AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

The facts: 9:30 a.m., Three Rivers Stadium, Channel 4, KNX (1070), XTRA (690), KAVL (610).

Head to head: The Broncos’ run to this AFC championship game has been labeled the Revenge Tour because Denver has gotten this far by beating teams that handed it embarrassing losses. “Embarrassing” is the word several Broncos, including Coach Mike Shanahan, have used to describe Denver’s previous game against Pittsburgh this season. Steeler quarterback Kordell Stewart had the game of his young career by accounting for five touchdowns in a 35-24 Pittsburgh romp at Three Rivers. Stewart threw for three touchdowns, all to Yancey Thigpen, and ran for two on a day when the Steelers amassed 476 yards of offense, almost 100 more than the Bronco defense has given up against anyone else this season.

Storyline: Is this John Elway’s last hurrah?

His teammates and the entire city of Denver seem to have rallied behind the idea that their quarterback, hinting at retirement soon, first deserves a fourth trip to the Super Bowl.

Never mind that the Broncos have lost all four previous trips to football’s biggest show. Never mind the Revenge Tour. This one has become the Elway Bowl.

As for the Steelers of Coach Bill Cowher, led by Stewart and running back Jerome Bettis, perhaps tired of hearing of the feats of Coach Chuck Noll, Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris in the ‘70s, would like nothing better than to return to the Super Bowl and get another shot at winning one for themselves.

Keys to the game: A month ago, Stewart unleashed his potential against the Broncos in one spectacular game.

But that was a month ago. That was the regular season. This is the postseason, only his second playoff start, a matchup against Elway, a playoff-hardened veteran who has won this game three previous times.

In the earlier meeting, Denver loaded up its defensive line and dared Stewart to beat the Broncos in man-to-man coverage.

So much for that dare.

Today, Stewart can expect to see everything in Denver defensive coordinator Greg Robinson’s playbook and then some. Zone coverage, man-to-man, blitz. The Broncos can be expected to use it all in an attempt to confuse and frustrate the third-year quarterback.

How well Stewart copes may well determine the outcome.

When the Broncos have the ball, they must give it to running back Terrell Davis at least 25-30 times to win. Elway at 37 isn’t going to get it done by himself.

Now you know: Completing his 15th pro season, Elway has never won a playoff game on the road against a team that wasn’t coached by Marty Schottenheimer.

Elway has a 2-3 lifetime mark on the road in the postseason not counting Super Bowls, which are played at neutral sites. He beat the Schottenheimer-coached Cleveland Browns in the 1986 AFC championship game in Cleveland, 23-20, and beat Schottenheimer again last week in Kansas City, where the Broncos were victorious against the Chiefs, 14-10.

They said it: Stewart, on whether he feels sympathy for Elway: “If I felt like that, I might as well not show up. If I was that concerned about him, I might as well let them have the game so that he can go out with a bang. I want to go out with a bang in my first year.”

The line: Denver by 2 1/2.