] well a moment ago plaudits from this crowd for jim plunkett who is in the game plunkett 99 of 178 on the season and on first down he hands it off to marcus allen and he is collared by mike merriweather mike fairweather has been playing defense this year i mean just in the in the pittsburgh tradition he will be going to the pro bowl and he's been so adept at fooling quarterbacks that time he looked as if he was in a set off position out there with the wide receiver he slipped in at the last moment and nobody blocking he was really looking for allen second down and a long nine and they do it again allen was gonna take it for a romp on a delay but this time robin cole number 56 did the job well you don't find many holes open up when you call a draw play and they blitz and that means there's eight people everybody in his own lane there's nowhere to go third down coming up a ball at the 34 or at the 30-yard line third and 13 and la this afternoon one out of seven on third down [Applause] conversions doing a good job gets it away boy jim did an excellent job quick beat not to be sacked back there john he had to have because he may have lost a little more help had he not been able to alert alluding meriwether who we've mentioned he's come in at the right time so often today i know he studied his positions he studied the the tendencies frank hawkins number 27 was supposed to pick him up the first time he does help out a little bit the second but there's nowhere for jim to throw fourth down and 13. one of the raiders shaken up there that's charlie hannah came here in a trade of course from tampa bay one of the famed hannah family out of alabama he's learned to play the guard position he learned it almost overnight john well as healthy and as deep as the raider lineman offensively were when they started the season those who are playing are are playing hurt now and uh sometimes it just happens and that's what's happened to them lips trying to set the all-time record set to receive the sixth fun of the day from ray guy that's a poor kick gets a good bounce for the raiders though and is down at around the 35-yard line no chance for lips to return that wobbly kick as it came up short 34-yard punt 9 56 left to play in the third quarter [Music] pittsburgh and minnesota super bowl nine franco harris touchdown pittsburgh 16 to six the steelers won it frank o'haras no longer with the pittsburgh steelers they've still got a few great ones left number 52 being one of them the faces have changed drastically on this club though first down and 10 from the 35-yard line malone throws and incomplete penalty marker is down mike davis had the coverage against lewis lips interference number 36 on the defense first down the interference call against the seven year veteran from colorado it's hard to predict which way those calls are going to go because the steelers are calling a lot of underneath delayed type patterns where you try to get the strong safety caught up and it's kind of a pick play it's what they call it you cut off of that that pick and then so you never know which way that's going to go sweeney's in the lineup number 85 the pitch to abercrombie east to the 44-yard line [Music] got about three howie long number 75 making the stop we checked to see if there's anything wrong with jon stallworth and the report is he's all right but they're playing sweeney at the moment along with lips sweeney a five-year man who played right here at usc clock running with 9 20 to play in the third quarter the only scoring in the game in the first quarter a 26-yard field goal from the toe of gary anderson the steelers are leading steelers must win to gain the afc central title if they lose they're out second down and eight going to the right pollard and pollard hit just as he got across the 45 two yards on the play as davis made the tackle the word on hannah is a twisted knee we do not know whether he'll be able to return or not [Music] the los angeles raiders and there's hannah being attended to the raiders 38-9 winners over the skins in super bowl 18. they won 27-10 of course over the eagles in super bowl 15. [Applause] 36. [Applause] they spread the receivers out all over the field john and he came out and found himself uncovered otis mckinney finally made the tackle 14-yard pickup the third down receiver for the steelers throughout the year has been aaron bird and he was playing all the time early in the season but he still remains their third down receiver raiders got their defensive line uh defensive backs mixed up actually ran into each other and that's why aaron berg came so free he had 36 catches coming into today's game all-time leading rusher at colgate even ahead of mark van egan and marv hubbard first down lots of time for malone and he completes it at the 30-yard line there is stalwart stallworth who'd come back in mike haynes number 22 made the tackle that's quite a match up there a pickup of 10. well you mentioned just a minute ago that sweeney was playing in place of stalwart but you know that if they're going to throw that thing down the field they're going to use number 82. one-on-one he's as good as anyone stallworth coming in today with a team record 76 catches better than 390 career catches now 65 career tds first down at the 30-yard line for the steelers and it looked like number 74 terry long the rookie from east carolina john was talking about in the first half jumped off number 74 on the offense still first down you mentioned long he came out of the special services out of the airborne he only played one year of high school football and he he did muscle up from 160 pounds to the 272 he carries around now that's some story really they have when he can stop a basketball at 5 11 from a standing jump that's you're an athlete [Music] first and 15. banging up the middle goes pollard gets about three lyle alzado on the tackle washington defeats st louis knocked the cardinals out of the playoff picture and cincinnati bombs buffalo that game of course put pressure on pittsburgh