1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season

Sports season August 2023 March 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers 1997 11–5 1st AFC Central Bill Cowher Chan Gailey Jim Haslett Tom Donahoe The Rooney Family Three Rivers Stadium Won Divisional Playoffs(vs. Patriots) 7–6Lost AFC Championship(vs. Broncos) 21–24 border:none; padding:0; 6 RB Jerome Bettis C Dermontti Dawson ILB Levon Kirkland SS/CB Carnell Lake NT Joel Steed WR Yancey Thigpen border:none; padding:0; 5 Dermontti Dawson (1st team) Levon Kirkland (1st team) Carnell Lake (1st team) Jerome Bettis (2nd team) Yancey Thigpen (2nd team) Jerome Bettis Chad Scott Steelers seasons 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.http://pfref.com/tiny/LpSHb Pro-Football-Reference.com In a single season, from 1990 to 1999, in the NFL, in the regular season, sorted by descending Rushing Attempts 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 (who they had acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Rams the year before) 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 (Futura Condensed) as seen on the helmets. In addition, the Steelers logo was added to the left shoulder and the names became single color (black) 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. NFL draft 1997 NFL draft 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers 1 24 Chad Scott Cornerback Maryland yes no 2 53 Will Blackwell Wide receiver San Diego State yes no 3 82 Paul Wiggins Tackle Oregon yes no 3 91 Mike Vrabel Linebacker Ohio State yes yes 5 154 George Jones Running back San Diego State yes no 6 186 Daryl Porter Safety Boston College no no 6 199 Rod Manuel Defensive end Oklahoma yes no 7 223 Mike Adams Wide receiver Texas yes no no Personnel Coaches / Staff 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers #08214A white #EEC607 President – Daniel M. Rooney Vice president – John R. McGinley Vice president – Arthur J. Rooney, Jr. Vice president and general counsel – Arthur J. Rooney II Administration advisor – Chuck Noll Director of business – Mark Hart Business coordinator – Dan Ferens Accounts coordinator – Jim Ellenberger Office/ticket manager – Geraldine Glenn Marketing coordinator – Mark Fuhrman Merchandising manager – Tim Carey Assistant marketing manager – Lynne Molyneaux Media relations coordinator – Rob Boulware Assistant/community relations – Ron Miller Football operations Director of football operations – Tom Donahoe Personnel staff College personnel coordinator – Tom Modrak Pro personnel coordinator – Charles Bailey College scout – Bob Lane College scout – Max McCartney College scout – Phil Kreidler BLESTO College Scout – Mark Gorscak Head coach – Bill Cowher Offensive coordinator – Chan Gailey Running backs – Dick Hoak Wide receivers – David Culley Tight ends – Mike Mularkey Offensive line – Kent Stephenson Defensive coordinator – Jim Haslett Defensive line – John Mitchell Linebackers – Mike Archer Defensive backs – Tim Lewis Special teams – Ron Zook Administrative assistant – Lou Spanos Conditioning coordinator – Chet Fuhrman Medical staff Ophthalmologist – Dr. Randy Beatty Physician, orthopedic – Dr. James P. Bradley Neurological surgery consultant – Dr. Joseph Maroon Physician, M.D. – Dr. Richard Rydze Physician, consultant – Dr. Abraham J. Twerski Physician, M.D. – Dr. Anthony P. Yates Training staff Head trainer – John Norwig Assistant trainer – Rick Burkholder Equipment manager – Rodgers Freyvogel Field manager – Rich Baker Field/equipment assistant – Paul Gallagher Equipment consultant – Tony Parisi Video coordinator – Bob McCartney Video assistant – Pat Dolan Player development coordinator – Anthony Griggs Photographers – Mike Fabus, Bill Amatucci, Michael Drazdzinski 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide Notable additions include Paul Wiggins and Mike Vrabel. Roster 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers 53 4 3 11 Mike Quinn y 10 Kordell Stewart 18 Mike Tomczak 36 Jerome Bettis 43 George Jones American football y 34 Tim Lester FB running