Let us hope the Steelers rebound this Sunday night and take down the San Diego Chargers to move to 2-2. God forbid we don\’t win, 1-3 is not the death sentence for the Steelers. Since 1969, 9 Steelers teams have started the season 1-3. Of those 9 teams, 2 actually made the playoffs and a 3rd one lost out on tie breakers.The most recent Steelers team to do it was the 2002 team that ended up going 10-5-1 and losing to the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round of the playoffs. Before that, the 1976 Steelers team finished 10-4 after a 1-3 start. That year the AFC Central Division champion Steelers lost to the Oakland Raiders in the AFC Championship Game. In 1990 the Steelers went 9-7 and finished in a 3 way tie with the Houston Oilers and the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers lost out on tiebreakers, while the Oilers and Bengals advanced to the playoffs.
As far as the Super Bowl goes, only one team has started 1-3 and won it all. That team was the 2001 New England Patriots, the same 2001 Patriots that beat the Steelers in the AFC Championship game that season.
Steelers Modern Era 1-3 Starts
| Year | W | L | T | Post |
| 2006 | 8 | 8 | 0 | No |
| 2002 | 10 | 5 | 1 | Yes |
| 2000 | 9 | 7 | 0 | No |
| 1990 | 9 | 7 | 0 | No |
| 1988 | 5 | 11 | 0 | No |
| 1986 | 6 | 10 | 0 | No |
| 1976 | 10 | 4 | 0 | Yes |
| 1970 | 5 | 9 | 0 | No |
| 1969 | 1 | 13 | 0 | No |