tampa bay a winner chicago defeating detroit the bears are in the playoffs indianapolis lost to new england it was cleveland over houston 27-20 38-14 green bay a winner over minnesota kansas city leading 28 to nothing down at san diego atlanta 13-3 over philadelphia here it's three to nothing the steelers steelers second down and 13. and incomplete going for benny cunningham and good pressure from rod martin the linebacker on the right side martin out of usc you know you have expected the steelers to have a little more trouble offensively picking up the different games that martin plays with his interior alignment but they really haven't been fooled no one has come through clean to hit malone outside of alzado early in the in the first half and uh that's commendable because they've got terry long they've got uh a few young players in there that you would expect to be confused and they haven't been terry long made those special forces very special when he was banging around in his airborne gear i'll tell you third down and 12. over the middle complete very close to the first down stallworth went up picked it off got a pickup of about 11 or 12. they're just short of the first down as mike davis made the tackle number 36. he's about two yards short cologne just could not afford the time he couldn't wait any longer he knew he had to pick up a little more than he got take a look at the offensive protection this this group of fellows that are are facing a blitz very well malone gets rid of the ball perfectly there's no linebacker between him and stallworth just not quite enough for the first 39-yard field field goal attempt by gary anderson he's hit on 18 of his last 19. it is up and it is anderson who has been so sharp comes up empty 5 49 to play in the third quarter 3-0 pittsburgh kansas city well they've been rolling along victories over seattle and denver the past two weeks now 35 to nothing over san diego first down four plunkett plunkett throws the catch made by barnwell the tackle by woodrow now these fans are a little concerned because offensively the raiders have done so little that's the first completion for plug it but when you've only got the ball from 1359 as opposed to 25-12 for pittsburgh the offensive line has dominated the control factor barnwell makes a nice route well thrown ball fungus timing doesn't look off for me no indeed that's the first catch of the game for barnwell plunkett to hawkins hawkins out over the 35 edmond nelson number 64. played at auburn made the tackle block is running with five minutes and 25 seconds remaining in this third quarter the steelers 10 of 12 players drafted on the 49-man roster so that's indicative of how much the steelers have changed for the 84 season giving 45-yard line before woodruff makes the tackle [Music] first down and this crowd beginning to get into the game again pickup of seven yards all at the 45-yard line the raiders with a record of 11 and four and the steelers eight and seven the steelers must win the raiders would like a victory so they would host the wild card game next weekend against seattle williams did not hold on down at the 44-yard line sam washington banged him pretty good number 41 right there washington played a little mississippi valley he did but i think more importantly dokey williams got his feet caught and could not catch the ball cleanly but take a look at the secondary now as he runs the corner pattern on the left side of your screen he's wide open the ball is thrown a little bit too far down the field for him but it was so far open i still think he should should have had it and would catch most of those atlanta now leading 20 to three over philadelphia they're in the third quarter on second down plunkett wants to go upstairs again and just over there todd christensen the raiders along the sideline wanted an interference call donnie shell had the coverage and they were scratching at one another a little bit well those real good strong and free safeties they know where those officials are if they're gonna do a little scratching at you they're gonna and he actually they were had a little contact going before we picked it up i don't think there was anything illegal after the ball got there we'll pause briefly for station identification this is the nbc television network channel 11 wpxi tv pittsburgh jay randolph and john brody the coliseum pittsburgh leading three nothing third down and 10 for the raiders this is the way jim throws when he's seasoned he stands in there and when he fires that ball he does so before the receiver in this case ramwell has a chance to make his final move it's a 32 or 33 yard ball thrown in the air you've got to throw it before the man makes his final break perfect and a pickup of 24 and then now two out of nine on third down conversions that was a very big play plunkett gives it to allen allen has had a tough day these steelers have done a good job against him gary dunn the nose man that time number 67 made the stop 36 yards on 11 carries marcus allen these guys their football life is on the line and they're playing like it and we said back at the beginning of this telecast that there was a playoff atmosphere for this one 3 40 to go third quarter steelers leading three to nothing second down and eight at the 28th for the raiders like look it may have audible here he goes to the far sideline too tall and sending it for doki williams robin cole was roaring down on jim plunkett john i know you've admired plunkett since his days at stanford and that's not because you both went to school there but because you really feel this man has done a tremendous job over the years well i think everyone has his ups and downs as a quarterback but i think this man has persisted when everyone was in disagreement with whether or not he could play and has come on to put two super bowls in the raider pocket so i'd say that's okay this is third and eight at the 28th ninth play of the drive coming up safety blitz and they go to hawkins and hawkins is very very close to