PITTSBURGH – The Steelers’ celebration was delayed last night by a scary moment late in the AFC Championship Game.

With 3:39 left to play, Steelers defensive back Ryan Clark delivered a vicious hit on Ravens running back Willis McGahee that left McGahee motionless on the field for several minutes. He was carted off the field and the Ravens later announced he had “significant neck pain” but did have movement in his limbs.

“It was a heck of a hit for one thing,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “Willis made a nice play leading up to that. Ran a great route and had a nice catch. Your first thought is obviously concern for Willis and for any player. Once we got out there and hearing the doctors talk and seeing him move around you felt like it was going to be OK. Both sides obviously had concerns but we were happy it was not immediately serious at that point.”

The play was a short pass from Joe Flacco. McGahee caught the ball and an instant later Clark delivered a helmet-to-helmet blow that also knocked Clark from the game. McGahee fumbled the ball and Pittsburgh recovered. Heinz Field went silent when it realized McGahee was hurt seriously. Many players from both teams gathered on the field around McGahee.

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The Super Bowl against Arizona will be a strange reunion for the Steelers and a few of their former coaches. Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt and offensive assistant Russ Grimm were both longtime Steelers assistants who got passed over for the head-coaching job two years ago when Mike Tomlin was hired.

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The Steelers played most of the game without star receiver Hines Ward. He made a huge 45-yard catch on the team’s opening drive, but then hurt his right knee on an 11-yard catch later in the first quarter. He came back for one play in the second quarter but could not stay in the game. . . . The Steelers had lost the AFC title game at home three straight times before winning last night.