In the end, on a day when the Steelers and Oakland Raiders played a game that looked so much like any of their other epic battles, the outcome was decided by a quarterback who was not supposed to be in the game. At least, not after it was announced in the first quarter he would not return because of a sprained knee.
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Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart celebrates his TD with teammate Mark Bruener. (Peter Diana, Post-Gazette) | |
But, after watching Kordell Stewart bring his team back in the second half, after watching him score on a 17-yard run in which he accelerated and dodged his way past three Raiders defenders, the most pressing question to be asked was:
Sprained knee?
What sprained knee?
"On a couple occasions," said Coach Bill Cowher, somewhat relieved, "his knee looked pretty good to me from the sideline."
The sideline is where Stewart spent most of the second quarter after he staked the Steelers to a 7-0 lead then took himself out of the game with a sprain behind his right knee.
But, with the Raiders leading, 17-7 at the half, Stewart came back in the game, won over his teammates and a crowd of 55,811 at Three Rivers Stadium with several big plays, then kept Oakland from clinching a playoff spot with a touchdown run that looked as if there was absolutely nothing wrong with his leg.
The touchdown was one thing. It gave the Steelers a 21-17 on the first play of the fourth quarter, and they held on for a 21-20 victory against the Raiders.
The effort was another.
"The touchdown gave a whole bunch of effort and energy," Stewart said. "It feels good."
"I really think the individual effort of Kordell really showed the people of Pittsburgh just how Kordell is really a gamer and how hard he believes that he needs to be in there," said running back Jerome Bettis, who took time out from rushing for 128 yards on 24 carries to throw a big block on the play. "Showing that individual effort when he is not 100 percent, to me shows that the guy has the guts to help us to victories. Look what he did. After that run, when I knew he was hurt, and he scored that touchdown, I was telling myself, this is one tough son of a gun."
In a half where Mark Bruener fought and clawed and huffed and puffed his way to the darndest 6-yard touchdown catch you'll ever see, Stewart might have one-upped his 260-pound tight end with a play that epitomized the guile with which the Steelers performed against the team with the best record in the AFC.
"That play by Kordell, that showed everybody in this organization how tough he is, how he believes he can help us, how he can contribute and be an effective player," Bruener said. "It lifts the entire team. When you see an individual who you know is battling, who you know is not 100 percent, you see him do that kind of individual effort and it really helps your team."
It wasn't the first time Stewart used his legs, ailing as they were, against the Raiders. On his fourth play in the third quarter, Stewart turned what could have been a disastrous play into a 17-yard gain on second-and-16 from the Steelers 14. He rolled to his right, dropped the ball, then scooped it up on the run. He managed to elude middle linebacker Greg Biekert and defensive tackle Grady Jackson, and turned his gaffe into a first down. It energized a drive that covered 91 yards, lasted 16 plays and used 9 minutes, 10 seconds from the game clock. That drive ended with Bruener's touchdown.
Now, here he was, staring at second-and-10 from the Raiders' 17, ready to do it again. Bad knee and all.
"As far as my mobility and everything, everything was fine once I got everything wrapped up," Stewart said, referring to halftime. "I was more nervous than anything, based on how it felt. I just wanted to be careful."
In this instance, though, Stewart was anything but careful. Devil-may-care would be a more apt description.
The Steelers had driven to the Raiders' 17 thanks to Hank Poteat's 13-yard punt return to the Raiders' 47 and Bettis' 30-yard run -- his longest jaunt of the season. On first down, Stewart looked as if he might get flagged for intentional grounding when he zipped a ball into the turf while still inside the tackles. But Raiders defensive end Josh Taves was ruled to have tipped the pass, thereby negating any penalty.
Then Stewart took over.
On second down, he ran a quarterback draw that offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride put into the plan to exploit the Raiders' aggressive, up-the-field style. That was how Bettis got free on his 30-yard run -- by letting the defensive lineman run themselves out of the play with their hard charge. It worked to perfection.
Stewart broke a tackle by safety Anthony Dorsett, then managed to skip past linebacker William Thomas and defensive end Regan Upshaw into the end zone. Along the way, he got a big block from Bettis on Biekert,
"The only reason Kordell got out there is because the offensive lineman had his hands in Biekert's pads," said defensive tackle Darrell Russell, unaware it was Bettis. "I mean, what can you say?"
There was little to say, actually. Stewart's touchdown gave the Steelers a lead their defense would not surrender, not this time. But his determination, his resiliency, lifted his teammates even more.
"That's a great effort," said guard Rich Tylski. "Kordell showed his toughness, his tenacity. He's a competitor. He wants to win."
And the knee?
"I didn't really have to take off too much," Stewart said. "If anything, I had to use more power in the play that I scored a touchdown."
Power is correct.
The power of perseverance.
Play of the game: Stewart shrugs off critics, knee injury to dart and dash into end zone 
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