Now, What About Super Bowl Revenge?

The Denver Broncos, determined to beat some of the teams that have beaten them in recent games dating to last season, had referred to this run through the postseason as the Revenge Tour.

For nobody has had a sweeter time exacting revenge than Bronco defensive lineman Neil Smith.

A five-time Pro Bowler, Smith, who has 67 1/2 regular-season sacks since 1992, spent his nine previous pro seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, failing to get to a Super Bowl.

Now after jumping ship as a free agent in the off-season, Smith is going as a member of one of the Chiefs’ biggest rivals, the Broncos.

Beating Kansas City in a playoff game last week was nice for Smith. Beating Pittsburgh Sunday to get into the Super Bowl was even nicer.

“I’ve been waiting for this for 10 years,” said Smith, 31. “That’s a long time. I’m a guy who was washed up and pushed out of his own home [Kansas City]. Now I’ve got a new chance.”

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Add revenge: The last time Denver defensive back Darrien Gordon left the field at Three Rivers Stadium, he was shell-shocked. That was last month when Gordon was assigned the task of covering Pittsburgh receiver Yancey Thigpen in a regular-season game and failed miserably, Thigpen catching three touchdown passes against Gordon.

Although Gordon wasn’t assigned the sole duty of covering Thigpen on Sunday, his joy at the game’s outcome was understandable.

While his teammates embraced, gave interviews or merely trotted back to their locker room after the game, Gordon stood on top of a bench and taunted the unhappy crowd, hands held high in the air.

He’s a lot better at that than he is going man-to-man.

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By the numbers: Sunday’s loss broke the Steelers’ eight-game winning streak at Three Rivers Stadium. It also was only their third loss in the last 25 home games.

Denver running back Terrell Davis, with 139 yards rushing, became the first player to run for 100 yards against the Steelers this season.

Davis also has 424 rushing yards in this postseason, third on the all-time list led by Washington’s John Riggins (610) and Oakland’s Marcus Allen (466).

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New commercial? Denver linebacker Keith Burns, celebrating on the field Sunday after beating the Steelers to qualify for Super Bowl XXXII in San Diego, yelled out to any and all within earshot: “We’re going to Sea World!”