"I Can't Screw Up": Steelers' Terry Bradshaw Tells Wild Story About Why He Inexcusably Fumbled In Super Bowl XIII Against Cowboys

The Pittsburgh Steelers set a standard back in the 1970s that the current 21st century teams for the franchise have had to live up to. Two more Super Bowls have come since the dominant force that won four championships five decades ago. Those collectives during the dynasty were led by Terry Bradshaw, who is unquestionably one of the best players to ever wear the black and gold. The Hall of Fame quarterback didn't just have the opportunity to lift four Lombardi Trophies; he also celebrated an MVP award for his play during the 1978 campaign, something that Ben Roethlisberger was never able to accomplish during his career.

While passing the football wasn't nearly as prominent in the 70s as it is as the NFL gets set to wrap up the 2025 campaign, Bradshaw was able to use his arm throughout his incredible time as the Steelers' starting quarterback. He threw for 2,915 yards and 28 touchdowns throughout Pittsburgh's 1978 regular season, which was good enough for him to earn the league MVP award.

Bradshaw has kept himself busy during retirement. He has been on television commentating on football for many years. On Saturday, he was a member of the cast on Fox's pre-game show, as he usually is. While the crew discussed the contest between the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers, the four-time Super Bowl champion went out of his way to talk about the pressure that can be felt in big games.

Matthew Stafford could very well be the league MVP after having a phenomenal 2025 season. He has never earned the honor throughout the course of his impressive stint at the professional level, similarly to what it was like for Bradshaw during the 1978 playoffs. The Steelers legend explained that nerves and fear of failing to live up to expectations got the best of him in Super Bowl XIII against the Dallas Cowboys.

"I'm so proud to have been a Steeler, proud to have gone to Super Bowls," Bradshaw said. "I was really proud to, once in my life, I had an honor that came to me as an MVP of the league, and I thought about that MVP in the league when I played in Super Bowl XIII. And, I thought to myself, 'I can't screw up. I'm the best player in the league this year,' and, it got to me, so right off the bat against the Cowboys, I fumbled. Touchdown."

While Pittsburgh would go on to win that game by a score of 35-31, Bradshaw's fumble came at a critical time. With everything tied up at seven, the quarterback fumbling led to a Mike Hegman return to the end zone. Dallas went up at the time by seven points, and Bradshaw even admits to that day that he was nervous because of the year he had and circumstances he was dealing with while playing.

It ended up not truly coming back to bite the Steelers, but Super Bowl XIII was closer than it should have been because of the costly Bradshaw fumble. Luckily, it didn't matter in the end.

It would end up being the third of four Super Bowl wins for Bradshaw and the Steelers' 1970s dynasty. Being afraid of failing due to expectations is a real concern amongst famous athletes, and Pittsburgh's former quarterback was not afraid to share that it had gotten the best of him early in Super Bowl XIII.

Steelers Extremely Thankful To Have Had Two Legendary Quarterbacks

While Pittsburgh is currently hunting for its long-term solution at the most important position in all of sports, both Bradshaw and Roethlisberger provided a sense of stability for a significant amount of time during both of their tenures. Six combined championships is nothing to scoff at, even if there were some nerves that popped up from time to time.

Do you think that the Steelers' locker room knew how nervous Bradshaw was prior to Super Bowl XIII? Let us know in the comments below!

#SteelerNation