back 25 Fred McAfee 38 Jon Witman FB 89 Will Blackwell y KR/PR 19 Andre Coleman KR 88 Courtney Hawkins American football 83 Corey Holliday 81 Charles Johnson wide receiver, born 1972 17 Curtis Marsh Sr. 82 Yancey Thigpen 84 Kirk Botkin LS 87 Mark Bruener 46 Troy Sadowski 63 Dermontti Dawson C 65 John Jackson offensive tackle T 62 Tom Myslinski G 68 Brenden Stai G 67 Jamain Stephens T 73 Justin Strzelczyk T 66 Jim Sweeney American football, born 1962 C 79 Paul Wiggins American football y T 77 Will Wolford G 98 Oliver Gibson American football NT 74 Nolan Harrison DE 76 Kevin Henry DE 97 Rod Manuel y DE 71 Orpheus Roye DE 93 Joel Steed NT 53 Steve Conley OLB linebacker 51 Carlos Emmons OLB American football 92 Jason Gildon OLB 50 Earl Holmes ILB 54 Donta Jones OLB 99 Levon Kirkland ILB 95 Greg Lloyd OLB 55 Jerry Olsavsky ILB 96 Mike Vrabel y OLB 40 Myron Bell SS 27 J. B. Brown cornerback CB 41 Lethon Flowers FS 29 Randy Fuller American football CB 37 Carnell Lake CB/S 24 Chris Oldham CB 39 Darren Perry FS 30 Chad Scott y CB 21 Donnell Woolford CB  9 Norm Johnson K  4 Josh Miller punter P 86 Mike Adams wide receiver y WR IR 80 Jahine Arnold WR IR 14 Henry Bailey American football WR IR 85 Mitch Lyons TE IR 22 DeAuntae Brown y CB 57 John Fiala y LB 42 David McCann American football y RB 1998 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/pit/1997_roster.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com 2014-12-24 1998 Pittsburgh Steelers https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/pit/1998_roster.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com 2014-12-24 1999 Pittsburgh Steelers https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/pit/1999_roster.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com 2014-12-24 Preseason Preseason Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue 1 July 27 vs. Chicago Bears W 30–17 1–0 Ireland Croke Park (Dublin, Ireland) 2 August 2 at Kansas City Chiefs W 28–14 2–0 Arrowhead Stadium 3 August 11 Philadelphia Eagles W 42–26 3–0 Three Rivers Stadium 4 August 17 Detroit Lions W 28–20 4–0 Three Rivers Stadium 5 August 22 at Carolina Panthers W 27–19 5–0 Ericsson Stadium Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue 1 August 31 Dallas Cowboys L 7–37 0–1 Three Rivers Stadium 2 September 7 Washington Redskins W 14–13 1–1 Three Rivers Stadium 3 Bye 4 September 22, 1997 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 21–30 1–2 Alltel Stadium 5 September 28 Tennessee Oilers W 37–24 2–2 Three Rivers Stadium 6 October 5 at Baltimore Ravens W 42–34 3–2 Memorial Stadium 7 October 12 Indianapolis Colts W 24–22 4–2 Three Rivers Stadium 8 October 19 at Cincinnati Bengals W 26–10 5–2 Cinergy Field 9 October 26 Jacksonville Jaguars W 23–17 (OT) 6–2 Three Rivers Stadium 10 November 3, 1997 at Kansas City Chiefs L 10–13 6–3 Arrowhead Stadium 11 November 9 Baltimore Ravens W 37-0 7-3 Three Rivers Stadium 12 November 16 Cincinnati Bengals W 20–3 8–3 Three Rivers Stadium 13 November 23 at Philadelphia Eagles L 20–23 8–4 Veterans Stadium 14 November 30, 1997 at Arizona Cardinals W 26–20 (OT) 9–4 Sun Devil Stadium 15 December 7 Denver Broncos W 35–24 10–4 Three Rivers Stadium 16 December 13, 1997 at New England Patriots W 24–21 (OT) 11–4 Foxboro Stadium 17 December 21 at Tennessee Oilers L 6–16 11–5 Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumNote: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1 (Sunday August 31, 1997): vs. Dallas Cowboys Cowboys 0 17 17 3 Steelers 0 0 0 7 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 1:00 pm EDT Game weather: 74 F (Partly Sunny) Game attendance: 60,396 Referee: Jerry Markbreit TV announcers: (FOX) Pat Summerall (play by play), John Madden (color commentator), Pam Oliver (sideline reporter) Scoring drives: Dallas – Miller 12 pass from Aikman (Cunningham kick) Dallas – Irvin 42 pass from Aikman (Cunningham kick) Dallas – FG Cunningham 52 Dallas – Irvin 15 pass from Aikman (Cunningham kick) Dallas – FG Cunningham 24 Dallas – Johnston 13 pass from Aikman (Cunningham kick) Dallas – FG Cunningham 28 Pittsburgh – Bruener 4 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Week 2 (Sunday September 7, 1997): vs. Washington Redskins Redskins 0 3 10 0 Steelers 7 0 0 7 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 1:00 pm EDT Game weather: 74 F (Partly Sunny) Game attendance: 58,059 Referee: Ron Blum TV announcers: (FOX) Dick Stockton (play by play), Matt Millen (color commentator), Pam Oliver (sideline reporter) Scoring drives: Pittsburgh – Stewart 1 run (N. Johnson kick) Washington – FG Blanton 37 Washington – Mitchell 97 kickoff return (Blanton kick) Washington – FG Blanton 28 Pittsburgh – Bettis 1 run (N. Johnson kick) Week 3 (Sunday September 14, 1997): Bye Week Week 4 (Monday September 22, 1997): at Jacksonville Jaguars Steelers 7 0 7 7 Jaguars 7 10 3 10 at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida Game time: 9:00 pm EDT Game weather: Game attendance: 73,016 Referee: Gerry Austin TV announcers: (ABC) Al Michaels (play by play), Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf (color commentators), Lynn Swann (sideline reporter) Scoring drives: Jacksonville – Means 1 run (Hollis kick) Pittsburgh – Stewart 6 run (N. Johnson kick) Jacksonville – Smith 11 pass from Brunell (Hollis kick) Jacksonville – FG Hollis 20 Pittsburgh – Thigpen 4 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Jacksonville – FG Hollis 45 Pittsburgh – Bruener 1 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Jacksonville – FG Hollis 27 Jacksonville – Hudson 58 blocked field goal return (Hollis kick) Week 5 (Sunday September 28, 1997): vs. Tennessee Oilers Oilers 0 6 3 15 Steelers 10 21 3 3 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 1:00 pm EDT Game weather: 67 F (Cloudy) Game attendance: 57,507 Referee: Bernie Kukar TV announcers: (NBC) Jim Donovan (play by play), Beasley Reece (color commentator) Scoring drives: Pittsburgh – Stewart 7 run (N. Johnson kick) Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 48 Pittsburgh – Gildon 12 fumble return (N. Johnson kick) Tennessee – FG Del Greco 37 Pittsburgh – Bruener 18 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Pittsburgh – Stewart 2 run (N. Johnson kick) 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 (Wycheck pass from McNair) Tennessee – Davis 11 pass from McNair (Del Greco kick) Week 6 (Sunday October 5, 1997): at Baltimore Ravens Steelers 0 7 14 21 Ravens 14 10 0 10 at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland Game time: 1:00 pm EDT Game weather: Game attendance: 64,421 Referee: Bill Carollo TV announcers: (NBC) Tom Hammond (play by play), Jim Kelly (color commentator) Scoring drives: Baltimore – Green 22 pass from Testaverde (Stover kick) Baltimore – Morris 1 run (Stover kick) Baltimore – Kinchen 24 pass from Testaverde (Stover kick) Pittsburgh – Stewart 1 run (N. Johnson kick) Baltimore – FG Stover 34 Pittsburgh – Blackwell 97 kickoff return (N. Johnson kick) Pittsburgh – C. Johnson 8 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Pittsburgh – Bruener 4 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Pittsburgh – C. Johnson 17 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Baltimore – Alexander 10 pass from Testaverde (Byner pass from Testaverde) Pittsburgh – Stewart 74 run (N. Johnson kick) Baltimore – Safety, Miller ran out of end zone Week 7 (Sunday October 12, 1997): vs. Indianapolis Colts Colts 10 0 3 9 Steelers 0 17 7 0 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 8:00 pm EDT Game weather: 66 F (Clear) Game attendance: 57,925 Referee: Tom White TV announcers: (TNT) Verne Lundquist (play by play), Pat Haden & Mark May (color commentators), Craig Sager (sideline reporter) Scoring drives: Indianapolis – Harrison 18 pass from Harbaugh (Blanchard kick) Indianapolis – FG Blanchard 37 Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 23 Pittsburgh – Bettis 7 run (N. Johnson kick) Pittsburgh – Lake 38 fumble return (N. Johnson kick) Indianapolis – FG Blanchard 27 Pittsburgh – Hawkins 28 pass from Tomczak (N. Johnson kick) Indianapolis – FG