1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season


The 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 65th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
This season was considered a transitional year due to many key free agent losses in the offseason, as well as the first season of Kordell Stewart starting at quarterback.
The Steelers finished with an 11–5 record, their fourth consecutive AFC Central top seed, and their sixth straight playoff appearance. In doing so, Steelers head coach Bill Cowher tied Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown with most consecutive playoff appearances to start a head coaching career in the NFL—a record Cowher still co-owns with Brown, as the Steelers missed the playoffs the following season.
The Steelers made 572 rushing attempts in 1997, the most in the 1990s. Their 2,479 total rushing yards were the third-most of the decade by any team.
The Steelers went into the season introducing a new font style numbers on jerseys matching the ones they wear on the helmets and the Steelers logo patch on uniform. This was the only season where the white away jerseys featured the players last names in black letters. It would switch back to gold lettering with black trim the next season.
The Steelers would host the AFC Championship Game for the third time in four years; however, they would ultimately lose to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. That game was the last playoff appearance for the Steelers during the 1990s and they did not return to the postseason until 2001.

Offseason

The Steelers saw many key free-agents leave the team, the biggest being cornerback Rod Woodson, whose ten-year tenure with the team ended due to a dispute over money with the Rooney family. Woodson would sign with the San Francisco 49ers as a result, though the Steelers would see him again in the following four seasons afterward as a member of the rival Baltimore Ravens. Other free-agent losses included Chad Brown, Ernie Mills, Andre Hastings, Deon Figures, and Brentson Buckner, among others. The team did manage to keep its other prized free-agent besides Woodson, locking up Jerome Bettis with a four-year deal.
The team also had a transition at quarterback. After pushing Bill Cowher play exclusively at quarterback, Kordell Stewart was handed the starting job and dropping his "Slash" role on the team. Stewart would have success with the team this season, but would be inconsistent afterwards.
The team also made some minor changes to the uniforms this season, the first changes since gold pants were adopted as part of the white jerseys in 1972. The jersey numbers, previously having the old-style block numbering, were switched to the rounder style as seen on the helmets. In addition, the Steelers logo was added to the left shoulder and the names became single color fonts on the white away jersey. The names returned to gold on black the following year. The uniforms have remained the same since these changes as of 2007.

Personnel

Coaches / Staff

Notable additions include Paul Wiggins and Mike Vrabel.

Regular season

Game summaries

Week 1 (Sunday August 31, 1997): vs. [Dallas Cowboys]

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaGame time: 1:00 pm EDTGame weather: Game attendance: 60,396Referee: Jerry MarkbreitTV announcers: Pat Summerall, John Madden, Pam Oliver
Scoring drives:
  • Dallas – Miller 12 pass from Aikman
  • Dallas – Irvin 42 pass from Aikman
  • Dallas – FG Cunningham 52
  • Dallas – Irvin 15 pass from Aikman
  • Dallas – FG Cunningham 24
  • Dallas – Johnston 13 pass from Aikman
  • Dallas – FG Cunningham 28
  • Pittsburgh – Bruener 4 pass from Stewart

Week 2 (Sunday September 7, 1997): vs. [Washington Redskins]

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaGame time: 1:00 pm EDTGame weather: Game attendance: 58,059Referee: Ron BlumTV announcers: Dick Stockton, Matt Millen, Pam Oliver
Scoring drives:
  • Pittsburgh – Stewart 1 run
  • Washington – FG Blanton 37
  • Washington – Mitchell 97 kickoff return
  • Washington – FG Blanton 28
  • Pittsburgh – Bettis 1 run

Week 4 (Monday September 22, 1997): at [Jacksonville Jaguars]

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, FloridaGame time: 9:00 pm EDTGame weather: Game attendance: 73,016Referee: Gerry AustinTV announcers: Al Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf, Lynn Swann
Scoring drives:
  • Jacksonville – Means 1 run
  • Pittsburgh – Stewart 6 run
  • Jacksonville – Smith 11 pass from Brunell
  • Jacksonville – FG Hollis 20
  • Pittsburgh – Thigpen 4 pass from Stewart
  • Jacksonville – FG Hollis 45
  • Pittsburgh – Bruener 1 pass from Stewart
  • Jacksonville – FG Hollis 27
  • Jacksonville – Hudson 58 blocked field goal return

Week 5 (Sunday September 28, 1997): vs. [Tennessee Oilers]

