NFL game summary for 01/04/1976:
The Steelers moved into the Super Bowl for the second straight year with a 16-10 victory over the Raiders in a hard-hitting game played in 16-degree temperature, 20-mile-an-hour winds, and snow flurries. A 3-0 defensive battle for three quarters with Pittsburgh leading on a 36-yard Roy Gerela field goal, the game turned into a free scoring affair with 23 points in the last period. Franco Harris ran 25 yards for a touchdown after Jack Lambert recovered Clarence Davis' fumble. Oakland came right back with a 14-yard scoring pass from Ken Stabler to Mike Siani. Lambert's third fumble recovery set up the Steelers' TD that proved to be the winner, a 20-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw to John Stallworth.
With only 17 seconds to play and the Steelers leading 16-7, coach John Madden gambled on a 41-yard successful field goal by George Blanda and an onside kick by Ray Guy that Marv Hubbard recovered with seven seconds left. Stabler passed 37 yards to Cliff Branch on the Pittsburgh 15 as time ran out. Harris led the rushers with 27 carries for 79 yards and Bradshaw hit with 15 of 25 passes for 215 yards. Pete Banaszak's 33 yards led the Raiders and Stabler completed 18 of 42 for 246 yards. Harris caught five passes for 58 yards, Siani five for 80, and Casper five for 67 yards. Pittsburgh lost the ball five times on fumbles and Bradshaw had three passes intercepted, two by Jack Tatum. Oakland lost three fumbles, all recovered by Lambert, and Stabler had two picked off, both by Mike Wagner.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
OFFENSE | 176.6 (4) | 170.8 (11) | 347.4 (7) | 48 | |
DEFENSE | 127.5 (6) | 131.7 (5) | 259.2 (3) | 41 | |
OFFENSE | 188.1 (2) | 161.0 (14) | 349.1 (6) | 32 | |
DEFENSE | 129.6 (7) | 131.1 (4) | 260.8 (4) | 37 |
Line: Steelers by 6
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oakland Raiders (12-4-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
Pittsburgh Steelers (14-2-0) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 16 |
OAK PIT First Downs: 18 16 Rushes-yards: 32-93 39-117 Yards/rush: 2.9 3.0 Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 18-42-246-2 15-25-215-3 Sacked-yards: 2-18 0-0 Net pass yards: 228 215 Net yards/pass: 5.2 8.6 Total net yards: 321 332 Total plays: 76 (42% run) 64 (60% run) Yards/play: 4.2 5.2 Fumbles-lost: 4-3 5-5 Turnovers: 5 8 Penalties-yards: 4-40 3-32 Attendance: 50,609
OAK: Ken Stabler, 18 of 42 for 246 yards and 1 TD (2 int) PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 15 of 25 for 215 yards and 1 TD (3 int)
Rushing:
OAK: Clarence Davis, 13 for 29 yards; Marv Hubbard, 10 for 30 yards; Pete Banaszak, 8 for 33 yards; Jess Phillips, 1 for 1 yard PIT: Franco Harris, 27 for 79 yards and 1 TD; Rocky Bleier, 10 for 16 yards; Terry Bradshaw, 2 for 22 yards
Receiving:
OAK: Mike Siani, 5 for 80 yards and 1 TD; Dave Casper, 5 for 67 yards; Cliff Branch, 2 for 56 yards; Pete Banaszak, 2 for 12 yards; Bob Moore, 2 for 12 yards; Harold Hart, 1 for 16 yards; Clarence Davis, 1 for 3 yards PIT: Franco Harris, 5 for 58 yards; Randy Grossman, 4 for 36 yards; Lynn Swann, 2 for 45 yards; John Stallworth, 2 for 30 yards and 1 TD; Frank Lewis, 1 for 33 yards; Larry Brown, 1 for 13 yards
Kick returns:
OAK: Clarence Davis, 3 for 56 yards; Pete Banaszak, 1 for 15 yards PIT: Mike Collier, 2 for 57 yards
Punt returns:
OAK: Mike Siani, 1 for 0 yards PIT: Dave Brown, 2 for 28 yards; Mike Collier, 1 for 0 yards
Interceptions:
OAK: Jack Tatum, 2 for 8 yards; Monte Johnson, 1 for 11 yards PIT: Mike Wagner, 2 for 34 yards
Punting:
OAK: Ray Guy, 8 for 303 yards PIT: Bobby Walden, 4 for 154 yards
Field Goals:
OAK: George Blanda, 1/2 PIT: Roy Gerela, 1/3