the first down situation what do you do fourth down and about one yard or less for a first down the fans here want him to go donny stop falcons just shy well it's a little bit more shy than i thought it was the spot is about a yard and a half back but they're having to go anyway they'll go with the double tight end alignment as casper number 87 has come in they've got about a half a yard for the first down three tight ends now as derrick jensen is out there number 31. plucking hands off to allen it is close alan looked like he got very close to the 20-yard line if they spot it there he'd have the first down but sure yep they're spotting it at the 21. well the steelers rise up led by dunn 67 again it's the case that the steelers winning the ball game at the line of scrimmage there comes a time when you you have to move people off they did not everybody's hanging tough and there are no holes to fly a lot of credit there to david little who also helped out with the stop [Music] marcus allen sitting on his helmet looking out at the scene here at the coliseum with 229 to go in the third quarter in pittsburgh leading three to nothing the steelers and the raiders two of pro football's quints essential teams two of the great teams with remarkable traditions the pitch back coming to abercrombie he's pulled down at the 23 by mcelroy who has really played himself a football game today he's been there time and time again well he's got to be because they don't have any cornerbacks that can contain and if he's not there there will be no one and he's been a little late on a few occasions but he is a tough nut maybe that's why he's going to pro bowl also they put they put a lot of responsibility on his shoulders and it's tough for a free safety to get up there in time at the 24 yard line second down and seven a minute and 50 to go in the third quarter malone had a lot of time and completes it on a comebacker to lips lips came back up the field and made a nice catch to pick up nine alzado put the pressure on malone well that's good staying in there on mark's part because alzado number 77 gets by his man and uh he's done that on three occasions when he does it's a it's a tough show for number 16. alzado who came here from cleveland in april of 82. two clubs making a trade to bring the big man to the raiders [Music] first and ten abercrombie abercrombie good yardage across the 40-yard line mike davis the strong safety number 36 on the tackle abercrombie holding on to that football he's a very talented musician tell me he sings like a bird i'm not sure what kind of bird but they say he can really sing big bird not the big bird no second down and four coming up half a minute to play third quarter the only scoring a 26 yard field goal by gary anderson in the first quarter for the steelers it is complete to abercrombie gets the block at the 50. he's at the 41 man the beat cuts it in and abercrombie is down at the 2 yard line lester hayes made the saving tackle jay that's the big play we were talking about the raiders have glitched on several occasions that's the first time that malone has really been able to take advantage of it the right play called at the right time it's a running screen pass no one is really left to make the play once he gets past mcelroy lester hayes comes over from way over on the left side one yard short of a touchdown 59-yard play we'll be right back after these messages from your local station of his career abercrombie 59 yards stallworth not in the lineup has a back problem don't know whether he's going to be able to play anymore not first and goal [Music] it was touchdown frank pollard's sixth touchdown of the 84 season the steelers get the big play and a big score here in the opening moment of the fourth quarter how often it happens where you have your big chance and they did fourth down and one yard one yard to go somewhere around the 20-yard line 22-yard line they don't pick it up pittsburgh comes right back with a big play perfect call at the perfect time and they put seven points on the board and go ahead ten nothing if he can kick it gary anderson will attempt the point out of the hold of craig colquitt [Music] the steelers in a must-win situation looking at becoming the afc central champions if they can win here they would send the raiders on the road to seattle next weekend anderson has it right up the middle and with 14 56 remaining to be played here in the memorial coliseum in los angeles the pittsburgh steelers are shutting out the railers the score at the moment 10 to nothing you know there would be some concern as to whether or not collard made it over the goal line as he's falling it just goes out of our view as to whether he took that ball and hit the goal line with it or not the official said he did it's ten zip looked like he took that ball and just tried to get it to the line and did kick coming down and this is dokie williams gets away at the 20. cuts it up at the 25 and out to the 28-yard line before chris brown made the tackle 18-yard return more action from the coliseum coming up [Music] tom flores his sixth year as head coach of the raiders a record of 66 and 31 coming into today's play his team being shut out here 10 to nothing throwing to the short man the tight end christensen christensen at the 35 penalty marker goes down [Music] christensen was tackled by david little number 50. [Applause] pushing off last five possessions for the raiders the raiders trying to get something going here they have to number 46 on the offense still first down yeah the man who received the ball was guilty of the infraction and the tough thing to do jay when you need to score points is not know what you can do offensively and the raiders haven't been effective at any area of their ball game today offensively and so they're kind of picking them out of a hat at this point hoping something sticks [Applause] jim plunkett has taken over for mark wilson first down 20 after the penalty plunkett throwing great catch at the 33 by barnwell boy did he go