1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season The 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers was considered a " transitional " year heading into the season due to many key free agent losses in the offseason , as well as the first season of Kordell Stewart starting at quarterback . However , the Steelers didn ' t budge , finishing with an 11 - 5 record , their fourth consecutive AFC Central crown , and their sixth straight playoff appearance . In doing so , Steelers head coach Bill Cowher tied Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown with most consecutive playoff appearances to start a head coaching career in the NFL - - a record Cowher still co - owns with Brown , as the Steelers missed the playoffs the following year . The Steelers would host the AFC Championship game for the third time in four years . However , they would ultimately lose to the wild - card Denver Broncos in the AFC Title game . Offseason . The Steelers saw many key free - agents leave the team , the biggest being cornerback Rod Woodson , whose ten - year tenure with the team ended due to a dispute over money with the Rooney family . Woodson would sign with the San Francisco 49ers as a result , though the Steelers would see him again in the following four seasons afterward as a member of the rival Baltimore Ravens . Other free - agent losses included Chad Brown , Ernie Mills , Andre Hastings , Deon Figures , and Brentson Buckner , among others . The team did manage to keep its other prized free - agent besides Woodson , locking up Jerome Bettis ( who they had acquired in a trade with the St . Louis Rams the year before ) with a four - year deal . The team also had a transition at quarterback . After pushing Bill Cowher play exclusively at quarterback , Kordell Stewart was handed the starting job and dropping his " Slash " role on the team . Stewart would have success with the team this season , but would be inconsistent afterwards . The team also made some minor changes to the uniforms this season , the first changes since gold pants were adopted as part of the white jerseys in 1972 . The jersey numbers , previously having the old - style block numbering , were switched to the rounder style ( Futura Condensed ) as seen on the helmets . In addition , the Steelers logo was added to the left shoulder . The uniforms have remained the same since these changes as of 2007 . Regular season . Game summaries . Week 1 ( Sunday August 31 , 1997 ) : vs . Dallas Cowboys . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 2 ( Sunday September 7 , 1997 ) : vs . Washington Redskins . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 4 ( Monday September 22 , 1997 ) : at Jacksonville Jaguars . " at Alltel Stadium , Jacksonville , Florida " Scoring Drives : Week 5 ( Sunday September 28 , 1997 ) : vs . Tennessee Oilers . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 6 ( Sunday October 5 , 1997 ) : at Baltimore Ravens . " at Memorial Stadium , Baltimore , Maryland " Scoring Drives : Week 7 ( Sunday October 12 , 1997 ) : vs . Indianapolis Colts . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 8 ( Sunday October 19 , 1997 ) : at Cincinnati Bengals . " at Cinergy Field , Cincinnati , Ohio " Scoring Drives : Week 9 ( Sunday October 26 , 1997 ) : vs . Jacksonville Jaguars . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 10 ( Monday November 3 , 1997 ) : at Kansas City Chiefs . " at Arrowhead Stadium , Kansas City , Missouri " Scoring Drives : Week 11 ( Sunday November 9 , 1997 ) : vs . Baltimore Ravens . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 12 ( Sunday November 16 , 1997 ) : vs . Cincinnati Bengals . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 13 ( Sunday November 23 , 1997 ) : at Philadelphia Eagles . " at Veterans Stadium , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 14 ( Sunday November 30 , 1997 ) : at Arizona Cardinals . " at Sun Devil Stadium , Tempe , Arizona " Scoring Drives : Week 15 ( Sunday December 7 , 1997 ) : vs . Denver Broncos . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 16 ( Saturday December 13 , 1997 ) : at New England Patriots . " at Foxboro Stadium , Foxborough , Massachusetts " Scoring Drives : Week 17 ( Sunday December 21 , 1997 ) : at Tennessee Oilers . " at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium , Memphis , Tennessee " Scoring Drives : Playoffs . Game summaries . Both of the Steelers post - season matchups were rematches from the regular season . The Steelers had a first - round bye , then faced the AFC East champion ( and defending AFC champion ) New England Patriots at home . The game , which was a homecoming for young Patriots players & Pittsburgh area natives Ty Law and Curtis Martin ( Martin was in fact playing in his last game with New England before signing with the New York Jets that offseason ) , was also a rematch of the previous year ' s AFC Divisional matchup , which took place in Foxborough . After defeating the Pats , the Steelers would lose to the eventual Super Bowl XXXII champion Denver Broncos 24 - 21 in Elway ' s last trip to Pittsburgh . AFC Divisional Playoff ( Saturday January 3 , 1998 ) : vs . New England Patriots . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : AFC Championship Game ( Sunday January 11 , 1998 ) : vs . Denver Broncos . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Honors and awards . Pro Bowlers . See : " 1998 Pro Bowl