NFL America's Game: 2005 Steelers (Super Bowl XL)

For most NFL players, the onset of retirement is a sad occasion. Not so for Jerome Bettis. After Super Bowl XL, Bettis, the heart and soul of the Pittsburgh Steelers, hung up his cleats with the Vince Lombardi Trophy in his hands. Entering the 2005 season, many thought Bettis prolific career was still incomplete. Nicknamed The Bus for his battering runs, he was one of the leagues greatest players to have never won a world title. Still, the Steelers team around him had all the markings of a champion; a precocious quarterback, a physical defense, and the motivation to win a ring for their future Hall of Famer. It didn't come easy. After an 11-5 regular season, Pittsburgh became the first sixth-seeded team to reach a Super Bowl, winning three dramatic playoff games on the road. Then, in Bettis hometown of Detroit, the Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10, allowing the veteran to call it quits in storybook fashion. Join NFL Films as they retell the story of the 05 Steelers, a club that won One for the Thumb. Americas Game uses exclusive interviews with Bettis, Bill Cowher and Joey Porter to recount Pittsburgh's fifth championship season.