Afc Has Its Swagger Back Steelers Have History, Unique D On Their Side Against Big D

The AFC may not know how to win Super Bowls, but the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t know how to lose them.

And that’s the hope America has for a competitive NFL title game Jan. 28. The NFC champion Dallas Cowboys and AFC champion Steelers are shooting for their record-tying fifth Super Bowl championships. But the quests aren’t similar. The Cowboys are 4-3 in Super Bowls, the Steelers 4-0.

The Cowboys have won two of their Super Bowls in the ‘90s, and the NFC has owned the AFC back into the ‘80s. The NFC has won 11 in a row dating to the ‘83 season.

But the AFC has waited a long time to send either the Steelers or Raiders back to the dance. There’s a perception that these two teams know how to win the big game … if they can just get there. Since 1974, the AFC has won seven Super Bowls - four by the Steelers, three by the Raiders.

Now the Steelers are again Super Bowling, roaring down the stretch with 10 victories in their last 11 games to win their first AFC title since ‘79. And this isn’t a franchise that has forgotten its swagger from the ‘70s.

“We’ve got one more game to go, and we’re not going to be satisfied until we finish this thing off the right way,” Steelers coach Bill Cowher said.

The Steelers will be the underdog. They know it. They are paying for the sins of their conference. They also are paying for a 26-9 loss to the Cowboys in the 1994 season opener at Three Rivers Stadium. How much different can two teams be in 32 games?But there is a difference.

Well, the Steelers have changed character on offense and defense in the last year. Offensively, they now rely more on the pass than the run. Defensively, they rely more on zones in pass coverage than blitzes. So this isn’t the same team that lost to the Cowboys 16 months ago.

The Steelers don’t have Charles Haley, Deion Sanders and Darren Woodson - but they did rate higher across the board defensively than the Cowboys this season. They don’t have a Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin or Jay Novacek - but they had a better passing offense than Dallas this season.

The Steelers have one obvious edge - unfamiliarity. Pittsburgh is one of only four NFL teams playing a 3-4 defense. The Cowboys haven’t played a 3-4 team since December 1994, so their scout team figures to get quite the workout.

The Steelers also pose a problem with their passing game. They began their rampage through the AFC in late October when they implemented a five-wide receiver formation. The Cowboys can match up well two-deep with Sanders and Larry Brown, but third and fourth receivers Andre Hastings and Kordell Stewart will give the Cowboys fits like they have everyone else.

The Steelers also have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and one of the most physical defenses in the AFC. They knocked Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly out of the AFC semifinal and Indianapolis quarterback Jim Harbaugh woozy in the AFC Championship game. When the Steelers hit, they hurt.

With Carolina defeating San Francisco, Jacksonville toppling Pittsburgh and Washington sweeping Dallas, it has been the year of the upset. The AFC is looking for one more.