1996 Pittsburgh Steelers season

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.

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

Aerial view of Three Rivers Stadium hosting an NFL game for the Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Baltimore Ravens on September 8, 1996

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.

Offseason

Additions	Subtractions
RB Jerome Bettis (Rams)	LB Kevin Greene (Panthers)
C Jim Sweeney (Seahawks)	QB Neil O'Donnell (Jets)
	P Rohn Stark (Panthers)
	G/T Ariel Solomon (Vikings)
	FB John L. Williams (retirement)
	G Tom Newberry (retirement)

NFL draft

Main article: 1996 NFL draft

1996 Pittsburgh Steelers draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	29	Jamain Stephens	Tackle	North Carolina A&T
3	72	Steve Conley	Linebacker	Arkansas
3	92	Jon Witman	Fullback	Penn State
4	126	Earl Holmes	Linebacker	Florida A&M
4	132	Jahine Arnold	Wide receiver	Fresno State
5	163	Israel Raybon	Defensive end	North Alabama
6	200	Orpheus Roye	Defensive end	Florida State
6	203	Spence Fischer	Quarterback	Duke
7	242	Carlos Emmons	Linebacker	Arkansas State
Made roster

Undrafted free agents

1996 undrafted free agents of note

Player	Position	College
Ricky Bell	Cornerback	North Carolina State
Lorenzo Green	Defensive tackle	Oklahoma State
Chris Jones	Wide receiver	Mississippi State
Cornell Parker	Cornerback	SMU
Lewis Tyree	Offensive linemen	Florida State

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 Brenden Stai G 67 Jamain Stephens T 73 Justin Strzelczyk G/T 66 Jim Sweeney C 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 OLB 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 (ST)  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 LB (IR) 20 Erric Pegram RB (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	July 27	vs. San Diego Chargers	Tokyo Dome (Tokyo, Japan)	10:00 p.m.	ESPN	L 20–10	0–1
2	August 3	St. Louis Rams	Three Rivers Stadium	6:00 p.m.	WPXI	W 16–10	1–1
3	August 11	at Green Bay Packers	Lambeau Field	8:00 p.m.	TNT	L 24–17	1–2
4	August 17	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Three Rivers Stadium	6:00 p.m.	WPXI	W 13–3	2–2
5	August 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	September 1	at Jacksonville Jaguars	Alltel Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Marv Albert & Sam Wyche	L 24–9	0–1
2	September 8	Baltimore Ravens	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Marv Albert & Sam Wyche	W 31–17	1–1
3	September 16	Buffalo Bills	Three Rivers Stadium	9:00 p.m.	ABC	Al Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf	W 24–6	2–1
4	September 22	Bye
5	September 29	Houston Oilers	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Don Criqui & Beasley Reece	W 30–16	3–1
6	October 7	at Kansas City Chiefs	Arrowhead Stadium	9:00 p.m.	ABC	Al Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf	W 17–7	4–1
7	October 13	Cincinnati Bengals	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Charlie Jones & Randy Cross	W 20–10	5–1
8	October 20	at Houston Oilers	Astrodome	4:00 p.m.	NBC	Don Criqui & Beasley Reece	L 23–13	5–2
9	October 27	at Atlanta Falcons	Georgia Dome	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Dan Hicks & Bob Trumpy	W 20–17	6–2
10	November 3	St. Louis Rams	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	FOX	Joe Buck & Bill Maas	W 42–6	7–2
11	November 10	at Cincinnati Bengals	Cinergy Field	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Don Criqui & Beasley Reece	L 34–24	7–3
12	November 17	Jacksonville Jaguars	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Jim Lampley & Bob Golic	W 28–3	8–3
13	November 25	at Miami Dolphins	Pro Player Stadium	9:00 p.m.	ABC	Al Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf	W 24–17	9–3
14	December 1	at Baltimore Ravens	Memorial Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Jim Lampley & Bob Golic	L 31–17	9–4
15	December 8	San Diego Chargers	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	Tom Hammond & Bob Trumpy	W 16–3	10–4
16	December 15	San Francisco 49ers	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	FOX	Pat Summerall & John Madden	L 25–15	10–5
17	December 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