Arts & Culture

If History Is A Barometer, Sunday's Winner Could Be Headed To The Super Bowl

90.5 WESA | By Sarah Kovash

Published January 9, 2017 at 7:15 AM EST

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Pittsburgh Steeler John Stallworth leaps to catch a pass from Terry Bradshaw for the Steelers second touchdown in an AFC game against Miami, Dec. 31, 1979. Dolphin Neal Colzie (20) fell short.

Gene Puskar / AP

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Several thousand Steelers fans waited hours overnight in sub-freezing temperatures to purchase tickets outside Three Rivers Stadium in December 1972.

Harry Cabluck / AP

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Three Miami Dolphins players team up to dump Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw in 4th period play that saw the Dolphins win 21-17 during the AFC championship game Sunday, Dec. 31, 1972. Bradshaw had been hit earlier in the game but returned.

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Miami Dolphins Coach Don Shula, left, shakes hands with a head-bowed Chuck Noll, coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Dolphins won 21-17 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh on Dec. 31, 1972.

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Pittsburgh sportcaster Myron Cope shows a Terrible Towel, a Cope brainchild that became a marketing success in Pittsburgh through the 1970s. The towel was supposed to give the team supernatural powers leading up the AFC playoff game against Miami in 1979.

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Steelers' quarterback Terry Bradshaw "interviews" his pet dachshund during a practice session at Three Rivers Stadium, Dec. 29, 1979. Bradshaw was being interviewed by a TV crew ahead of the AFC playoff game against Miami, when the taping went awry.

R.C. Greenawalt / AP

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Miami Dolphins Coach Don Shula, right, tells Steelers Jack Lambert, "Wish we could have given you a better game," in the visiting coach's office following the AFC semifinal game in Pittsburgh, Dec. 31, 1979. The Steelers went on to win the Super Bowl.

Gene Puskar / AP

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Miami Dolphin end Doug Betters (75) chases a loose ball by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first half of the AFC Championship in Miami on Sunday, Jan. 6, 1985. The Dolphins recovered the ball and went on to win 45-28.

Doug Jennings / AP

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Miami Dolphins fans cheer from the stands during the AFC playoff game in which the Dolphins defeated the Steelers 45-28, Jan. 6, 1985 in Miami. Several Dolphins defenders' names started with "B," prompting the nickname "Killer Bees."

Rusty Kennedy / AP

When the Steelers take on the Miami Dolphins at Heinz Field on Sunday, it’ll be a familiar scene.

Sunday will mark just the fourth time the two teams have faced each other in the playoffs – 1972, 1979 and 1984. At each meeting, split 2-1 Miami, the victor went on to play in the Super Bowl.

Ahead of Sunday’s game, we take a look back at some of the memorable moments in Steelers and Dolphins history. Recap more of their playoff moments with the Miami Herald.

Kickoff is at 1:05 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 8.