way up to make that play wayne woodruff nothing he could do this is what jim does so well he'll stand in there and take all the time he can before he delivers that ball into the face of a rush he knows his time is limited here gary dunn hits him just after he throws the ball but he does give his receiver branwell a chance to get down and inside of dwayne woodruff now they've only got about two and a half three yards to go for a first 14-yard pickup on second down that's marcus allen allen short of the first down at about the 36-yard line robin pohl on the tackle you know i guess john it's called rising to the challenge allen has rushed for a total of 417 yards over the past four games the raiders have won them all he's averaged 104 yards a game and just under six yards of carry but today he has had his hands full with this pittsburgh steeler bunch we've said it throughout the afternoon uh pittsburgh is playing about as well as they can on both sides of the line of scrimmage and that makes it very difficult for a running back third down a long one the raiders two out of ten in third down conversions plunkett's gonna put it up going for everything and it's too long barnwell the intended receiver and he might have had an opportunity as he had to step on woodruff but was a little too long with it he had a couple steps to the inside and that was another blitz raiders have gone broke on most every occasion when they've tried to beat the blitz with a long pass there's lips just 10 yards away from the single season punt return record he could break it right here as it is time for ray guy to put it in play lips comes up takes it at the 25 and now a whistle stopping play apparently did he put up a fair catch signal i didn't see it but that's what they're saying well i don't he didn't think it because he's only fair caught two all year and he's run back a whole bunch [Music] lips with a chance for the record but not this time now what happened here well you be your own judge it was ruled that he called for a fair catch we couldn't see the move well we think that's what they rolled john we're asking trying to find out chuck noll along the sideline there talking with one of the officials lips today edward that pickle has a knee problem but they think that he'll be back 38-yard punt steelers leading at 10 to nothing that's ouija thompson going in motion the call to abercrombie coming the other way abercrombie gets to the 28-yard line mike davis number 36 on the tackle the raiders being shut out here this afternoon last time they were shut out john was in october of 82 by the kansas city chiefs 27-0 [Music] 10 to nothing the steelers leading the raiders steelers on the 29-yard line second down and seven the shadows beginning to engulf this giant stadium the memorial coliseum in los angeles out across the 30 to the 31-yard line [Music] matt millen 55 on the tackle what a field day for kansas city this telecast presented by authority of the nfl it's intended for the private use of our audience any rebroadcast or other use of this telecast without the express written consent of the raiders and the nfl is prohibited [Applause] tom flores threw 92 touchdown passes in his career with the oakland raiders now coaching the la ravens on third down and four [Music] the little guy from colgate doing the job otis mckinney 23 on the tackle erenberg's not very big five ten two hundred pounds six yard pickup on the play well he comes out late and he makes it tough on the defensive secondary to know whether or not he's going to be an intended receiver or whether he's going to help pick up one of those defensive linemen he's fooled him two or three times and by the time mckinney can get there it's just too late john we've checked with the nfl referee observer here and get word that they did call a fair catch on that play although it was very hard to pick up from our vantage point certainly leave it at that yeah abercrombie at the 40. at the 45 out to the 47-yard line again controlling the line of scrimmage mike davis number 36 made the tackle and the clock is running now with 10 minutes and 40 seconds to play if the steelers win it they are the champions of the afc central they'll have a week off and the raiders are going to have to go to seattle [Music] here we go folks just trying to help my fellow teammates [Music] wide receivers set to the far side second down and two the steelers operating from their own 47. penalty markers go down i think that's going to be called on the offense number 63 on the offense still second down [Applause] and that'll put the ball back at the 38-yard line 1008 to play 10 to nothing steelers lester hayes has a rib problem ted watts number 20 has taken over at cornerback for the eight year veteran from texas a m second down and six at the 42. [Music] a little delay to pollard got about a yard howie long number 75 wrapped him up and a third down conversion coming for the steelers they've been 50 this afternoon 6 out of 12. a big big crowd sitting in and up to now they haven't had much to cheer about as the raiders are shut out 10 to nothing hayes comes back in at left corner watts goes out we come back into memorial coliseum in los angeles and get a look at these steelers with mark malone at quarterback facing the third down and five and the catch is in but there is no catch it is incomplete all right the official along the far sideline called it that was wayne capers number 80 who had come in second year man from kansas tried to trap that ball mcelroy had the coverage he almost did make this catch let's take a look mark had to throw the ball a little low because he knew it was double coverage he doesn't want to give mike davis a chance to come in and pick it off in front of him because i'm sure the steelers feel right now controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides the way they have been it's going to take a big turnover or a lucky break for the raiders to get themselves on top clear montgomery set to receive the punt that'll come from