Visitor:  Pittsburgh Steelers

Home:  Kansas City Chiefs

Date:  January 8, 1994

AFC Wildcard Game

 

Scoring:

Team                1          2          3          4          OT       Final

PIT                  7          10        0          7          0            24

KC                  7          0          3          14        3            27

 

Visitor playmakers:

RB Merrill Hoge, TE Adrian Cooper, DE Gerald Williams, WR Ernie Mills, TE Eric Green, LB Kevin Greene

 

Home playmakers:

RB Marcus Allen, WR J.J. Birden, S Martin Bayless, TE Keith Cash, WR Tim Barnett

 

Network:  ABC  (KABC Los Angeles)

Announcers:  Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf, Lynn Swann

 

Pregame:  No

Halftime:  Yes

Postgame:  No

Commercials:  Yes

 

Grade:  Excellent

 

Notes:  CB D.J. Johnson is ejected early in the game for kicking TE Jonathan Hayes in the head, setting the stage for Barnett’s game-tying TD in the fourth quarter.  This was only the second playoff game ever without a turnover.  Great quality game!

Thanks Edward!

 

From the 2005 Kansas City Chiefs Media Guide:

The Game:  Kansas City earned a berth in the AFC Wild Card Game thanks to an 11-5 regular season record.  Just the second postseason contest played at Arrowhead, the contest featured a coaching duel between Pittsburgh head coach Bill Cowher, who had previously served as both a player and assistant coach under Marty Schottenheimer.  The game’s incredible finish featured a blocked punt, a miraculous fourth-down game-tying TD, a missed game-winning FG in regulation and then a 32-yard FG by Chiefs K Nick Lowery in OT that finalized an exhilarating 27-24 victory.

 

The Situation:  Ahead by a 24-17 count, the Steelers had a chance to run out the clock when they got the ball back with 3:00 left in regulation.  However, the Chiefs defense held, setting the stage for TE Keith Cash to block P Mark Royals’ punt, which was recovered by WR Fred Jones who returned the ball to the Pittsburgh nine-yard line.  A pair of one-yard runs by RB Marcus Allen and an incomplete pass left Kansas City facing fourth-and-goal from the seven-yard line with 1:48 remaining, trailing by seven points.

 

WR Tim Barnett’s First-Hand Account:  “One of Pittsburgh’s safeties had been ejected from the game, so they had a backup safety in the game at the time.  The ‘zip’ was a motion where we were trying to determine if they were going to be in man or zone coverage.  I think they were supposed to be in man and I should have been passed off to the safety, but nobody picked me up.  I think Joe saw the same thing.  When I got to the ‘trail,’ I couldn’t believe how wide open I was.  Nobody was within five yards of me.  I was so afraid of dropping the pass because I was too open.”

 

Lamar’s Memory:  “Joe Montana was at his coolest on this fourth-down play, which Tim Barnett caught at the back edge of Arrowhead’s West End Zone.  TE Keith Cash blocked a punt in overtime and RB Fred Jones put the ball into position to win it in the fifth quarter.”

 

The Play:  QB Joe Montana doesn’t disappoint in his first postseason contest as a member of the Chiefs.  WR Tim Barnett is split out to the far right of the formation and comes in motion, denoted by the “zip.”  He runs a basic route and then moves uncovered right to left along the back stripe of the end zone for the “trail” of the play.  Montana briefly looks right and then finds Barnett incredibly wide open.  Barnett’s score and K Nick Lowery’s ensuing PAT tie the score at 24-24, setting the stage for an overtime victory.

 

Running time:  3:34  (2 discs)