The hapless NFL franchise finally broke through. Here’s how they did it.
(Read the first half summary here.)
The wet field continued to affect the game as kicker Roy Gerela slipped on the kickoff. But the unintentional squib kick worked in the Steelers’ favor when Minnesota fumbled the ball. Pittsburgh recovered and, once again, had a great field position at the Vikings’ 30.
After a run by Bleier went for no gain, Harris ran for 24 yards. After losing three yards on the next play, Franco ran it from the nine-yard line for a touchdown, and the extra point extended the Steelers’ lead to 9–0.
After a good kickoff by Gerela, Minnesota took possession at their 28.
But, once again, Minnesota went three and out. A theme of the game was becoming evident: the ‘Steel Curtain Defense’ had shut down the Vikings running game.
Pittsburgh took over at their 27, and Harris ran for nine yards and fumbled, but Pittsburgh recovered. Combo runs and passes gained 16 yards. Bradshaw then ran for another five yards after avoiding a fierce pass rush. But the drive stalled after Pittsburgh ran a questionable quarterback sneak (no gain) followed by a Bleier run (no gain). Those play calls were puzzling because Harris was running well behind the Steelers’ strong offensive line.
The usually reliable Chuck Foreman had a very rough time v. the Steelers in Super Bowl IX (photo, Penn Live)
Minnesota took possession on their 20-yard line, and the Vikings’ second play from scrimmage had a bizarre ending. LC Greenwood blocked Tarkenton’s pass, which the QB caught and then passed to John Gilliam for a 41-yard gain, But the play was soon nullified by officials as an illegal forward pass. Foreman gained 12 yards on the next play (his first and only good run of the day) but lost yardage followed, and Minnesota faced 3rd and 16.
Things looked promising when Tarkenton hit TE Stu Voigt for a 28-yard gain, but enthusiasm was short-lived when DE Dwight White blocked a pass attempt, and Joe Greene intercepted, running it back 10 yards. A clipping penalty put the ball on the Steelers’ 40.
Minnesota might have returned the favor by intercepting Bradshaw, but the turnover was nullified by an offsides penalty. Pittsburgh couldn’t take advantage and had to punt. The Vikings still couldn’t get traction against that tough Pittsburgh defense, and once again, they couldn’t move the ball and had to punt.
An 11-yard return by Swann gave the Steelers the ball at their 46 when Harris fumbled a handoff, and Minnesota recovered. Tarkenton went for it all on first down with a long pass to Gilliam, and a pass interference call on the Steelers put the ball at the Pittsburgh five-yard line.
But what appeared to be a high-probability scoring opportunity for Minnesota became Pittsburgh’s advantage when Joe Greene came up huge again, this time by settling on a fumbled ball. That advantage was short-lived, though, when Pittsburgh was forced to punt from its own two-yard line.
Blair breaks through (photo, twincities.com)
That’s when Minnesota finally broke through–literally. Linebacker Matt Blair broke through the line and blocked the punt that Terry Brown recovered for the touchdown. Just like that, the Vikings were back in the game, even though a missed extra point narrowed the gap to three points, 9-6, rather than two.
A squib kick by Minnesota gave Pittsburgh possession at their 34. That’s when the Steelers took advantage by scoring the next and final points of Super Bowl IX.
The big play was a 30-yard gain on a Bradshaw-to-Larry Brown pass followed (after a few plays) by Bleier’s 17-yead run. After two more plays (run, then pass), the Steelers were on Minnesota’s five with 1st and Goal-to-go. On 3rd down, Bradshaw rolled out and found Brown in the end zone for the touchdown. The point after made the score 16–6.
With only 3:20 left in the game and now 10 points behind, the Vikings had to pass long, and Pittsburgh knew it. On first down, Tarkenton threw long to Gilliam. Safety Mike Wagner intercepted and returned the ball 26 yards to the Vikings’ 41-yard line.
At that point, Pittsburgh’s goal was to run down the clock, which it did. Even though Minnesota retook possession (this time with only 37-seconds remaining), it was too late for the Vikings to close a two-score gap.
The Steelers’ 42-year wait was over. They were NFL champions!
