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1995 AFC Championship Steelers 20 vs Colts 16
One of the most exciting AFC Championship games of all time. I still get chills watching the 4th quarter of this game.
In a deja vu moment from the '94 AFCC, Harbaugh finds Floyd Turner running wide open behind Darren Perry down the left sideline for a 47-yd TD to give Indianapolis a 16-13 lead with 8 minutes to play. After the Steelers stall at midfield and punt the ball away, the Colts find themselves a 3rd down conversion away from the Super Bowl.
On 3rd-and-1 with under 4 minutes to play, RB Lamont Warren takes a handoff and appears to have at least 15 yds of clear sailing ahead of him when CB Willie Williams comes screaming around right tackle on a blitz to make an outstanding shoestring tackle of Warren for no gain. Instead of sealing the game, the Colts are forced to punt, setting up Pittsburgh's game-winning drive with 3 minutes to play.
This time, it's WR Ernie Mills who saves the day, not once, but twice.
With the ball near midfield, LB Quentin Coryatt steps in front of an O'Donnell pass intended for Mills for a sure INT with nothing but green in front of him. The ball hits Coryatt right in the hands, but Mills reaches out and gets just enough of Coryatt's arm to dislodge the ball, preventing a sure game-ending pick-6.
In another deja-vu moment, the Steelers face 4th-and-3 with 2:25 left when O'Donnell finds Andre Hastings for a game-saving conversion, giving the Steelers a first down at the Colts' 38 at the two-minute warning. On the next play coming out of the break, O'Donnell hits Mills for the biggest play of the season.
The Steelers run "87-Move-Go" which sends Mills deep down the right sideline. O'Donnell makes a quick pump fake, then launches the ball deep to Mills, who makes an incredible, lunging grab, gracefully dragging his left toe to make sure he gets both feet inbounds before going out at the 1. Two plays later, Bam Morris pounds the ball through the middle for the go-ahead TD with 1:34 to play.
Gritty Jim Harbaugh moves within striking distance in the waning moments, driving the Colts 46 yards in 8 plays to the Steelers' 29, only to watch helplessly as his "Hail Mary" bounces in and out of the lap of Colt receiver Aaron Beasley in the end zone on the game's final play.
One of the great wins in Steeler history. Also includes Greg Lloyd's infamous "f-ing Super Bowl" postgame quote on national TV (score: Greg Lloyd, 1 -- TV censor button guy, 0).
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1995 AFC Championship Steelers vs Colts (Jan 14, 1996)
