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Super Bowl XIV: Four Rings in Four Tries
According to the common wisdom, the Los Angeles Rams had snuck into this game only to be cannon fodder for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Rams, after all, had only the sixth best record in the NFC. The Steelers, on the other hand, had been to the Super Bowl three times before and had won each time. Although star linebacker Jack Ham was out with an ankle injury, the battle- hardened Steelers took the field at their prime.
The Steelers scored on their first possession, with Matt Bahr kicking a 41-yard field goal. The Rams then took the kickoff and drove downfield, scoring on Cullen Bryant's plunge from the one. Pittsburgh responded by scoring on the next possession to go ahead 10-7 early in the second quarter. While the Steelers could score no more in the first half, the Rams got two field goals from Frank Corral to go ahead 13-10 at halftime.
With an upset in the wind, the Steelers took charge on a 47-yard touchdown pass from Terry Bradshaw to Lynn Swann early in the third quarter. The Rams refused to recognize any shift in momentum. Vince Ferragamo threw to Billy Waddy for a 50-yard gain, and on the next play, halfback Lawrence McCutcheon threw a 24-yard scoring pass to Ron Smith. Although Corral missed the extra point, the Rams led 19-17 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, the Steelers played like champions. Less than three minutes into the period, John Stallworth beat the L.A. secondary and hauled in a long bomb for a 73-yard TD pass. With the score now 24-19 against them, the Rams began a drive with under nine minutes left. They drove from their own 16 yard line to the Pittsburgh 32-yard line. Ferragamo then shot a pass at Ron Smith, but Jack Lambert picked it off. Bradshaw then used a long pass to Stallworth and a pass interference call to drive the Steelers to the clinching touchdown in a 31-19 triumph.