"It's something that happens. He completed 28 of 49 passes for a modest 239 yards. TRENDING 1. Needless to say, Neil took a lot of heat for the defeat, although his receivers did not have good games. O'Donnell threw two awful interceptions last night. The season ended, however, with three interceptions against the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl. The Pittsburgh Steelers won a Super Bowl in Ben Roethlisberger's second season as quarterback, but Neil O'Donnell nearly replaced Big Ben … quarterback Neil O'Donnell as the AFC Central's Most Valuable Player for 1995, but the principal one is best illustrated by a play in the third quarter of the Steelers' 49-31 victory over the Bengals on Nov. 19. Still, the Steelers were in contention in the final period -- until the second interception. SUPER BOWL XXX;For O'Donnell, It's a Game of Misreads, Mistakes and Misgivings. He was the starting quarterback for Pittsburgh in the 1995 Super Bowl. The 12th-round pick was now Super Bowl XXX's unlikely MVP. Brown was the surprise hero of Super Bowl XXX with two interceptions of Steelers quarterback Neil O'Donnell. For the first time in franchise history, the Steelers were defeated in the Super Bowl. Twice he simply missed open receivers. O’Donnell threw 28 of 49 passes for 239 yards. "I think there was some miscommunication between the receiver and O'Donnell," Brown said. Neil O’Donnell, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XXX Woodley is the first guy on the list to have thrown for a touchdown — one of four passes he completed that day. (Photo: Getty) Larry Brown intercepted two passes thrown by Steelers quarterback Neil O'Donnell in the Cowboys' fifth Super Bowl win. Super Bowl XXX: Dallas Cowboys 27 Pittsburgh Steelers 17 - Cowboys Defeat the Steelers 27-17 to win Super Bowl XXX, Cowboys CB Larry Brown named MVP. Actually, O'Donnell had a fitful day before and after the interception. (ERIC DRAPER) O'Donnell's second … The first interception was shocking because no one seemed to be in the area -- except Brown. One of them didn't. It was the game's first turnover, coming at the moment when the tempo of the game was in the balance. After sitting on the bench for his entire rookie season, he started in eight games during 1991 before becoming the team's full-time QB in 1992. The Steelers lost to the Cowboys 27–17, as Neil threw a pair of second-half interceptions that led to scores. He was sacked four times and often seemed to be throwing under pressure because his passes were off the mark. O'Donnell often appeared flustered, a quarterback who couldn't find his receivers in his first Super Bowl appearance, and couldn't do much to produce a Steelers surge with any continuity. The Detroit Lions haven't come close to a Super Bowl during the Matthew Stafford era, and retired NFL quarterback Neil O'Donnell thinks it's a shame. TEMPE, Ariz. -- Neil O'Donnell all but gift-wrapped the Super Bowl trophy for the Dallas Cowboys last night.. O'Donnell played 14 seasons in the NFL, threw for 21,690 yards, 120 touchdown passes, and only 68 interceptions. Larry Brown intercepted two passes thrown by Steelers quarterback Neil O'Donnell in the Cowboys' fifth Super Bowl win. There have been other strange on-field occurrences in the Super Bowl, ... quarterback Neil O’Donnell throwing two interceptions directly ... three first-half interceptions … The Pittsburgh Steelers eight Super Bowl appearances have provided NFL Films with an uncanny amount of highlights and great (even iconic) plays. For the first time in franchise history, the Steelers were defeated in the Super Bowl. Dallas’ Larry Brown (24) looks upfield after intercepting a pass thrown by Steelers quarterback Neil O’Donnell in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XXX to set up a Dallas touchdown. Two Dallas Cowboys legends star in a ranking of the top quarterback matchups in every Super Bowl to date. Morris ran for a game-high 73 yards. And late in the drive, on third and 13 from the Cowboys' 23, he struck for a 17-yarder with Mills to push the ball down to the 6 with only 17 seconds left. And both quarterbacks, for whatever reason, struggled in the Super Bowl. Third downs? He started for the New York Jets before joining the Titans as Steve McNair's backup. Troy Aikman vs. Neil O’Donnell, Super Bowl XXX: O’Donnell (17 TDs, 7 INT) was intercepted twice by MVP Larry Brown and Aikman had his third Super Bowl ring. O'Donnell joined the Jets in 1996, shortly after leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Super Bowl. The three Steelers receivers who had lined up on his side broke toward the center of the field as O'Donnell's pass sailed right into Brown's hands. Troy Aikman vs. Neil O'Donnell, Super Bowl XXX Jan. 28, 1996: Cowboys 27, Steelers 17 Aikman was coming off a season that saw him earn his fourth of five consecutive Pro Bowl … He has 72 touchdowns and 30 interceptions for his career, excelling in the type of quick-game offense that is … Super Bowl LV: How Mecole Hardman wins Super Bowl MVP SUPER BOWL 2 days ago 14 shares. The Steelers survived by gutting out a 13-play, 54-yard drive that ended with quarterback Neil O'Donnell throwing a six-yard touchdown pass to wideout Yancey Thigpen 13 seconds before the intermission. Aaron Rodgers has since eclipsed the record (1.99 interception percentage through the 2010-11 season). Cornerback Robert Bailey is at right. "We've got to make third downs and keep Aikman and Irvin and Smith off the field.". On a third-and-20, he hit Hastings for 19 yards to position a fourth down, which succeeded. O'Donnell led the Steelers to Super Bowl XXX, but threw two interceptions to Dallas Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown to set up short touchdown drives in the second half. ", "If we hit him," claimed offensive coordinator Ron Erhardt, "he'd still be running.". Roethlisberger’s? With all his sloppiness in the half, O'Donnell had somehow gotten the Steelers to within 6 points. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. It was a gray area. I did a hook and Neil read an out.". ... and four interceptions across these two games. In other words, O'Donnell is supposed to "read" what the defense is doing and expect Hastings to react the same way. But Pittsburgh could not overcome the two interceptions by Brown, which broke up two Pittsburgh drives and set up two Dallas touchdowns. After sitting on the bench for his entire rookie season, he started in eight games during 1991 before becoming the team's full-time QB in 1992. 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