It’s a little rare nowadays to find bitter rivalries in the NFL between teams that don’t play in the same division. But the Raiders and the Steelers are one of the best exceptions to that. The bitter rivalry that grew out of a series of intense playoff meetings in the 1970s has stood the test of time and several different cities the Raiders have called home. Each meeting between the Raiders and Steelers these days usually has the intensity of a playoff game, so let’s take a stroll down memory lane and the all-time greatest games ever played between the Raiders and Steelers.
Steelers 34, Raiders 28 (1972)
This was the second all-time meeting between the two teams, and it turned out to be a good one. Terry Bradshaw threw three interceptions, allowing the Raiders to hang around and forge a late comeback.
However, the Raiders also had to use three quarterbacks in the game, so their comeback effort fell a little short.
Steelers 13, Raiders 7 (1972 Divisional Round)
This is the game of the “Immaculate Reception” by Pittsburgh’s Franco Harris. The Raiders were poised to gain redemption for their regular-season loss.
But that’s when Harris saved a botched throw by plucking the ball from the air right before it hit the ground and running for the game-winning touchdown with five seconds left on the clock. With that, a rivalry was truly born.
Steelers 16, Raiders 10 (1975 AFC Championship Game)
This was the fourth of five consecutive playoff meetings between the Steelers and Raiders. Outside of the Immaculate Reception, it was the most compelling battle. The temperature at game time was well below freezing with the Raiders accusing the Steelers of allowing the artificial turf at Three Rivers Stadium to ice over.
That might explain why the Raiders didn’t score until the fourth quarter. Of course, Pittsburgh only had three points until the fourth quarter when a 20-yard touchdown pass from Terry Bradshaw to John Stallworth was enough to put the game on ice, so to speak.
Steelers 21, Raiders 20 (2000)
Somehow, this game was the first time the Raiders visited Pittsburgh in 20 years, fittingly during the last season the Steelers played at Three Rivers Stadium.
The visitors had a 17-7 advantage at halftime but could only muster a field goal in the second half and couldn’t keep the lead. Kordell Stewart began the fourth quarter with a memorable scramble to the end zone that gave the Steelers a 21-17 lead and eventually a 21-20 win.
Raiders 27, Steelers 24 (2009)
The 21st century has also given us plenty of memorable moments between the Raiders and Steelers. Both teams did a good job of making this an exciting fourth quarter. Pittsburgh led 10-6 heading into the final quarter, which featured five lead changes in less than nine minutes.
The Steelers went ahead with two minutes left, only for Bruce Gradkowski to orchestrate a 10-play, 88-yard touchdown drive to give the Raiders a win in the final seconds.