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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- They hadn't played in Pittsburgh in 20 years,
but it didn't take long for a typical Raiders-Steelers game to
break out. There was spitting, shoving and a surprising return by
an injured quarterback.
Yes, the mandatory disputed ending, too.
|  | | Kordell Stewart left in the game in the first quarter with a knee injury, but returned in the second half. |
Kordell Stewart, playing again like he did three years ago,
unexpectedly returned from a supposedly game-ending knee injury to
rally the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 21-20 upset of the Oakland
Raiders on Sunday.
Stewart threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Shaw before
injuring his right knee late in the first quarter, then came back
with the Steelers (7-6) down 17-7 for a 6-yard scoring pass to Mark
Bruener and a go-ahead 17-yard touchdown run.
"You knew he was hurting, and to see him come back, that lifted
everybody up," said Jerome Bettis, who ran for 128 yards. "He was
doing it on one leg, so I said in the huddle, `We've got to give
him some help."'
They did, mounting a 91-yard scoring drive on their initial
second-half possession to reverse the momentum the Raiders (10-3)
gained when Stewart was out. Stewart's scoring run was set by
Bettis' 30-yard run and came in the opening minute of the fourth
quarter.
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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Question on the Raiders: Will this loss send the Raiders in a
late-season tailspin?
Donahoe: The Raiders' loss today was nothing more than that. They are
an outstanding football team and will not go into a tailspin because of one
road loss. The Steelers were well-prepared and had a lot on the line today.
Mathematically, the Steelers still have a shot at the playoffs. The game may
have had more significance for Pittsburgh than it had for Oakland.
Defensively, the Raiders need to shore up some areas -- against both the run
and the pass -- to go far into the playoffs.
Question on the Steelers: Did Kordell Stewart gain some
believers for his gutsy comeback?
Donahoe: Kordell deserves a game ball for his effort not only today
but also for the entire season. He has overcome much adversity in Pittsburgh
-- from the media, the fans and the organization itself -- to once again
prove that he has the ability to play winning football. His coming back from
an injury today to lead the Steelers to a comeback victory shows his
toughness and resilience. After all the difficulties he has experienced, Kordell Stewart deserves this
moment in the sun.
Tom Donahoe, ESPN.com's NFL analyst, was formerly the Steelers' director
of football operations.
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Stewart's comeback also rallied a defense that held the Raiders
to Sebastian Janikowski's 42-yard field goal in the second half.
Janikowski missed a 44-yarder with about four minutes left.
"It was a really emotional game," safety Lee Flowers said.
"Some guys even had tears in their eyes."
The Raiders, whose previous two losses were to Denver, couldn't
give Janikowski another chance to win it in the closing seconds.
They drove to the Steelers 41 but, with the scoreboard showing
third down on what actually was a fourth down, Rich Gannon's swing
pass to fullback Jon Ritchie fell incomplete.
Gannon suggested the Raiders probably would have run a different
play if had they known what down it was.
"What we would have liked to do was throw to (tight end) Rickey
(Dudley), have him fall down and call a timeout and try to kick a
field goal," Gannon said. "I wasn't able to convey that to
anybody. There was uncertainty as to what we wanted to do. I went
over to the sidelines and there was some confusion."
Of course, how could there be a Raiders-Steelers game in
Pittsburgh without it?
The Steelers beat the Raiders in the 1972 AFC playoffs on Franco
Harris' Immaculate Reception, and owner Al Davis is still incensed
about a 16-10 loss in the 1975 AFC title game played on a
suspiciously icy field.
"I don't know if this was as strange as 1972 and 1975, but it
was a strange football game," Raiders receiver Tim Brown said.
Even though the teams hadn't played since 1995, the game was
especially physical and intense. The Raiders' Regan Upshaw
reflected that by spitting in Steelers punter Josh Miller's face
after the two argued briefly.
"That shows you what an emotional game it was," Flowers said.
So did Stewart's unannounced return at the start of the second
half, one that clearly picked the Steelers up. They had fallen
behind 17-7 after he left, but they immediately went on a 16-play,
91-yard drive ended by Bruener's touchdown catch.
Bruener appeared to be stopped at the 3, but his second effort
carried safety Calvin Branch with him into the end zone.
"I was going to get in there someway," Bruener said.
Stewart said much the same thing after initially being ruled
out. But, after spending the second quarter wearing a ski cap on a
chilly, 33-degree day, he had the knee tightly wrapped at halftime
and decided to play.
"I was nervous, it was hurting bad," said Stewart, who was
14-of-23 for 136 yards and two touchdowns. "But I was excited,
too."
The Raiders weren't. They had teed off on Kent Graham, sacking
him several times and forcing an interception on Graham's first
pass that Eric Allen returned 27 yards for a touchdown.
"I think they knew that with Graham in there, sitting in the
pocket, that wasn't going to work," defensive tackle Darrell
Russell said.
Game notes
Stewart, who had three touchdown passes through 11 games,
has thrown for five and run for four touchdowns in his last 2{
games. ... The Steelers are 3-4 in Three Rivers. They hadn't had a
losing season there in 29 years until going 2-6 last season. ...
Pittsburgh already bettered its six-win total of a year ago. ...
The Raiders' Tyrone Wheatley fumbled twice, but Pittsburgh couldn't
score off either turnover. ... Gannon's 21-yard touchdown pass to
Randy Jordan late in the second quarter was his 20th this season.
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ALSO SEE
Oakland Clubhouse
Pittsburgh Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 ESPN's Ann Werner talks with tight end Mark Bruener after the Steelers victory over the Raiders.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Mark Bruener recaps his third-quarter TD catch and the Steelers' 21-20 win over Oakland.
wav: 953 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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