Super Bowl XI
The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Head Coach: Chuck Noll
342 Points Scored
138 Points Allowed
Starting Quarterback: Terry Bradshaw
Road to the Super Bowl:
Defeated Baltimore, 24-3-AFC Divisional Playoffs
Defeated Oakland, 27-13-AFC Championship
Dallas Cowboys (11-3)
Head Coach: Tom Landry
296 Points Scored
194 Points Allowed
Starting Quarterback: Roger Staubach
Road to the Super Bowl:
Defeated Los Angeles, 16-13 (OT)-NFC Divisional Playoffs
Defeated Washington, 34-17-NFC Championship
The Game
For the third straight season, the Pittsburgh Steelers had come to the Super Bowl with hopes of winning another championship. Terry Bradshaw, Rocky Bleier, Franco Harris, John Stallworth and Lynn Swann led an imposing offense, while Jam Ham, Jack Lambert, Mel Blount and Joe Greene headed up one of the best defenses in recent memory. Opposing them would be the third different NFC team to face the Steelers in the Super Bowl: the Dallas Cowboys. While Roger Staubach didn't have the best year at quarterback, their three pronged running attack, along with an imposing defense made the Cowboys a very tough team.
At the start of the game, it appeared as if the Steelers would march their way to a third straight Super Bowl title with no problem at all. Rocky Bleier and Franco Harris dismantled the Dallas run defense, and by the time Terry Bradshaw threw his first pass, the Steelers were already at the Dallas 22 yard line. However, they would get no closer, and Roy Gerela would miss his 39 yard field goal attempt, leaving the game scoreless. Of course, Dallas still had to deal with Pittsburgh's defense, and that forced Staubach and the Cowboys to punt after three plays. This time, Bradshaw found his mark, hitting Randy Grossman for 16 yards, then Franco Harris for 33 more, setting the Steelers up for another field goal attempt. Gerela's 32 yard attempt was good, giving Pittsburgh a 3-0 lead ten minutes into the game.
Dallas seemed determined to give the Steelers another chance to score, as Staubach was intercepted by Jack Ham on the very next offensive play. However, Bradshaw was picked off just two plays later by Charlie Waters, giving the Cowboys another chance. When Doug Dennison broke off a 17 yard run, it appeared as if that might happen, but then Staubach was sacked by Jack Ham and then threw his second interception of the quarter, but this time, there was no one that could stop Mike Wagner as he raced 45 yards for the first touchdown of Super Bowl XI.
Dallas finally seemed to settle down on their next possession, with Staubach handing the ball off to Dennison, Robert Newhouse and Scott Laidlaw for punishing runs into the heart of the Pittsburgh defense. It worked well enough to begin to loosen up the Pittsburgh passing defense, and after getting down to the ten yard line, Staubach found Billy Joe Dupree open in the end zone for a touchdown that cut the lead to 10-7. Following a Pittsburgh punt, Dallas drove downfield again, on the legs of Dennison and a 19 yard catch and run by Drew Pearson. However, Efren Herrera missed the 41 yard field goal try, leaving the Cowboys unable to tie the score.
Pittsburgh would take advantage of the Dallas miss, moving once again with Harris and Bleier doing most of the heavy work. Bradshaw completed just one pass on the entire 11 play drive, but the two running backs gained 42 yards and put Pittsburgh in position to kick another field goal. When the ball sailed through the uprights, the score was 13-7. Dallas did little with its last possession of the half, and the game went to halftime with the same 13-7 score.
After the half, Dallas came out and looked like a different team on their first possession, moving down the field with the typical Cowboy skill and grace. Staubach finally began to find his receivers again, but it was the running attack that would fail Dallas on this drive, stopping the Cowboys short of a go-ahead touchdown. They had to settle for an Efren Herrera 29 yard field goal that made the Pittsburgh lead just three points. Meanwhile, the Steelers seemed more than content to just sit on their lead and run straight at the Dallas defense. In the entire third quarter, Bradshaw threw just two passes while letting Bleier and Harris do most of the work. It was effective, as the Steelers controlled the ball for much of the quarter. However, it did little to put points on the board, and as the fourth quarter began, Dallas recovered a Harris fumble to give themselves a shot at tying the score or even taking the lead.
The Cowboys had a chance on that drive, but on third and 12, Butch Johnson, a seldom used receiver, dropped a Staubach pass in the open field, ending the drive. From there on, it was more of the same for the Steelers, as both Bleier (116) and Harris (105) had over 100 yards rushing on the day. Combined, they carried the ball 43 times for 221 yards, and ate up precious time in the fourth and final quarter. The Cowboys had one final shot at a sustained drive, but on fourth down and seven from their own 42 yard line, Staubach was sacked for a third time by Jack Ham, giving Pittsburgh the ball back once again. This time, they would not give Dallas another chance, and for the third straight season, the Steelers stood alone on top of the NFL mountain.
Final Score: Pittsburgh-13 Dallas-10
MVP: Jack Ham: 6 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 INT