Blanchard 35 Indianapolis – Stablein 5 pass from Harbaugh (pass failed) Week 8 (Sunday October 19, 1997): at Cincinnati Bengals Steelers 0 13 7 6 Bengals 7 0 3 0 at Cinergy Field, Cincinnati Game time: 4:00 pm EDT Game weather: Game attendance: 60,020 Referee: Phil Luckett TV announcers: (NBC) Dan Hicks (play by play), Bob Trumpy & Jim Kelly (color commentators) Scoring drives: Cincinnati – Carter 6 run (Pelfrey kick) Pittsburgh – Jones 11 pass from Stewart (pass failed) PIttsburgh – Bettis 1 run (N. Johnson kick) Pittsburgh – Thigpen 11 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Cincinnati – FG Pelfrey 33 Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 43 Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 32 Week 9 (Sunday October 26, 1997): vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Jaguars 0 10 0 7 0 Steelers 0 0 7 10 6 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 4:00 pm EST Game weather: 48 F (Light Rain) Game attendance: 57,011 Referee: Gary Lane TV announcers: (NBC) Dick Enberg (play by play), Phil Simms & Paul Maguire (color commentators) Scoring drives: Jacksonville – Jackson 8 pass from Brunell (Hollis kick) Jacksonville – FG Hollis 20 Pittsburgh – Hawkins 28 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Pittsburgh – Stewart 1 run (N. Johnson kick) Jacksonville – Mitchell 3 pass from Brunell (Hollis kick) Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 19 Pittsburgh – Bettis 17 pass from Stewart Week 10 (Monday November 3, 1997): at Kansas City Chiefs Steelers 10 0 0 0 Chiefs 0 13 0 0 at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri Game time: 9:00 pm EST Game weather: Game attendance: 78,301 Referee: Ed Hochuli TV announcers: (ABC) Al Michaels (play by play), Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf (color commentators), Lynn Swann (sideline reporter) Scoring drives: Pittsburgh – Hawkins 44 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 27 Kansas City – FG Stoyanovich 35 Kansas City – FG Stoyanovich 44 Kansas City – Hughes 14 pass from Allen (Stoyanovich kick) Week 11 (Sunday November 9, 1997): vs. Baltimore Ravens Ravens 0 0 0 0 Steelers 10 10 10 7 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 8:00 pm EST Game weather: 44 F (Cloudy) Game attendance: 56,669 Referee: Gary Lane TV announcers: (ESPN) Mike Patrick (play by play), Joe Theismann (color commentator), Ron Jaworski (sideline reporter) Scoring drives: Pittsburgh – Bettis 1 run (N. Johnson kick) Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 52 Pittsburgh – Stewart 1 run (N. Johnson kick) Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 22 Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 39 Pittsburgh – Thigpen 52 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Pittsburgh – Jones 1 run (N. Johnson kick) Week 12 (Sunday November 16, 1997): vs. Cincinnati Bengals Bengals 0 0 3 0 Steelers 3 3 7 7 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 1:00 pm EST Game weather: 30 F (Light Snow) Game attendance: 55,226 Referee: Johnny Grier TV announcers: (NBC) Dan Hicks (play by play), Jim Kelly (color commentator) Scoring drives: Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 34 Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 25 Pittsburgh – Thigpen 20 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Cincinnati – FG Pelfrey 25 Pittsburgh – Bruener 5 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Week 13 (Sunday November 23, 1997): at Philadelphia Eagles Steelers 3 3 7 7 Eagles 14 3 3 3 at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia Game time: 1:00 pm EST Game weather: Game attendance: 67,166 Referee: Jerry Markbreit TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), Jim Mora (color commentator) Scoring drives: Philadelphia – Dunn 31 pass from Hoying (Boniol kick) Philadelphia – Fryar 8 pass from Hoying (Boniol kick) Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 46 Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 40 Philadelphia – FG Boniol 23 Philadelphia – FG Boniol 35 Pittsburgh – Bettis 19 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Philadelphia – FG Boniol 25 Pittsburgh – Blackwell 30 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) With their 6th loss in Philadelphia since 1965 the Steelers dropped to 8-4. Week 14 (Sunday November 30, 1997): at Arizona Cardinals The Football Database. Retrieved 2026-Jan-31. Pittsburgh Steelers 1997 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 14: Pittsburgh Steelers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary November 30, 1997 4:00 p.m. EST Steelers (9–4) 7 3 7 3 6 Cardinals (3–10) 0 3 14 3 0 Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, Arizona 66,341 Cloudy; 56 F C, relative humidity 53%, wind 5 mph km/h knots Bob McElwee NBC Dan Hicks (play-by-play) and Jim Kelly (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Pittsburgh Steelers at Arizona Cardinals – November 30, 1997 right Pittsburgh Steelers PIT Arizona Cardinals ARI Kordell Stewart 18/35, 179 YDS Jerome Bettis 36 CAR, 42 YDS, 3 TDs Yancey ThigpenCharles Johnson 5 REC, 78 YDS5 REC, 41 YDS Jake Plummer 15/26, 270 YDS, 2 TDs Leeland McElroy 9 CAR, 33 YDS Rob Moore 8 REC, 188 YDS PIT ARI collapsed 1 6:47 Steelers 13 67 7:12 RushTD Bettis 2 good N. Johnson run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 0 2 6:26 Cardinals 8 57 4:00 FG 32 Nedney 7 3 2 1:13 Steelers 12 55 5:13 FG 32 N. Johnson 10 3 3 10:46 Cardinals 6 65 3:01 RecTD Sanders Plummer 3 good Nedney run/pass good/failed/incomplete 10 10 3 4:20 Steelers 12 80 6:26 RushTD Bettis 7 good N. Johnson run/pass good/failed/incomplete 17 10 3 1:00 Cardinals 7 70 3:20 RecTD Sanders Gedney 11 good Nedney run/pass good/failed/incomplete 17 17 4 9:12 Steelers 14 53 6:48 FG 39 N. Johnson 20 17 4 4:20 Cardinals 8 58 4:52 FG 19 Nedney 20 20 OT 9:26 Steelers 5 52 2:51 Other Bettis 10-yard touchdown run 26 20 26 20 Point spread: Steelers –5½ Over/under: 38.0 (over) Time of game: 3 hours, 11 minutes SteelersGame statisticsCardinals25 First downs 1844–177 Rushes–yards 17–48179 Passing yards 29618–35–0 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 16–27–02–14 Sacked–yards 10–53165 Net passing yards 243342 Total yards 291131 Return yards 1025–46.8 Punts Number–Average yardage 6–44.70–0 Fumbles–lost 0–00 Turnovers 04–20 Penalties–yards 4–308–17 Third Down Conversion 2–111–1 Fourth Down Conversion 0–039:22 Time of possession 26:12 Starting Lineups Position Starting Lineups at Arizona Offense QB Kordell Stewart RB Jerome Bettis FB Tim Lester WR Yancey Thigpen WR Charles Johnson TE Mark Bruener LT John Jackson LG Will Wolford C Dermontti Dawson RG Brenden Stai RT Justin Strzelczyk Defense LDE Nolan Harrison NT Joel Steed RDE Kevin Henry LOLB Jason Gildon LILB Levon Kirkland RILB Earl Holmes ROLB Donta Jones LCB Donnell Woolford RCB Chad Scott SS Carnell Lake FS Darren Perry Individual stats Steelers Passing C/ATT1YdsTDINTSkYdsLG3RateStewart18/35179092142266.2 Steelers Rushing Car2YdsTDLG3Bettis36142314Stewart627012Hawkins1606Jones1202 Steelers ReceivingRec4YdsTDLG3Thigpen578022C. Johnson541010Bettis219014Bruener21508Blackwell2503Hawkins115015Jones1606 Steelers KickingFGM–FGAXPM–XPAN. Johnson2–22–2 Steelers PuntingPntYdsY/PLngBlckMiller523446.856 Steelers Kick ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngColeman25125.500Blackwell24623.000 Steelers Punt ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngBlackwell3258.300Hawkins199.000 Steelers SacksSacksLake3.0Herny1.5Gildon1.0Harrison1.0Holmes1.0Kirkland1.0Oldham1.0Vrabel0.5 Steelers TacklesCombSolpAstKirkland963Scott651Gildon550Holmes440Lake440Perry440Woolford440Harrison321Vrabel312Steed220Oldham110Roye110 Week 15 (Sunday December 7, 1997): vs. Denver Broncos Broncos 14 7 3 0 Steelers 7 14 7 7 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 1:00 pm EST Game weather: 36 F (Flurries) Game attendance: 59,739 Referee: Walt Coleman TV announcers: (NBC) Dick Enberg (play by play), Phil Simms & Paul Maguire (color commentators), Jim Gray (sideline reporter) Scoring drives: Denver – R. Smith 37 pass from Elway (Elam