colquitt montgomery looking up into the sun this is a booming kick that goes into the end zone and it'll come out to the 20-yard line next weekend sports world looks at the ups and downs and the upsets and champions in a special 84 boxing review well you know it's been the hottest division all year the afc west and the wild card game comes up next weekend beginning to look like the raiders will be in seattle check your local listings for the day and the time if they win of course they'd be right here but they're down 10 to nothing with left to play plunkett over the middle and the pass thrown a little bit behind dokey williams but he might have been able to make the catch today's game is brought to you by the 1985 jetta the new affordable german road car from volkswagen by sears where you'll find great values there's more for your life at sears and by avis if you hate to wait you'll love avis with john brody jay randolph here in the coliseum where the steelers are winning at 10 to nothing second down for plunkett and the raiders [Applause] and almost intercepted intended for williams and sam washington was right there and almost took it away john i'm wondering that's a in baseball we'd call it a tough sunfield right now because of of where the ball is on the field for plunkett well it is and it's not for his receivers which is a very important point but it is for the quarterback and jim's got to be able to get set and see some see his receivers and that sun's right in his eyes i don't get the feeling jim has a pattern that he feels very confident of throwing right now here they come safety blitz and they do a job on him number 21 eric williams coming up over the top to make the play they figured out his kings and i you can't get a good enough a jump that good unless you figured out they're going on two they're going on one or whatever they are and they timed it just perfectly they let plunkett set the line and they were on their way they timed it just right that's what happens when they do boy oh boy oh boy that reminded me of a fella named larry wilson who used to do that for the cardinals back in the late 60s and early 70s ray guy hunting from the end zone and lips with a chance but this putt is very poor punk that comes out of bounds up at the 41-yard line no chance for lips i wonder if somebody got a hand on that ball no they did not but ray has not had his best punting day today and it's very rare when you see him have one like this [Music] a 29-yard putt a moment ago by guy gives the steelers the football at the raider 41. steelers a pretty happy bunch shutting out the raiders 10 to nothing with 8 25 to go thompson goes in motion to the far side and they give it up the middle to abercrombie no gain on the play bill pikel number 71 second year man from rutgers on the tackle from the middle guard spot first time we've really had a chance to even mention bill paquel's name and he's had such an outstanding season he and reggie kinwa trading off he hasn't been a factor in the pass rush and they have run effectively when he's been in there made the all-rookie team last year played at rutgers came out of saint francis high school in brooklyn [Applause] alone with time and a catch at the 30-yard line by lips he is an acrobatic gentleman isn't he mcelroy couldn't do much with that one but he's making some catches that are beyond the call you see he jumps right past lester hayes this ball is thrown and it looks like it's going to be a certain one bouncer but he keeps control of his body somehow keeps the ball from hitting the ground first they've got a first and ten inside the 30. 13-yard pickup as lips comes out number one draft choice was injured earlier he's come back and really done a job abercrombie abercrombie just about back to the line of scrimmage mike davis number 36 on the tackle see where they're going to spot the ball down at the 20 28. i'm impressed with the way pittsburgh structured their game plan run wise you haven't heard brad van pelt's name and you haven't seen an awful lot of rod martin except in passing situations they've tried to isolate them let their backs pick the holes as they saw fit they've done an outstanding job abercrombie 99 yards on 24 carries second down 10. here's abercrombie over 100 as he got that ball to the 19-yard line van mcelroy ran him out of bounds and we've got a low-level look at abercrombie in action some days that's what it looks like from down there if you're sitting in a defensive backs position about 14 feet high so it's not the exact duplicate but pretty close yep ball is just inside the 25-yard line 6 21 to play [Music] abercrombie with 102 yards on 25 rushes an outstanding day for walter abercrombie and he holds on to that football it's a big factor for you this time it's pollard and pollard is near the 20. rob martin the linebacker 53 made the tackle after a six yard gain well it's got to be a concern of tom flores the way the steelers have shut down the raider offense this afternoon it is this is not a game that the raiders did not feel they had to win they knew they knew how important it was for them because it does two things takes them away from home and it also makes them rekindle whatever momentum they had going into this ball game anderson made one first quarter 26 yards missed one in the third quarter from 39 this one will be a 37-yard attempt it's on the way and it's good and that will make it 13-0 the pittsburgh steelers minutes 35 seconds remaining [Music] there is time on the board the raiders would have to hurry the steelers though with a victory go to nine and seven they get a week off and they win the afc central [Music] and if they do happen to win i don't think you could say they backed in no indeed a low kick rounding down at the 15-yard line montgomery picking it up out at the 25-yard line he is wrapped hard by number 54. craig bingham well we'll take another timeout 5 26 remaining 13-nothing steelers last time the steelers shut out a team was back in 81 when they did it to the rams you