Oakland Raiders vs Pittsburgh Steelers: Rebuilt rivalry

Nov 8, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; The Pittsburgh Steelers offense lines up against the Oakland Raiders defense during the second quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Back in the ’70s, Oakland Raiders vs Pittsburgh Steelers usually determined who represented the AFC in the Super Bowl. It was two of the most physical teams in the NFL playing not just to win but to show which team was most physical. The violence these two teams played with was legendary, making it one of the NFL’s greatest rivalries.

Steelers corner Mel Blount once picked up Raiders receiver Cliff Branch and threw him down on his head. Raiders corner George Atkinson once threw a forearm into the back of Steelers receiver Lynn Swann’s head so hard, it knocked him out. They were two franchises in tough, blue-collar towns with tough, physical brands of football.

They were mirrors of each other.

So they remained rivals through the decades but after 2002, the two teams didn’t play for anything. The Steelers maintained their brand of winning football while the Raiders became irrelevant. But former Raiders linebacker Reggie McKenzie and life long Raiders fan Jack Del Rio have rebuilt the Raiders.

And on Sunday, the two teams played in a football game that actually meant something. Going into the game, the Raiders were in the lead for one of the wild-card in the playoff spots while the Steelers were outside looking in. And that set up the game we saw Sunday that was very reminiscent of the old clashes of NFL Titans.

Turn the page to see how.

Next: Quarterback play