Jake Plummer’s biggest NFL game will be against a team the Broncos beat without him.
In the most recent game between Denver and Pittsburgh – which will meet in the AFC championship game at 1 p.m. Sunday at Invesco Field at Mile High – the Broncos won 17-14 at home on Oct. 12, 2003, in a game decided by a 47-yard field goal by Jason Elam as time expired.
It was the sixth game of the season and Plummer’s sixth since joining the Broncos, and he was out with a right shoulder injury. Plummer missed the next three games with a left foot injury, and Denver lost all three games.
The Broncos played five games without Plummer that season and went 1-4, with the only win coming against the Steelers. Plummer has played every game since. His regular-season record with Denver is 32-11, and his postseason record with the team is 1-2.
The win over the Steelers came with then-backup Steve Beuerlein directing the Broncos’ offense. He completed 17-of-28 passes for 172 yards, threw two touchdown passes and was intercepted twice. Pittsburgh managed just 215 yards of offense. Denver had 242.
Things heated up in the fourth quarter, when 18 of the 31 total points were scored. The Steelers tied the game at 14-14 on a 1-yard plunge by running back Jerome Bettis and a subsequent two- point conversion with 2:41 to go. Denver then engineered a 10-play, 51-yard drive to set up Elam’s winner.
Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-820-5450 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
