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1978 Steelers 31 vs Falcons 7
Atlanta gets an old-school butt-kicking, Steeler style. Even though both teams are ultimately playoff-bound, the Falcons are totally outclassed and never stand a chance against the undefeated Steelers, who seemingly can do no wrong.
A broken play magically turns into a 6-yd Bradshaw TD run; a Rocky Bleier fumble magically becomes a 10 yd gain and a first down. Keying all of this good fortune is Franco Harris darting and cutting back against the grain for his first 100-yard game of the season, keeping Atlanta on their heels while opening up the passing game for Bradshaw. Terry takes full advantage, hitting 13 of 18 for 231 yds and 2 TDs (1 passing, 1 rushing) with John Stallworth snagging 6 of those passes for 114 yards and a TD (highlighted by a 71 yard catch & run).
But the glory this day really belongs to the men in the trenches as Pittsburgh's offensive and defensive lines simply ravage Atlanta. The Steelers execute multiple 80+ yard scoring drives as the O-Line opens gaping holes for Franco and gives Bradshaw all day to throw.
While the Steelers set a team record with 28 first downs, Steve Bartowski is the victim of one jail break after another by the Pittsburgh D-line. It's quite amazing to behold such a ferocious pass rush being generated by just the front four. And with no LBs blitzing, the Steelers are free to leave 7 defenders downfield in coverage on nearly every play. The result is a rout.
Unfortunately, the Steelers lose TE Bennie Cunningham for the season to a knee injury. Some edited huddles, post-game footage includes brief interview with Bradshaw and Cosell's Monday Night highlights.
Note: There are two different versions of this game. This version is the CBS TV broadcast (edited huddles) with Bob Costas and Tom Matte calling the game. The other version is the same CBS TV edited huddles broadcast sync'd with the full length WTAE radio call by Jack Fleming and Myron Cope.
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1978 Steelers vs Falcons (Oct 8, 1978)
