Montana throws Niners into history


Elway's magic brought down the Browns


Catch a shining Starr in the Ice Bowl


Giants raise the Bahr on 49ers

In the 1994 AFC Championship game, Pittsburgh saw its drive for the Super Bowl end with an interception just yards away from the game-winning touchdown against San Diego.

One year later, the Steelers almost fell victim again, when Indianapolis' "Captain Comeback" nearly brought the Colts from behind with a miracle touchdown.

But there was plenty of drama in this one even before the outcome came down to the final play.

The Colts led 6-3 late in the first half, when Steelers quarterback Neil O'Donnell hit then-rookie Kordell Stewart in the back of the end zone for an apparent score. A second look revealed Stewart stepped out of bounds on his route, making him ineligible for the play. With no replay available, the touchdown stood and the Steelers led 10-6 at the half.

	BEST CONFERENCE TITLE GAMES
	This is the second in SportsCenter's five-part series on the best conference championship games of all-time, selected by a vote of ESPN.com users earlier this month. Follow the series on-air and on-line as ESPN brings you the best of the best.

Field goals for each team in the third quarter kept the Steelers in front 13-9, but six minutes into the fourth quarter things heated up.

First came Jim Harbaugh's touchdown pass to Floyd Turner, giving the Colts a 13-10 lead. Trailing by three points, Pittsburgh's offense couldn't respond and was forced to punt. With the ball and 6½ minutes left, the underdog Colts were poised for a trip to Super Bowl XXX.

The Colts faced third-and-1, and the Steelers defense needed a big play. It was one of Pittsburgh's smallest players who answered the challenge as cornerback Willie Williams tripped up Lamont Warren short of the first down.

	Jim Harbaugh shot quite a scare into the Steelers, but his Hail Mary pass fell incomplete.

Pittsburgh's final drive pushed past the 50-yard line with 2:30 remaining when destiny knocked on Quentin Coryatt's door. On a second-and-third play from the Colts' 47, O'Donnell threw a pass right at Coryatt who had nothing but artificial turf separating him from the end zone. But thinking touchdown, he failed to corral the ball, and the Steelers' drive remained alive.

An incompletion on the next play forced fourth down, and three yards stood between the Steelers and the end of their season. O'Donnell hit Andre Hastings to keep the drive alive, but the biggest play would come at the two-minute mark when Ernie Mills caught a pass down the sideline, and he was ruled down at the 1-yard line.

Bam Morris did the rest, punching the ball in to give Pittsburgh a 20-16 lead.

Harbaugh and the Colts' last chance started at their own 15 with 90 seconds remaining. Captain Comeback lived up to his nickname, moving the Colts to midfield in four plays. But disaster loomed on the fifth play of the drive when Chris Oldham stepped in front of Turner.

But just as Coryatt had dropped a game-clinching interception, Oldham dropped a sure pick at the Steelers' 35-yard line. After their near-death experience, the Colts misfired on third down. Indianapolis' season now rode on a fourth-and-2 play from midfield.

The Steelers sent a four-man rush, Harbaugh took a deep drop and fired a completion to Sean Dawkins, who was pushed out of bounds.

Indianapolis was still driving, but the clock was becoming a factor. On the ensuing first down, Harbaugh scrambled to midfield. The Colts spiked the ball to stop the clock, leaving time for one last play.

Harbaugh threw the ball to the right corner of the end zone in the direction of a trio of Colts receivers. The ball was tipped out of the pack, and Oldham's heart stood still as it bounced toward Aaron Bailey.

"It's indescribable, with the ball in the air, we can win the championship now, or lose it," Oldham said.

Bailey just needed to squeeze the ball. It was right between his arms. But one year after the Steelers watched their Super Bowl hopes skitter away on an incomplete pass in the end zone, there was a bit of déjà vu except this time, the Steelers were on the winning side, celebrating the incompletion.

"Maybe it was poetic justice being here again with the ball in the air and the opportunity to win a championship," Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher said after the game. "Now I'm 1-1."