Former Steelers LB recalls Cowboys massive Super Bowl mistake as heavy favorites more than 25 years ago

Former Steelers LB recalls Cowboys massive Super Bowl mistake as heavy favorites more than 25 years ago

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For anyone who likes David vs. Goliath stories, Super Bowl XXX is right down your alley. The Cowboys, winners of two of the previous three Super Bowls, were ma sive favorites over the , who were hoping to snap the NFC's run of 11 consecutive wins in the big game.Heavy favorites themselves two weeks earlier in the AFC title game, the Steelers had to survive a last-second Hail Mary to defeat the . That experience, along with the fact that the Steelers had lost as a double-digit favorite in the 1994 AFC title game, taught them a le son about not overlooking an opponent."We didn't take (the Colts) lightly," former Steelers linebacker Levon Kirkland told CBS Sports during the fall. "They played us hard. San Diego, I thought we were a little bit arrogant going into that game. I thought that we took those guys too lightly. It's just a le son learned that you can't take opponents lightly."Did the , a 13.5-point favorite entering their matchup with Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XXX, make that mistake? "I think they did," Kirkland said. "I think they thought, 'We're the Dallas Cowboys, we're going to run over these guys.' They didn't understand that we were from Pittsburgh. We weren't going to be punk'd by nobody. I don' Rich Hill Jersey t care if you won two of the last three Super Bowls." Pick Six Newsletter Crafted By The Best NFL Experts Get the day's big stories + fun stuff you love like mock drafts, picks and power rankings. I agree to receive the "Pick Six Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the and acknowledge Paramount's . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up Ross Stripling Jersey ! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. It initially looked like the Cowboys would cover the spread. They led 13-0 early after scoring on each of their first three po se sions. It would have been 17-0 if not for a pa s interference call on receiver Michael Irvin on the Cowboys' third po se sion. Meanwhile, the Steelers offense struggled to gain traction against the Dallas defense, led by future Hall of Fame players Deion Sanders and Charles Haley.Pittsburgh finally found its footing before halftime. The Steelers defense forced a three-and-out on the Cowboys' fourth po se sion before the offense made it a 13-7 game on Neil O'Donnell's touchdown pa s to Yancey Thigpen. Despite being outplayed for the game's first 26 minutes, the Steelers had momentum entering the second half. "We just kind of settled down," Kirkland said. "If you've never been in that situation before, it's a big deal. Even if you're a seasoned pro, it's a little nerve wracking. I think once we settled down and we stopped them, held them to a field goal, we felt like, 'OK, we can play with these guys, we can stop these guys.' And we were really good against the run."Emmitt Smith found that out the hard way. The NFL's all-time career rushing leader ran for just nine yards in the second half and finished the game with just 49 yards on 18 carries. The Cowboys offense, a unit that featured the iconic triplets of Smith, Irvin and Troy Aikman, managed just 64 total yards in the second half."We were fast and we were tough," Kirkland said. "I don't think they were used to the 3-4 (alignment) as well. So once we kind of got a beat on them, they couldn't do anything." Kirkland had the game of his life. He had eight tackles that included several tackles of Smith at or behind the line of scrimmage. He also came up with a sack of Aikman that led to a Cowboys punt with Dallas protecting a 20-17 lead with under five minutes to play."It would have been the highlight if we would have won," Kirkland said of the sack. "If Emmitt doesn't clip me at the end, I probably would have hit Troy Aikman to the next week."As Kirkland alluded to, the Steelers didn't upset the Cowboys to pull off what at the time would have been the second-largest upset in Super Bowl history, second only to the ' upset win over the Colts in Super Bowl III. On Fernando Valenzuela Jersey Pittsburgh's ensuring drive following Kirkland's sack, O'Donnell of the half to Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown. Brown, who was all by himself on both interceptions, set up both of the Cowboys' second-half scores, which included Smith's game-clinching touchdown run with 3:47 left. Dallas ultimately won the game, 27-17. Covering the spread was a testament to the Steelers' resolve in the face of an extremely formidable opponent. It didn't change the fact, however, that the Steelers lost a game they dominated from a statistical standpoint."If we don't turn the ball over, I think we win that game by at least two po se sions," Kirkland said. "They took us a little lightly, until we were in the game, then it was like, 'Whoa, these guys can play with us.'"In defeat, the Steelers proved they could indeed play with the Cowboys, who have not been back to the Super Bowl since that night in the desert. The '90s Steelers would not return to the big game, but their succe s helped pave the way for the team's two championship runs in the 2000s.
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