Jake Scott and Nick Buoniconti both left after the 1976 season. John L. Williams' gained the single yard needed for six points, and Pittsburgh led 7-0.In another similarity to the '74 playoff game, a heralded Buffalo running back was stuffed. Any chance of a miraculous return by "Hot Rod" depended on two wins in the AFC playoffs.The odds of victory increased when it was announced that Bruce Smith would miss the game due to severe flu.To start the contest, the Steelers defense quickly got Jim Kelly and company off the field.Without the leverage of Smith, Bryce Paup and Phil Hansen were not nearly as effective, and the Steelers offense wholly dominated the entire first half. Indeed, while Buffalo was getting better, they their roster paled to Pittsburgh's who's-who gallery of eventual superstardom...with one exception.O.J. Throwing poised and accurate, the passer also became a runner, picking up 48 critical yards on his finest afternoon to-date, only one fewer than Simpson.In a season that began with Joe Gilliam as the entrenched starter, the "Blonde Bomber" had to endure the peaks and valleys that typically coincide with early days in the NFL. Then, just as fast, O'Donnell rallied the Steelers offense, which drove in the final seconds to another field goal, and Norm Johnson's true kick made the score 23-7 at intermission. In 1971 they finished 10-3-1 and won the AFC only to lose in the Super Bowl to the Dallas Cowboys.

NFC.

The Raiders’ 12-2 mark was their best regular season since their 1967 Super Bowl run out of the AFL, and they were gunning for their long-awaited first Super Bowl championship under head coach John Madden.The 1974 Divisional playoff would pit the reigning champ and team to beat in the NFL against the NFL’s bad boys, a team that had finished just short too many times in the past and was looking to make things right after having their season ended by the champs the year prior. Ahead 16-7, Harris extended the advantage with a four-yard burst.Next, following another "Buffa-low" possession, the Steelers took control again, and a superb pitch and catch from Bradshaw to Larry Brown set up the cinching score.Franco's third touchdown of the quarter gave Pittsburgh a dominant 29-7 lead. Simpson's only playoff game would be over before it began when the surprising Bills fell victim to a …

East Brady's finest finished completing 14-of-29 attempts for a mere 135 yards with three picks. Then Stabler went back to his go-to man: a deep hook to Biletnikoff gave them 18 yards and a first down, followed by the Raiders first time out of the half.

Prior to Pittsburgh's playoff game in '92, I vividly recall my mother saying emphatically, "I hope we kick Buffalo's (insert expletive). The Pittsburgh Steelers advanced to their first Super Bowl with a 24-13 win over the Oakland Raiders for the 1974 AFC Championship. Eventually, Bradshaw took control under center, then got the vote of the locker room. A George Blanda extra point gave the Raiders a 21-19 lead with 4:37 left on the clock.Skip to 0:13 to see Branch’s 72 yard catch and run:The Dolphins came right back, however.

The Raider defense was vicious, intimidating, and opportunistic: they had recorded 41 takeaways in the 1974 regular season.

Stabler had been perfect on the final Raider drive, completing all 6 of his passes. Just like the haunting memories of four consecutive big games, Buffalo's two other trips to the Steel City have proven to be dicey...and icy...at best.The first do-or-die battle between Buffalo and the 'Burgh was on Dec. 22, 1974.O.J. The Dolphins, by the time they reached the 1974 playoffs, were the kings of the NFL: they were 57-12-1 in regular season play over the last five seasons, had won three straight AFC titles and two straight Super Bowls with a playoff record of 8-2 over that five year stretch. Sadly, it didn't matter.After Jim Kelly temporarily fell to injury, backup Alex Van Pelt led the Bills to a momentum-changing score, finding Jim Cline for a two-yard touchdown. Baltimore Colts. Their 1973 Raiders season had ended in the AFC Championship game with a loss to the Miami Dolphins, and the Raiders were out for revenge. The Raiders used their second time out with 41 seconds to go in the game. The Steelers led 33-21 with only a few minutes remaining.Officially putting away the determined Bills rally, Levon Kirkland intercepted a desperate Jim Kelly pass, setting up another Morris touchdown from two yards out. Then, O'Donnell went to work, hitting Yancey Thigpen on a 13-yard strike on 3rd-and-9. On the 2nd down play, Stabler hit backup WR Frank Pitts over the middle, who made a great recovery on a bobbled catch on the Miami 14-yard line to bring up 3rd and 1. The two teams would then trade scoreless possessions for the remainder of the quarter, the Dolphins holding the 7-0 lead as the second period began.On their second possession of the second quarter, the Raiders finally got something going on offense.