Denver Broncos vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Inside the Playoff Series

The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Mile High Stadium this weekend to play the Denver Broncos in their 7th playoff matchup all-time. The 7 playoff meetings is a record among American Football Conference clubs, and the last 2 times these teams met in the postseason (1997 & 2005) the victor went on to win the Super Bowl.

The all-time playoff series is tied at 3-3 and the Steelers won the most recent matchup in 2005 by a score of 34-17. As an aside, the Broncos lead the regular season series at 13-7-1.

From a Denver perspective, the most memorable playoff games in this series are the victories in the Divisional Round after the 1977 season (34-21), and the AFC Championship Game after the 1997 season (24-21).

The matchup in the 1977 playoffs was the first ever playoff game in Denver Broncos history and it led to the first Super Bowl appearance by the franchise.

The Denver victory in the 1997 playoffs was only the 3rd road playoff win in franchise history, and it led to the first Super Bowl Championship for the Broncos. No one will ever forget the image of John Elway connecting with Shannon Sharpe to convert a late 3rd down in order to preserve the win and send the team to the big game.

The Playoff Series

Tied, 3-3:

1977—Broncos, 34-21 (Denver) — Divisional

1978—Steelers, 33-10 (Pitt) — Divisional

1984—Steelers, 24-17 (Denver) — Divisional

1989—Broncos, 24-23 (Denver) — Divisional

1997—Broncos, 24-21 (Pitt) — AFC Championship

2005—Steelers, 34-17 (Denver) – AFC Championship

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