1996 Pittsburgh Steelers season

1996 Pittsburgh Steelers season
1996 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Owner	The Rooney Family
General manager	Tom Donahoe
Head coach	Bill Cowher
Home field	Three Rivers Stadium
Results
Record	10–6
Division place	1st AFC Central
Playoff finish	Won Wild Card Playoffs; (vs. Colts) 42–14; Lost Divisional Playoffs; (at Patriots) 3–28
Pro Bowlers	6 RB Jerome Bettis; OLB Chad Brown; C Dermontti Dawson; ILB Levon Kirkland; SS Carnell Lake; CB Rod Woodson;
AP All-Pros	4 Jerome Bettis (1st team); Chad Brown (1st team); Dermontti Dawson (1st team); Levon Kirkland (2nd team);
Team MVP	Jerome Bettis
Team ROY	Jon Witman
	← 1995; Steelers seasons; 1997 →;

The 1996 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 64th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.

This was Bill Cowher's fifth season as head coach of the Steelers, which resulted in yet another trip to the playoffs for the team, as Pittsburgh won the AFC Central championship for the fourth time under Cowher.

The team's 10–6 record was not enough to earn the Steelers a first-round bye. In their first playoff game, a rematch of the previous year's AFC Championship Game, the Steelers defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 42–14. The following their season would come to a halt as the Steelers lost to the New England Patriots, 28–3.

This would be the final season that the team wore block numerals, the next year they would switch to rounded numerals where it has remained ever since.

Personnel

Staff

**1996 Pittsburgh Steelers staff**
	Front office 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 marketing – Joe Gordon Marketing coordinator – Mark Fuhrman Merchandising manager – Tim Carey Assistant marketing manager – Lynne Molyneaux Media relations coordinator – Rob Boulware Assistant/community relations – Ron Miller Director of business – Mark Hart Business coordinator – Dan Ferens Accounts coordinator – Jim Ellenberger Office/ticket manager – Geraldine Glenn Football operations Director of football operations – Tom Donahoe Scouting staff College personnel coordinator – Tom Modrak Pro personnel coordinator – Charles Bailey BLESTO College Scout – Mark Gorscak College scout – Phil Kreidler College scout – Bob Lane College scout – Max McCartney Head coaches Head coach – Bill Cowher Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Chan Gailey Running backs – Dick Hoak Wide receivers – David Culley Tight ends – Mike Mularkey Offensive line – Kent Stephenson			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Dick LeBeau Defensive line – John Mitchell Linebackers – Mike Archer Defensive backs – Tim Lewis Special teams coaches Special teams – Ron Zook Strength and conditioning Conditioning coordinator – Chet Fuhrman Medical staff Physician, orthopedic – Dr. James P. Bradley Ophthalmologist – Dr. Randy Beatty 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 – Anthony Parisi Field manager – Rodgers Freyvogel Field assistant – Rich Baker Video coordinator – Bob McCartney Video assistant – Pat Dolan Player development coordinator – Anthony Griggs Administrative assistant – Lou Spanos Photographers – Mike Fabus, Bill Amatucci ^[1]

Notable additions include Jerome Bettis, Earl Holmes and Carlos Emmons.

