Del Greco Gets It Right as Oilers Sweep Steelers

This time, Al Del Greco and the Tennessee Oilers got the field goal drill right.

Del Greco, who failed to get onto the field for a late field goal attempt in the Oilers’ last home game, kicked a 22-yarder with three seconds left for the decisive points in Tennessee’s 23-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

“My picture was in the paper bearing down on that again today,” Del Greco said. “Hopefully that’ll be gone. I’ve apologized enough, I hope, and we can go on and worry about the games coming up.”

The Oilers (6-4) got a final touchdown with time expired as the Steelers (6-4) tried to keep from being tackled on a kickoff return. They lateraled the ball until Will Blackwell lost it into the end zone, where Michael Roan fell on it.

The Oilers, who have won three in a row, swept the Steelers for the first time since 1993, when they still called Houston home and last reached the playoffs.

“Pittsburgh is always a contender,” Oiler tackle Gary Walker said. “You know if you beat them, you’re on the road to the playoffs. We need to take this and keep building on it.”

The Steelers had a chance to put away the game when they stopped Eddie George on fourth and one, getting the ball back at the Pittsburgh 42 with 8:49 left.

But the Steelers stalled at the Tennessee 25 and wound up with their own fourth and one.

Matt George, filling in for injured kicker Norm Johnson, had his first field-goal attempt blocked earlier in the game, so Pittsburgh Coach Bill Cowher decided to go for the first down. Kordell Stewart was stopped short.

“They stopped us on fourth down, and that just shouldn’t happen,” said Pittsburgh running back Jerome Bettis, who gained only 29 yards in 14 carries.