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaGame time: 1:00 pm EDTGame weather: Game attendance: 57,507Referee: Bernie KukarTV announcers: Jim Donovan, Beasley Reece
Scoring drives:
  • Pittsburgh – Stewart 7 run
  • Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 48
  • Pittsburgh – Gildon 12 fumble return
  • Tennessee – FG Del Greco 37
  • Pittsburgh – Bruener 18 pass from Stewart
  • Pittsburgh – Stewart 2 run
  • Tennessee – FG Del Greco 47
  • Tennessee – FG Del Greco 26
  • Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 25
  • Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 44
  • Tennessee – Wycheck 10 pass from McNair
  • Tennessee – Davis 11 pass from McNair

Week 6 (Sunday October 5, 1997): at [Baltimore Ravens]

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, MarylandGame time: 1:00 pm EDTGame weather: Game attendance: 64,421Referee: Bill CarolloTV announcers: Tom Hammond, Jim Kelly
Scoring drives:
  • Baltimore – Green 22 pass from Testaverde
  • Baltimore – Morris 1 run
  • Baltimore – Kinchen 24 pass from Testaverde
  • Pittsburgh – Stewart 1 run
  • Baltimore – FG Stover 34
  • Pittsburgh – Blackwell 97 kickoff return
  • Pittsburgh – C. Johnson 8 pass from Stewart
  • Pittsburgh – Bruener 4 pass from Stewart
  • Pittsburgh – C. Johnson 17 pass from Stewart
  • Baltimore – Alexander 10 pass from Testaverde
  • Pittsburgh – Stewart 74 run
  • Baltimore – Safety, Miller ran out of end zone

Week 7 (Sunday October 12, 1997): vs. [Indianapolis Colts]

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaGame time: 8:00 pm EDTGame weather: Game attendance: 57,925Referee: Tom WhiteTV announcers: Verne Lundquist, Pat Haden & Mark May, Craig Sager
Scoring drives:
  • Indianapolis – Harrison 18 pass from Harbaugh
  • Indianapolis – FG Blanchard 37
  • Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 23
  • Pittsburgh – Bettis 7 run
  • Pittsburgh – Lake 38 fumble return
  • Indianapolis – FG Blanchard 27
  • Pittsburgh – Hawkins 28 pass from Tomczak
  • Indianapolis – FG Blanchard 35
  • Indianapolis – Stablein 5 pass from Harbaugh

Week 8 (Sunday October 19, 1997): at [Cincinnati Bengals]

at Cinergy Field, CincinnatiGame time: 4:00 pm EDTGame weather: Game attendance: 60,020Referee: Phil LuckettTV announcers: Dan Hicks, Bob Trumpy & Jim Kelly
Scoring drives:

Week 9 (Sunday October 26, 1997): vs. [Jacksonville Jaguars]

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaGame time: 4:00 pm ESTGame weather: Game attendance: 57,011Referee: Gary LaneTV announcers: Dick Enberg, Phil Simms & Paul Maguire
Scoring drives:
  • Jacksonville – Jackson 8 pass from Brunell
  • Jacksonville – FG Hollis 20
  • Pittsburgh – Hawkins 28 pass from Stewart
  • Pittsburgh – Stewart 1 run
  • Jacksonville – Mitchell 3 pass from Brunell
  • Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 19
  • Pittsburgh – Bettis 17 pass from Stewart

Week 10 (Monday November 3, 1997): at [Kansas City Chiefs]

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MissouriGame time: 9:00 pm ESTGame weather: Game attendance: 78,301Referee: Ed HochuliTV announcers: Al Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf, Lynn Swann
Scoring drives:

Week 11 (Sunday November 9, 1997): vs. [Baltimore Ravens]

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaGame time: 8:00 pm ESTGame weather: Game attendance: 56,669Referee: Gary LaneTV announcers: Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Ron Jaworski
Scoring drives:

Week 12 (Sunday November 16, 1997): vs. [Cincinnati Bengals]

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaGame time: 1:00 pm ESTGame weather: Game attendance: 55,226Referee: Johnny GrierTV announcers: Dan Hicks, Jim Kelly
Scoring drives:
  • Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 34
  • Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 25
  • Pittsburgh – Thigpen 20 pass from Stewart
  • Cincinnati – FG Pelfrey 25
  • Pittsburgh – Bruener 5 pass from Stewart

Week 13 (Sunday November 23, 1997): at [Philadelphia Eagles]

at Veterans Stadium, PhiladelphiaGame time: 1:00 pm ESTGame weather: Game attendance: 67,166Referee: Jerry MarkbreitTV announcers: Don Criqui, Jim Mora
Scoring drives:
  • Philadelphia – Dunn 31 pass from Hoying
  • Philadelphia – Fryar 8 pass from Hoying
  • Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 46
  • Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 40
  • Philadelphia – FG Boniol 23
  • Philadelphia – FG Boniol 35
  • Pittsburgh – Bettis 19 pass from Stewart
  • Philadelphia – FG Boniol 25
  • Pittsburgh – Blackwell 30 pass from Stewart
With their 6th loss in Philadelphia since 1965 the Steelers dropped to 8-4.