Roster

**1996 Pittsburgh Steelers roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 16 Jim Miller 18 Mike Tomczak Running backs (RB) 36 Jerome Bettis 34 Tim Lester FB 25 Fred McAfee 44 Terry Richardson 38 Jon Witman FB Wide receivers (WR) 80 Jahine Arnold KR 88 Andre Hastings PR 83 Corey Holliday 81 Charles Johnson KR 89 Ernie Mills KR 10 Kordell Stewart 82 Yancey Thigpen Tight ends (TE) 84 Kirk Botkin LS 86 John Farquhar 85 Jonathan Hayes		Offensive linemen (OL) 72 Bernard Dafney T 63 Dermontti Dawson C 65 John Jackson T 62 Tom Myslinski G 68 Brendan Stai G 67 Jamain Stephens T 73 Justin Strzelczyk G/T 66 Jim Sweeney 77 Will Wolford G Defensive linemen (DL) 96 Brentson Buckner DE 98 Oliver Gibson NT 76 Kevin Henry DE 90 Bill Johnson DE 91 Israel Raybon DE 71 Orpheus Roye DE 93 Joel Steed NT		Linebackers (LB) 94 Chad Brown LB 53 Steve Conley OLB 51 Carlos Emmons OLB 92 Jason Gildon OLB 50 Earl Holmes ILB 54 Donta Jones OLB 99 Levon Kirkland ILB 55 Jerry Olsavsky ILB 57 Eric Ravotti OLB Defensive backs (DB) 40 Myron Bell SS 21 Deon Figures CB 41 Lethon Flowers FS 29 Randy Fuller CB 37 Carnell Lake SS 24 Chris Oldham CB 39 Darren Perry FS 27 Willie Williams CB 26 Rod Woodson CB Special teams 9 Norm Johnson K 4 Josh Miller P				Practice squad 23 Kirk Pointer S 69 Matt Storm G ^[1] ^[2] ^[3] Reserve 87 Mark Bruener TE (IR) 95 Greg Lloyd OLB (IR) 20 Erric Pegram (IR) 97 Ray Seals DE (IR) 56 Patrick Scott LB (IR) Rookies in italics 53 active, 5 reserve, 2 practice squad

Preseason

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Game Site	Kickoff (ET)	TV	Result	Record
1	Sat. Jul. 27	vs. San Diego Chargers	Tokyo Dome (Tokyo, Japan)	10:00 p.m.	ESPN	L 20–10	0–1
2	Sat. Aug. 3	St. Louis Rams	Three Rivers Stadium	6:00 p.m.	WPXI	W 16–10	1–1
3	Sun. Aug. 11	at Green Bay Packers	Lambeau Field	8:00 p.m.	TNT	L 24–17	1–2
4	Sat. Aug. 17	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Three Rivers Stadium	6:00 p.m.	WPXI	W 13–3	2–2
5	Fri. Aug. 23	at Philadelphia Eagles	Veterans Stadium	7:30 p.m.	WPXI	L 20–19	2–3

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Game Site	Kickoff (ET)	TV	TV Announcers	Result	Record
1	Sun. Sep. 1	at Jacksonville Jaguars	Alltel Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Marv Albert & Sam Wyche	L 24–9	0–1
2	Sun. Sep. 8	Baltimore Ravens	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Marv Albert & Sam Wyche	W 31–17	1–1
3	Mon. Sep. 16	Buffalo Bills	Three Rivers Stadium	9:00 p.m.	ABC	Al Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf	W 24–6	2–1
4	Sun. Sep. 22	Bye
5	Sun. Sep. 29	Houston Oilers	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Don Criqui & Beasley Reece	W 30–16	3–1
6	Mon. Oct. 7	at Kansas City Chiefs	Arrowhead Stadium	9:00 p.m.	ABC	Al Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf	W 17–7	4–1
7	Sun. Oct. 13	Cincinnati Bengals	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Charlie Jones & Randy Cross	W 20–10	5–1
8	Sun. Oct. 20	at Houston Oilers	Astrodome	4:00 p.m.	NBC	Don Criqui & Beasley Reece	L 23–13	5–2
9	Sun. Oct. 27	at Atlanta Falcons	Georgia Dome	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Dan Hicks & Bob Trumpy	W 20–17	6–2
10	Sun. Nov. 3	St. Louis Rams	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	FOX	Joe Buck & Bill Maas	W 42–6	7–2
11	Sun. Nov. 10	at Cincinnati Bengals	Cinergy Field	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Don Criqui & Beasley Reece	L 34–24	7–3
12	Sun. Nov. 17	Jacksonville Jaguars	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Jim Lampley & Bob Golic	W 28–3	8–3
13	Mon. Nov. 25	at Miami Dolphins	Pro Player Stadium	9:00 p.m.	ABC	Al Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf	W 24–17	9–3
14	Sun. Dec. 1	at Baltimore Ravens	Memorial Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Jim Lampley & Bob Golic	L 31–17	9–4
15	Sun. Dec. 8	San Diego Chargers	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Tom Hammond & Bob Trumpy	W 16–3	10–4
16	Sun. Dec. 15	San Francisco 49ers	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	FOX	Pat Summerall & John Madden	L 25–15	10–5
17	Sun. Dec. 22	at Carolina Panthers	Ericsson Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Don Criqui & Beasley Reece	L 18–14	10–6

