1978 Steelers at Oilers - Upgrade, missing some action (Dec 3, 1978)      






 






1978 Season

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1978 Steelers 13 at Oilers 3 (Upgrade)
NBC broadcast featuring outstanding video quality, but missing several "non-scoring" drives in each half


In one of the great defensive clashes of the '78 season and one of the most physical games of all time, the Steelers get revenge on the road for their mid-season loss to Houston and clinch the AFC Central division.

This game features Hall of Famer Donnie Shell's famous hit on Earl Campbell (who was running effectively to that point with 41 yds on 7 carries), badly bruising Campbell's ribs and sidelining him for the game. As usual between these two teams, this matchup is an extremely physical and results in injuries to multiple players on both sides (including Swann & Pastorini along with Campbell).

Both defenses play extremely well, but the Steel Curtain is especially brilliant, forcing 6 Houston turnovers and holding the Oilers to just 164 yds of offense. Both QBs are held under 100 yds passing as Pastorini is terrorized by the Steel Curtain and throws 3 INT's (2 by Lambert, 1 by Wagner), while Bradshaw struggles to decipher Houston's coverages.

Franco Harris (27 carries, 102 yds) is largely contained for much of the afternoon, but he finally breaks a HUGE 31-yd run in the 3rd quarter to the Oiler 4 to set up a crucial FG. Bradshaw finally puts it all together on Pittsburgh's final possession, engineering the Steelers' only sustained drive of the contest. The 11-play, 80-yd march is keyed by two great John Stallworth catches, the first in triple coverage on 3rd and 9 for a 25-yd gain, the second for the game-winning 5-yd TD. Features Howard Cosell's halftime highlights after the game. "This Week in Pro Football" highlights also available.

Note: There are two different versions of this game. This version is the majority of the NBC broadcast featuring better video quality, but missing several "non-scoring" drives in each half. The other version is a more complete broadcast of the game, but with greaty reduced video quality. The majority of the missing plays are there, but the recording is many generations removed from the master.


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