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Steelers land two plays in ESPN's top 10 Super Bowl trick plays, Randle El-to-Ward at No. 3
ESPN ranks Antwaan Randle El's pass to Hines Ward third among Super Bowl trick plays, and a 1996 Steelers onside kick sixth, as Pittsburgh heads to Cincinnati.
Only one franchise shows up twice in ESPN's new ranking of the 10 best trick plays in Super Bowl history, and it is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Turron Davenport and Nate Taylor of ESPN put Antwaan Randle El's touchdown pass to Hines Ward in Super Bowl XL at No. 3. They put Bill Cowher's surprise onside kick in Super Bowl XXX at No. 6.
The Randle El play is still the defining snap of the franchise's fifth title. Pittsburgh led Seattle 14-10 with about nine minutes left and had first-and-10 at the Seahawks' 43. Cowher called a reverse the offense had practiced that Friday. Randle El, a former quarterback at Indiana, took the ball moving right, pulled up and hit Ward deep for a 43-yard score. According to the Associated Press account carried by the Southeast Missourian, it was the first touchdown pass by a wide receiver in Super Bowl history. It sealed a 21-10 win and helped make Ward the game's MVP. The team's own site, Steelers.com, has put it up as a candidate for the greatest play in club history. Looking back with ESPN, Ward said scoring in Detroit amid a "sea of black and gold" was beyond words.
The No. 6 entry comes from a loss. Down 20-10 to Dallas in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XXX, the Steelers followed a Norm Johnson field goal with an onside kick that caught the Cowboys backing up to set up a return. Deon Figures scooped it up in stride at the Pittsburgh 48, and the drive ended with Bam Morris's 1-yard touchdown run. Cowher had decided before the game that he would try one at some point. Only Philadelphia's "Philly Special" and New Orleans' "Ambush" onside kick ranked higher than Randle El's pass.
What it means for Cincinnati
The list looks back, but the current team has its own momentum. Pittsburgh is 6-2 and has won four straight. The latest was a 27-6 home win over Cleveland, after wins over New Orleans, Tampa Bay and Indianapolis. The defense has given up 10 points or fewer in two of those four games. Next is a trip to Cincinnati on Sunday, November 15 (NBC). The Steelers beat the Bengals 30-27 at home earlier in the season. Their two losses both came on the road, 20-3 at New England and 27-24 at Cleveland.
The board still makes Cincinnati the favorite. Across 11 venues, the Bengals are favored by 3.5 points. On Novig, one of those venues, the Bengals are -174 on the moneyline and the Steelers +170, with Pittsburgh +3.5 at -104. The total is 49.5 on Novig. FanDuel has the lowest number on the board at 48.5 (-115 on the over). The venues are close together: sportsbook hold runs from 3.2% to 5.3% on the moneyline and 3.0% to 5.0% on the spread. Full prices are on the game page.
The trip after that brings back the team at the top of ESPN's list. Pittsburgh visits Philadelphia on November 22, and the Steelers are favored there. Novig has them at -212, and DraftKings has the best price on the board at -198. Six venues list them as 4.5-point favorites. That page is here.