Game summaries

Week 1 (Sunday September 1, 1996): at Jacksonville Jaguars

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	3	3	3	0	9
Jaguars	7	7	0	10	24

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
Game weather:
Game attendance: 70,210
Referee: Bob McElwee
TV announcers: (NBC) Marv Albert (play by play), Sam Wyche (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Jacksonville – Jackson 38 pass from Brunell (Hollis kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 48
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 29
Jacksonville – McCardell 15 pass from Brunell (Hollis kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 23
Jacksonville – FG Hollis 52
Jacksonville – J. Stewart 1 run (Hollis kick)

Week 2 (Sunday September 8, 1996): vs. Baltimore Ravens

	1	2	3	4	Total
Ravens	7	10	0	0	17
Steelers	14	14	3	0	31

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C) (Partly Sunny)
Game attendance: 57,241
Referee: Gerry Austin
TV announcers: (NBC) Marv Albert (play by play), Sam Wyche (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – Woodson 43 interception return (Johnson kick)
Baltimore – Testaverde 6 run (Stover kick)
Pittsburgh – Bettis 1 run (Johnson kick)
Baltimore – Alexander 17 pass from Testaverde (Stover kick)
Pittsburgh – C. Johnson 5 pass from Tomczak (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Hastings 20 pass from Tomczak (Johnson kick)
Baltimore – FG Stover 29
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 35

Week 3 (Monday September 16, 1996): vs. Buffalo Bills

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	3	0	3	0	6
Steelers	7	17	0	0	24

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 9:00 pm EDT
Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C) (Cloudy)
Game attendance: 59,002
Referee: Larry Nemmers
TV announcers: (ABC) Al Michaels (play by play), Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf (color commentators)

Scoring drives:

Buffalo – FG Christie 31
Pittsburgh – Bettis 1 run (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 30
Pittsburgh – Bettis 43 run (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Lake 47 interception return (Johnson kick)
Buffalo – FG Christie 45

Week 4 (Sunday September 22, 1996): Bye Week

Week 5 (Sunday September 29, 1996): vs. Houston Oilers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	0	0	14	2	16
Steelers	17	3	0	10	30

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C) (Mostly Sunny)
Game attendance: 58,608
Referee: Tom White
TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), Beasley Reece (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – Stewart 16 pass from Tomczak (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 33
Pittsburgh – C. Johnson 62 pass from Tomczak (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 36
Houston – Davis 4 pass from Chandler (Del Greco kick)
Houston – Lewis 36 interception return (Del Greco kick)
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 36
Pittsburgh – Perry 13 interception return (Johnson kick)
Houston – Safety, Edge ran out of end zone

Week 6 (Monday October 7, 1996): at Kansas City Chiefs

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	6	8	3	17
Chiefs	0	7	0	0	7

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game time: 9:00 pm EDT
Game weather:
Game attendance: 79,189
Referee: Howard Roe
TV announcers: (ABC) Al Michaels (play by play), Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf (color commentators)

Scoring drives:

Kansas City – Allen 6 run (Stoyanovich kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 21
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 32
Pittsburgh – Bettis 5 run (Bruener pass from Tomczak)
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 43

Week 7 (Sunday October 13, 1996): vs. Cincinnati Bengals

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	0	3	7	10
Steelers	3	0	7	10	20