know talking about the rams the steelers have played so well on the west coast somebody ought to consider having them move out here i mean they whip the 49ers they're whipping the raiders they handle the rams they've demolished the chargers it's getting a lot of fun out too many people are moving anyway john these days well philadelphia's going to stay here's the pass going to marcus allen and you wonder why they haven't thrown to alan moore today that's only his second catch brian hinkle 53 the linebacker making the play remind you again the last time that the raiders were shut out was in 1982 27-0 by the kansas city chiefs 13 to nothing pittsburgh second down and four coming up there are certain times when a team is a little more than a touchdown behind that you get the feeling they're coming back but i don't get the same feeling today al punk at trying to make some magic late let's see if he can do it that's the tight end christensen i think he's got the first down by about a yard david little number 50 made to stop little the inside linebacker number 50. his brother of course a great star in this league for a long time they've got they've got a hurry they know they're inside the five minute mark plunkett throwing short again and it is complete at the 41-yard line this time to frank hawkins the running back number 27 robin cole 56 on the tackle clock running with 4 41 to play 13 to nothing pittsburgh plunkett again coming short in the past poorly thrown intended for dokey williams washington had the coverage jim has thrown about four bad balls when he's had his weight on his back foot and he hasn't been able to set up plant and throw and that comes from getting accustomed to seeing all those big fellas in there and forgetting about them and it's hard to do when you haven't played for a while dave dalby the great veteran center from ucla never missed a game playing in number 189 today is injured we'll be back with more from the coliseum after this [Music] jay randolph and john brody you know you really have to hand it to pittsburgh i saw them beat san francisco on the seventh week of the season up at candlestick they've come in here today and control the game just like they did on that afternoon well they've gone from pillar to post when you take a look at the teams they've lost to including indianapolis and then some of those that they've beaten you just don't know what to expect i don't know how many expected this to happen but they're winning everywhere they have one everywhere this afternoon here's plunkett throwing and completing it to christensen christensen down at the 45-yard line that's a first down for the raiders two touchdowns and two extra points would win this game for them i know one group that's rooting for them well look at the total yard statistics here today who would have thought that plunkett throwing again and the running back hawkins is inside the 40 at the 39 before brian hinkle made the play and there is a penalty marker down red cashion and his crew will sort matters out holding against the steelers you see number 85 williams there talking things over with tom flores tom was a backup quarterback in kansas city finally did a lot of damage for the raiders number 31 on the defense all goes against donnie shell who today got his first interception ever against the raiders the 42nd of his long career this steeler defensive unit has been some kind of tough this afternoon gonna be a first down on the call at the 40-yard line and this is the best movement the raiders have really put forth in the second half and really throughout the ball game uh and it's funny whenever people start hurrying up getting out of the huddle fast it puts an added pressure on the defense in my opinion i think jim will continue doing that well i think it felt that he could complete the short pass and he's moved him very well on this driver pittsburgh this is what plunkett does best he waits as long as he can he knows he's running out of time and just fires it down the field dokey williams was able to get by the quarterback [Applause] [Music] [Applause] first down as eric williams made the tackle take a look at christensen that was what they might call an unintentional face mask wasn't called anyway first and goal from the one 13 points down and 352 left earlier in this game the raiders had the fourth and short yardage and didn't get the job done now they've got gold to go plunkett throws incomplete that's an interesting call first and goal to go with the one as he tried to get it to hawkins well they know they have to save time and they figured that if they could get it in in a four or five second time frame it would be helpful they obviously think they can move the ball on the ground but if they were stopped it would take another 25 seconds off the clock i do think they'll keep it down now but they haven't been able to make a yard whenever they've tried that's right look at almost half the first touchdown pass of the season to a wide receiver for him on that 39-yarder a moment ago second down goal to go no indeed i'll tell you look at these steelers they're fired up number 78 they're making the big play was catano who is in there in the goal line defense along with gary dunn 67 and now it's third and goal to go from the two they've almost thrown him back if it were earlier in the game it would be a passing situation but now i think it's either way let's see if allen tries one of his high hurdle jobs oh he's going in motion plunk it rolling well that didn't work out very well and it's fourth and goal at the two it could not be illustrated better how much trouble the raiders are having getting back to the line of scrimmage when it's in in the tight quarters tom flores [Applause] trying to decide what to do on this call here's the most important call of the game earlier we mentioned that the raiders had fourth down and about half a yard didn't get it they're being shut out here we are whistles too much time pittsburgh calling a timeout did they call a timeout or