Week 14 (Sunday November 30, 1997): at Arizona Cardinals">1997 Arizona Cardinals season">Arizona Cardinals

  • Point spread: Steelers –5½
  • Over/under: 38.0
  • Time of game: 3 hours, 11 minutes
SteelersGame statisticsCardinals
25First downs18
44–177Rushes–yards17–48
179Passing yards296
18–35–016–27–0
2–14Sacked–yards10–53
165Net passing yards243
342Total yards291
131Return yards102
5–46.86–44.7
0–0Fumbles–lost0–0
0Turnovers0
4–20Penalties–yards4–30
8–17Third Down Conversion2–11
1–1Fourth Down Conversion0–0
39:22Time of possession26:12

Starting Lineups
'''Individual stats'''

Week 15 (Sunday December 7, 1997): vs. [Denver Broncos]

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaGame time: 1:00 pm ESTGame weather: Game attendance: 59,739Referee: Walt ColemanTV announcers: Dick Enberg, Phil Simms & Paul Maguire, Jim Gray
Scoring drives:
  • Denver – R. Smith 37 pass from Elway
  • Pittsburgh – Thigpen 33 pass from Stewart
  • Denver – Davis 3 run
  • Denver – R. Smith 25 pass from Elgay
  • Pittsburgh – Thigpen 69 pass from Stewart
  • Pittsburgh – Thigpen 21 pass from Stewart
  • Denver – FG Elam 35
  • Pittsburgh – Stewart 4 run
  • Pittsburgh – Stewart 9 run

Week 16 (Saturday December 13, 1997): at [New England Patriots]

at Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, MassachusettsGame time: 4:00 pm ESTGame weather: Game attendance: 60,013Referee: Mike CareyTV announcers: Dick Enberg, Phil Simms & Paul Maguire, Jim Gray
Scoring drives:
  • New England – Coates 18 pass from Bledsoe
  • New England – Gash 1 pass from Bledsoe
  • Pittsburgh – Stewart 1 run
  • Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 36
  • Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 34
  • New England – Meggett 49 pass from Bledsoe
  • Pittsburgh – Bruener 1 pass from Stewart
  • Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 31

Week 17 (Sunday December 21, 1997): at [Tennessee Oilers]

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TennesseeGame time: 1:00 pm ESTGame weather: Game attendance: 50,677Referee: Phil LuckettTV announcers: Charlie Jones, Bob Trumpy
Scoring drives:

Playoffs

Game summaries

Both of the Steelers post-season matchups were rematches from the regular season. The Steelers had a first-round bye, then faced the AFC East champion New England Patriots at home. The game, which was a homecoming for young Patriots players & Pittsburgh area natives Ty Law and Curtis Martin, was also a rematch of the previous year's AFC Divisional matchup, which took place in Foxborough.
After defeating the Pats, the Steelers would lose to the eventual Super Bowl XXXII champion Denver Broncos 24–21 in Elway's last trip to Pittsburgh.

AFC Divisional Playoff (Saturday January 3, 1998): vs. [1997 [New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]]

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaGame time: 12:30 pm ESTGame weather: Game attendance: 61,228Referee: Walt ColemanTV announcers: Tom Hammond, Randy Cross, James Lofton
Scoring drives:
  • Pittsburgh – Stewart 40 run
  • New England – FG Vinatieri 31
  • New England – FG Vinatieri 46
As of 2016, this marks the last time the Steelers defeated the Patriots in the playoffs

AFC Championship Game (Sunday January 11, 1998): vs. Denver Broncos">1997 Denver Broncos season">Denver Broncos

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaGame time: 12:30 pm ESTGame weather: Game attendance: 61,382Referee: Ron BlumTV announcers: Dick Enberg, Phil Simms & Paul Maguire, Jim Gray & John Dockery
Scoring drives:
  • Denver – Davis 8 run
  • Pittsburgh – Stewart 33 run
  • Pittsburgh – Bettis 1 run
  • Denver – FG Elam 43
  • Denver – Griffith 16 pass from Elway
  • Denver – McCaffrey 1 pass from Elway
  • Pittsburgh – C. Johnson 15 pass from Stewart

Honors and awards

Pro Bowlers

See: 1998 Pro Bowl

All-Pros