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C) (Partly Sunny)
Game attendance: 58,875
Referee: Gary Lane
TV announcers: (NBC) Charlie Jones (play by play), Randy Cross (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 33
Cincinnati – FG Pelfrey 19
Pittsburgh – Stewart 32 pass from Tomczak (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 22
Pittsburgh – Woodson 42 fumble return (Johnson kick)
Cincinnati – Pickens 3 pass from Blake (Pelfrey kick)

Week 8 (Sunday October 20, 1996): at Houston Oilers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	7	3	0	3	13
Oilers	3	6	0	14	23

at Astrodome, Houston, Texas

Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
Game weather: Dome
Game attendance: 50,337
Referee: Red Cashion
TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), Beasley Reece (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Houston – FG Del Greco 22
Pittsburgh – C. Johnson 70 pass from Tomczak (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 26
Houston – FG Del Greco 32
Houston – FG Del Greco 48
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 29
Houston – W. Davis 34 pass from Chandler (Del Greco kick)
Houston – George 2 run (Del Greco kick)

Week 9 (Sunday October 27, 1996): at Atlanta Falcons

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	3	0	14	3	20
Falcons	7	3	0	7	17

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game time: 1:00 pm EST
Game weather: Dome
Game attendance: 58,760
Referee: Ron Blum
TV announcers: (NBC) Dan Hicks (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 27
Atlanta – Tobeck 1 pass from Hebert (Andersen kick)
Atlanta – FG Andersen 41
Pittsburgh – Hastings 112 pass from Tomczak (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Bettis 1 run (Johnson kick)
Atlanta – Emanuel 4 pass from Hebert (Andersen kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 20

Week 10 (Sunday November 3, 1996): vs. St. Louis Rams

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	0	3	3	0	6
Steelers	14	7	14	7	42

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 1:00 pm EST
Game weather: 38 °F (3 °C) (Partly Sunny)
Game attendance: 58,148
Referee: Jerry Markbreit
TV announcers: (FOX) Joe Buck (play by play), Bill Maas (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – Bettis 3 run (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Bettis 50 run (Johnson kick)
Saint louis – FG Lohmiller 25
Pittsburgh – Stewart 7 run (Johnson kick)
Saint louis – FG Lohmiller 27
Pittsburgh- Pegram 91 kickoff return (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Stewart 2 run (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Pegram 17 run (Johnson kick)

Week 11 (Sunday November 10, 1996): at Cincinnati Bengals

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	17	7	0	24
Bengals	3	14	7	10	34

at Cinergy Field, Cincinnati, Ohio

Game time: 1:00 pm EST
Game weather:
Game attendance: 57,265
Referee: Mike Carey
TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), Beasley Reece (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Cincinnati – FG Pelfrey 32
Pittsburgh- FG Johnson 46
Pittsburgh – Bettis 6 run (Johnson kick)
Cincinnati – Carter 1 run (Pelfrey kick)
Pittsburgh – Stewart 1 run (Johnson kick)
Cincinnati – Dunn 90 kickoff return (Pelfrey kick)
Pittsburgh – Bettis 1 run (Johnson kick)
Cincinnati – Bieniemy 33 run (Pelfrey kick)
Cincinnati – Carter 12 pass from Blake (Pelfrey kick)
Cincinnati – FG Pelfrey 34

Week 12 (Sunday November 17, 1996): vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jaguars	0	3	0	0	3
Steelers	14	14	0	0	28

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 1:00 pm EST
Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C) (Cloudy)
Game attendance: 58,879
Referee: Bernie Kukar
TV announcers: (NBC) Jim Lampley (play by play), Bob Golic (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – Thigpen 12 pass from Tomczak (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Bettis 3 run (Johnson kick)
Jacksonville – FG Hollis 40
Pittsburgh – Lake 85 fumble return (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Thigpen 28 pass from Tomczak (Johnson kick)

Week 13 (Monday November 25, 1996): at Miami Dolphins

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	3	7	7	7	24
Dolphins	7	7	3	0	17

at Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida

Game time: 9:00 pm EST
Game weather:
Game attendance: 73,849
Referee: Walt Coleman
TV announcers: (ABC) Al Michaels (play by play), Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf (color commentators)

Scoring drives:

Miami – McDuffie 2 pass from Marino (Nedney kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 47
Miami – Jackson 61 interception return (Nedney kick)
Pittsburgh- Lester 5 run (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Stewart 5 run (Johnson kick)
Miami – FG Nedney 41
Pittsburgh – Mills 20 pass from Tomczak (Johnson kick)

Week 14 (Sunday December 1, 1996): at Baltimore Ravens

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	7	3	7	0	17
Ravens	7	17	0	7	31

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game time: 1:00 pm EST
Game weather:
Game attendance: 51,882
Referee: Red Cashion
TV announcers: (NBC) Jim Lampley (play by play), Bob Golic (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Baltimore – Ogden 1 pass from Testaverde (Stover kick)
Pittsburgh – Hastings 30 pass from Tomczak (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh- FG Johnson 22
Baltimore – Alexander 24 pass from Testaverd (Stover kick)
Baltimore – Byner 7 run (Stover kick)
Baltimore – FG Stover 40
Pittsburgh – Hastings 5 pass from Tomzak (Johnson kick)
Baltimore – Green 3 pass from Testaverde (Stover kick)

Week 15 (Sunday December 8, 1996): vs. San Diego Chargers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	0	0	3	0	3
Steelers	6	7	0	3	16

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 1:00 pm EST
Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C) (Partly Sunny)
Game attendance: 56,368
Referee: Gerry Austin
TV announcers: (NBC) Tom Hammond (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 49
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 39
Pittsburgh – Hastings 11 pass from Tomzak (Johnson kick)
San Diego – FG Carney 25
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 21

Week 16 (Sunday December 15, 1996): vs. San Francisco 49ers

	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	16	6	0	3	25
Steelers	0	0	8	7	15

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 1:00 pm EST
Game weather: 38 °F (3 °C) (Partly Sunny)
Game attendance: 59,823
Referee: Bob McElwee
TV announcers: (FOX) Pat Summerall (play by play), John Madden (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

San Francisco – Rice 4 pass from S. Young (Wilkins kick)
San Francisco – Safety, B. Young sacked Tomczak in end zone
San Francisco – Rice 4 pass from S. Young (Wilkins kick)
San Francisco – Owens 20 pass from S. Young (kick failed)
Pittsburgh – Bettis 1 run (C. Johnson pass from Tomczak)
San Francisco – FG Wilkins 22
Pittsburgh – Stewart 42 pass from Tomczak (Johnson kick)

Week 17 (Sunday December 22, 1996): at Carolina Panthers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	14	0	0	14
Panthers	7	2	6	3	18

at Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Game time: 1:00 pm EST
Game weather:
Game attendance: 72,217
Referee: Dick Hantak
TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), Beasley Reece (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Carolina – Walls 9 pass from Collins (Kasay kick)
Carolina – Safety, Tomczak intentional grounding in end zone
Pittsburgh – Hastings 6 pass from Tomczak (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Stewart 80 run (Johnson kick)
Carolina – FG Kasay 35
Carolina – FG Kasay 30
Carolina – FG Kasay 29

Standings

AFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
⁽³⁾ Pittsburgh Steelers	10	6	0	.625	344	257	L2
⁽⁵⁾ Jacksonville Jaguars	9	7	0	.563	325	335	W5
Cincinnati Bengals	8	8	0	.500	372	369	W3
Houston Oilers	8	8	0	.500	345	319	W1
Baltimore Ravens	4	12	0	.250	371	441	L3

Playoffs

Game summaries

AFC Wild Card Playoff (Sunday December 29, 1996): vs. Indianapolis Colts

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	0	14	0	0	14
Steelers	10	3	8	21	42

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 12:30 pm EST
Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C) (Partly Cloudy)
Game attendance: 58,078
Referee: Ed Hochuli
TV announcers: (NBC) Dick Enberg (play by play), Phil Simms & Paul Maguire (color commentators)