do we have too much time they were trying to time out because they were confused plunkett ran marcus allen in motion and there was a pick play that was uh intended and he actually was going to come free as you saw him do that's an alert play the team is confused it has the presence of mind to call timeout with about two seconds left on the clock and that's what donnie shell did uh that's why he's a pro bowler that clock was just coming to zero and they had the problem take a look now you see plunkett's got marcus allen moving in motion shell sees a little confusion on the play you can tell ron johnson out there number 29 wasn't certain who to grab time out regroup fourth and two 83 056 here in the coliseum watching this one this afternoon chuck noll 1966 he went to work with don schuler in baltimore he took over the steelers in 69 has led them to four super bowls you know he drafted they drafted 14 offensive rookies all right i mean 14 rookies offensively 11 of them made the lead so you talk about a rebuilding job offensively they're doing it next week we invite you to check your local listings for the day and time will the raiders play here or will they play in seattle a wild card game on nbc all right we're back at it fourth and goal to go oh boy that was that was close folks we got to see that one again he was given a touchdown but i'm not sure the official wasn't too close to get a clean look jim waits as long as he can puts a lot pass up here's [Applause] [Music] that's what happens when the official gets caught and he can't tell both the reception and the foot placement [Applause] the points are on the board as we give you another look the end line no the end line is that white section that comes into the green and he got credit the point after by chris farr and this one is still very much up for grabs [Applause] [Music] on fourth and goal to go the raiders are credited with the touchdown it's 13-7 look once again at what was called a touchdown you got it right it was called a touchdown that's a mistake they very seldom make but they made one 75 yards in 10 plays one can move them well [Music] the raiders the defending world champions remember last year tampa marcus allen what a play 74-yard touchdown run the raiders beat washington 38-9 they'd like to do it again [Music] [Applause] one year ago this coming january well it's time where some people would say hey what about an onside kick it's too early there's still 310 left they've got their timeouts left so they will kick away the steelers are lined up simply on sidekick if it would come but it doesn't as you mentioned john [Music] comes out there has been an official explanation and it is you know some people have stated hey maybe he was pushed out you judged for yourself well he had a hand on him well this big crowd of better than 80 000 now starts roaring for the defense pittsburgh 13 the raiders 7. 304 to play the pitch back comes to pollard hit right at the line of scrimmage by matt millen calling a timeout does he get it he does tell you in in pittsburgh and seattle i don't think they they saw that that call the way the officials did bring you up to date on all the scores the redskins knocked the cardinals out of the playoffs cincinnati put the pressure on pittsburgh with a big win tampa bay finishes up in fine fashion chicago they're in the playoffs 30 to 13 over detroit new england defeated indianapolis 16 to 10. it was cleveland over houston green bay handling the minnesota vikings they've had a tough year look at kansas city 42-14 they're in the fourth quarter down at san diego atlanta 20-10 over philadelphia they're in the fourth quarter here we have two minutes and 52 seconds left to go pittsburgh 13 the raiders seven tom flores hoping his raiders will have the opportunity to win it and if they win it they would have the wild card game here next weekend if they lose it they go to seattle the steelers must win to take the title in the afc central if they lose it cincinnati's in [Applause] second down and ten mark malone malone throwing and it is incomplete at the 28 yard line lewis lips trying to make the catch lester hayes had the coverage we've just gotten word that the official on the play said that the man was not pushed out [Applause] chuck knowles thoughts about the activity here in the coliseum this afternoon [Applause] [Music] here is third down and ten 2 48 to go malone and incomplete at the 32-yard line aims number 22 wayne capers young offensive receiver plays the tipped ball very well looks like he's going to come down with the reception but mike haynes knocks it out of his hands at the last moment so it appears the raiders will have good field position otis mckinney tipped that ball frank colquitt the punt montgomery is downfield the raiders are going to get the football firing some problem on the plane montgomery at the 39. montgomery off to the 45 to the 47-yard line and that's where the raiders will get it a 40-yard punt and eight-yard we show you the touchdown for the raiders once again well we we had some question as to whether maybe he was pushed out because that was the only explanation we could figure out the official said no he certainly didn't get both feet in but he got six points and they got the point after plunkett drops back onto the turf here in the coliseum his club is 53 yards away from a score that would tie the game and an extra point would win it 13-7 steelers over the raiders two and a half to go interception of the afternoon the 43rd of his career as they went to the tight end john maybe once too often well donnie shell has just made two real big plays these are the first two interceptions he's ever had against the raider organization he had one in the first half that kept him from making a touchdown this time when pluckett had to duck under a real fierce pass rush he didn't have a chance to locate shell trying to make a good thing out of a bad situation and that's what happens so often when you try to do that two minutes and 24 seconds remaining and