1980 Steelers 16 vs Bengals 17

[mcmillenandwife]

1980 Steelers 16 vs Bengals 17

Probably the most damaging loss of the 1980 season in terms of injuries to key players and long-term impact. Bradshaw is the punter in this one, nailing several 40+ yard kicks. Place kicker Matt Bahr, however, does not fare so well, missing a crucial PAT and 2 FGs, the last one devastating. With Swann & Stallworth out of the lineup, the Steelers are out of sync early, fumbling on their 1st 2 plays. Add an awful Bradshaw pick and it's suddenly 17-0, Cinci. But the Steelers explode in the 2nd half, using a Blount Int & a TD to Swann to close the gap to 13-17 before Cinci can even blink. Another FG late in 3rd makes it 16-17, and Bradshaw leads a masterful 2-minute drill to the Bengal 20 in the final moments, only to have Bahr miss on an AWFUL kick, giving Cinci their first-ever win at Three Rivers Stadium. Edited huddles. After the game, there's coverage from WIIC's "Fifth Quarter" postgame show with host David Sullivan. 

[Guest]

The Steelers showed resilience after being down 17-0. Bad breaks and miscues cost the Steelers this game. They still had chances in the end to win this game.

[Garrett Garlits]

After the game, there's a portion of WIIC's "Fifth Quarter" postgame show with host David Sullivan, who went on to ESPN as an anchor for most of the eighties.

I think this was the first year that Channel 11 had a postgame show; they didn't go to the Steeler locker room following either of the AFC Championship wins in '78 or '79, and I'm not even sure that any station in Pittsburgh had coverage right after any of the first five Super Bowls; the first time I remember them breaking away from regular programming was after Super Bowl XL.