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 29
Pittsburgh – Stewart 1 run (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 50
Indianapolis – Daniel 59 interception return (Blanchard kick)
Indianapolis – Bailey 9 pass from Harbaugh (Blanchard kick)
Pittsburgh – Bettis 1 run (Farquhar pass from Stewart)
Pittsburgh- Bettis 1 run (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Witman 31 run (Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Stewart 3 run (Johnson kick)

AFC Divisional Playoff (Sunday January 5, 1997): at New England Patriots

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	0	3	0	3
Patriots	14	7	0	7	28

at Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Game time: 12:30 pm EST
Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C) (Fog)
Game attendance: 60,188
Referee: Bernie Kukar
TV announcers: (NBC) Marv Albert (play by play), Sam Wyche & Randy Cross (color commentators)

Scoring drives:

New England – Martin 2 run (Vinatieri kick)
New England – Byars 34 pass from Bledsoe (Vinatieri kick)
New England – Martin 78 run (Vinatieri kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 29
New England – Martin 23 run (Vinatieri kick)

Honors and awards

Pro Bowl Representatives

No. 26 Rod Woodson-Cornerback
No. 36 Jerome Bettis-Running Back
No. 37 Carnell Lake-Safety
No. 63 Dermontti Dawson-Center
No. 94 Chad Brown-Outside Linebacker
No. 99 Levon Kirkland-Inside Linebacker

References

^ ^a ^b 1996 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
^ 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
^ "1996 Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 24, 2014.

External links

1996 Pittsburgh Steelers season at Pro Football Reference
1996 Pittsburgh Steelers season statistics at jt-sw.com

[1996MediaGuide-1] 1996 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.

[2] 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.

[3] "1996 Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 24, 2014.

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v t e Pittsburgh Steelers seasons
Formerly the Pittsburgh Pirates (1933–1939)
1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Bold indicates Super Bowl victory Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance

v t e Pittsburgh Steelers
Founded in 1933 Formerly the Pittsburgh Pirates (1933–1939) Based and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Franchise	History All-Time Team Seasons Logos and uniforms Coaches All-time roster (A–K, L–Z) Starting quarterbacks First-round draft picks Records
Stadiums	Home fields: Forbes Field Pitt Stadium Three Rivers Stadium Acrisure Stadium Training facilities: Rooney Field Point Stadium UPMC Rooney Sports Complex Chuck Noll Field
Culture	Football in Western Pennsylvania Rooney family Myron Cope Steelmark Steeler Nation Terrible Towel Steel Curtain Black Sunday Fighting Back: The Rocky Bleier Story Evening Shade The Chief "Renegade" "Here We Go" "Black and Yellow" YinzCam This Is Us Steel Curtain Roller Coaster
Lore	Steelers lore J.P. Rooneys Pennsylvania Keystoners "Pennsylvania Polka" Steagles Card-Pitt Steelerettes Immaculate Reception 1975 AFC Championship Game Immaculate Deflection Jerome Bettis trade Immaculate Redemption/The Tackle 3:16 game
Rivalries	Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Las Vegas Raiders New England Patriots Philadelphia Eagles Tennessee Titans
Media	Broadcasters KDKA-TV WPKD-TV SportsNet Pittsburgh Charlie Batch Chris Hoke Radio Network WDVE-FM WBGG-AM Bill Hillgrove Tunch Ilkin Craig Wolfley Steelers figures in broadcasting
Division championships (24)	1972 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1983 1984 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 2001 2002 2004 2007 2008 2010 2014 2016 2017 2020
Conference championships (8)	1974 1975 1978 1979 1995 2005 2008 2010
League championships (6)	1974 (IX) 1975 (X) 1978 (XIII) 1979 (XIV) 2005 (XL) 2008 (XLIII)
Retired numbers	32 70 75
Hall of Fame members	Players: Bettis Blount Bradshaw Butler Dawson Dudley Faneca Greene Ham Harris Johnson Lambert Layne Polamalu Shell Stallworth Stautner Swann Webster Woodson Coaches and administration: Bell Cowher Kiesling Noll Art Rooney Dan Rooney
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: American Football Conference Division: North Division