they start chatting for the defense again the raiders very adapted coming up with the football malone handing it off to abercrombie he's across midfield mcelroy with the tackle six yard pickup timeout raiders [Music] well i want to thank our spotters tim tallman and chef goldberg joe costanza and all his crew handling our stats this afternoon and helping here in the booth an old friend chuck panama and jim pelz and of course the sights and sounds have been brought your way this afternoon by mr gonzalez and mr finkel our executive producer of nbc sports is michael weisman the coordinating producer of nbc's football is ted nathanson and today's game has been produced by george finkel directed by john gonzalez our technical director dick roker our thanks to all the crew here in the coliseum this afternoon have brought you the sights and sounds of this one it's been a dandy on this final regular season sunday of the nfl donnie shell something special out of south carolina state a lot of people were very very surprised that he didn't make the pro bowl but when your team is eight and seven and and just a little better than 500 not as many players as deserve to go make that team this guy is an opportunist he's hit more quarterbacks than he has intercepted balls and he's already got 43 of those so carl mccarthy our production stage manager here at the coliseum this afternoon always a pleasure to be with him second down and four short of the first down is abercrombie and the clock is going to move down to the two-minute warning tackle made by matt miller number 55. [Music] the two-minute warning is given to both benches chuck knowles pittsburgh steelers have a 13-7 advantage now here comes another one of those fantastic finishes third down and two for pittsburgh and they do not get the first down button goes down as pollard came up short [Applause] and let's see what the call might be [Applause] number 91 of the defense offside against the raiders [Music] brad van pelt number 91. well they would have had a situation where the steelers would have had to put the ball up and put it away but now it's a first down at the 41-yard line with 156 remaining you'll see the raiders come after the football they'll start grabbing it they know they've only got one timeout left there's a minute 56 three downs they can get it to within 30 seconds if they never put the ball in the air with no timeouts that's a long way to travel [Applause] second man through abercrombie to the 39-yard line and [Music] now they indicate a timeout called by pittsburgh i don't think so i don't know why he would have indicated pittsburgh this has to be a raider timeout this is a raider timeout the raiders now have none left that's right and the steelers would have too [Music] john there were a couple of instances in this game when the steelers had opportunities didn't get the job done all they had was a 26-yard field goal but and then things turned around for them and they got a big play and a score and then of course a rather big break came the way of the raiders on their score this game has really been bigger than a six-point differential these fellas have won the ball game at the line of scrimmage both sides we've mentioned it several times they have thrown better than the raiders have donnie shell's been extremely opportunistic and i think more than anything if you take a look the steelers were up to the they were up to the challenge today and uh can't say enough good things about the way they played well the steelers if they hold on are going to be the afc central champions and they're going to have the week off and the raiders are going to have to think about going into seattle and beating the seahawks second down and nine and he wisely stayed in bounds didn't try to get anything more out of it as he slid down at the 33-yard line mcilroy popped down on him number 26 and the clock is running with 135 to go a pickup of six john great being with you here this afternoon uh happy holidays to sue and all your gang and we'll see you down in palm springs the second week in january for the bob hope desert classic you sure will [Applause] these raiders will be going to seattle as something very very unusual happens here and we've had some things in that category in the last few minutes [Applause] frank collard inside the minute mark first down well it wasn't a very good day for pete axe now he took the raiders gave the points but that doesn't make any difference to the pittsburgh steelers this has been quite an afternoon for the bunch from the steel city and their fans can be very very proud as their team is going to take the central division title disappointing day for cincinnati of course as they did all they could do they won and then put the pressure on and the raiders and the seahawks from the kingdom next weekend you'll check your local listings for the day and time and watch that one right here with us on nbc last play well the pittsburgh steelers have taken too much time chuck knoll a gentleman from cleveland 16 years the steelers head coach and he's got to be very prideful feel very good down deep this afternoon tom flores across the way i think he's concerned more about more about the way his team is playing right now than he is about the loss although they have to go to seattle if they were playing well it wouldn't be that big a problem but the way they're playing and the way seattle plays at home they do have a problem this is going to do it pittsburgh rushing for 197 yards this afternoon really controlling the line of scrimmage the victory 13-7 for the pittsburgh steelers afc [Music] central division champions congratulations to chuck noll and his bunch a very very big win as the steelers come out west and get the job done stay tuned after these messages from your local station

Channel: Sports !

Views: 3,033

Rating: 4.8461537 out of 5

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Id: yVpeJkp-ip8

Length: 148min 36sec (8916 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 21 2021