kick) Pittsburgh – Thigpen 33 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Denver – Davis 3 run (Elam kick) Denver – R. Smith 25 pass from Elgay (Elam kick) Pittsburgh – Thigpen 69 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Pittsburgh – Thigpen 21 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Denver – FG Elam 35 Pittsburgh – Stewart 4 run (N. Johnson kick) Pittsburgh – Stewart 9 run (N. Johnson kick) Week 16 (Saturday December 13, 1997): at New England Patriots Steelers 0 7 3 11 3 Patriots 0 14 0 7 0 at Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts Game time: 4:00 pm EST Game weather: Game attendance: 60,013 Referee: Mike Carey TV announcers: (NBC) Dick Enberg (play by play), Phil Simms & Paul Maguire (color commentators), Jim Gray (sideline reporter) Scoring drives: New England – Coates 18 pass from Bledsoe (Vinatieri kick) New England – Gash 1 pass from Bledsoe (Vinatieri kick) Pittsburgh – Stewart 1 run (N. Johnson kick) Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 36 Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 34 New England – Meggett 49 pass from Bledsoe (Vinatieri kick) Pittsburgh – Bruener 1 pass from Stewart (Thigpen pass from Stewart) Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 31 Week 17 (Sunday December 21, 1997): at Tennessee Oilers Steelers 3 0 0 3 Oilers 3 10 3 0 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee Game time: 1:00 pm EST Game weather: Game attendance: 50,677 Referee: Phil Luckett TV announcers: (NBC) Charlie Jones (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator) Scoring drives: Tennessee – FG Del Greco 34 Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 23 Tennessee – Thomas 25 run (Del Greco kick) Tennessee – FG Del Greco 29 Tennessee – FG Del Greco 26 Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 36 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 (and defending AFC champion) New England Patriots at home. The game, which was a homecoming for young Patriots players & Pittsburgh area natives Ty Law and Curtis Martin (Martin was in fact playing in his last game with New England before signing with the New York Jets that offseason), 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. New England Patriots Patriots 0 3 0 3 Steelers 7 0 0 0 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 12:30 pm EST Game weather: 52 F (Light Rain) Game attendance: 61,228 Referee: Walt Coleman TV announcers: (NBC) Tom Hammond (play by play), Randy Cross (color commentator), James Lofton (sideline reporter) Scoring drives: Pittsburgh – Stewart 40 run (N. Johnson kick) 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 Broncos 7 17 0 0 Steelers 7 7 0 7 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 12:30 pm EST Game weather: 34 F (Mostly Sunny) Game attendance: 61,382 Referee: Ron Blum TV announcers: (NBC) Dick Enberg (play by play), Phil Simms & Paul Maguire (color commentators), Jim Gray & John Dockery (sideline reporters) Scoring drives: Denver – Davis 8 run (Elam kick) Pittsburgh – Stewart 33 run (N. Johnson kick) Pittsburgh – Bettis 1 run (N. Johnson kick) Denver – FG Elam 43 Denver – Griffith 16 pass from Elway (Elam kick) Denver – McCaffrey 1 pass from Elway (Elam kick) Pittsburgh – C. Johnson 15 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) Honors and awards Pro Bowlers See: 1998 Pro Bowl No. 36 Jerome Bettis-Running back No. 37 Carnell Lake-Safety No. 63 Dermontti Dawson-Center No. 82 Yancey Thigpen-Wide receiver No. 93 Joel Steed-Nose tackle No. 99 Levon Kirkland-Inside linebacker All-Pros Yancy Thigpen (Second-Team) Joel Steed (Pro Football Weekly First-Team All-AFC) Levon Kirkland (First-Team) Dermontti Dawson (First-Team) Carnell Lake (First-Team) Jerome Bettis (Second-Team) References External links 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season at Pro Football Reference 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season statistics at jt-sw.com Category:Pittsburgh Steelers seasons Pittsburgh Steelers Category:AFC Central championship seasons Pitts