How One Game Determined Jerome Bettis’ Fate

Imagine for a second how easily things could have changed back on January 15th, 2006. The Pittsburgh Steelers were in the midst of one of the greatest runs to a Super Bowl title in the history of the National Football League.

Just over a month earlier, the Steelers sat at 7-5 and faced the prospect of having to win their final four games just to get into the playoffs. The run began with a victory in Heinz Field over the Chicago Bears which was sparked by the iconic trucking of Brian Urlacher by the Steelers’ Jerome Bettis.

Flash back to the AFC Divisional Playoff Game in Indianapolis against the heavily-favored Colts led by Peyton Manning. The Steelers had gone into Cincinnati the week before…