With their 34 points scored on the Broncos, the Pittsburgh Steelers extended their franchise-best streak of scoring at least 30 points in a game to six. It should be no surprise, then, that they broke another franchise record in the process.
According to Steelers PR/Media Manager Dom Rinelli, the team has now scored in 21 consecutive quarters dating back to the fourth quarter against the Oakland Raiders six games ago. The team’s previous best mark was 20 consecutive quarters, a feat achieved in 1997.
The Steelers that season finished 11-5, winning the AFC Central, but losing 24-21 to the Broncos in the AFC Championship game. They were the seventh-highest scoring team in the league that season, averaging 23.2 points per game that year with the beloved Kordell Stewart at quarterback throwing for 21 touchdowns and rushing for 11. Jerome Bettis ran for 1665 yards that season en route to a Pro Bowl.
The 20-quarter scoring streak began on November 16 in Week 11 against the Ravens and stretched to Week 15’s December 15 game against the Broncos, scoring in every quarter in that series of four games. The Steelers went 4-1 in that span, scoring a total of 138 points. It is interesting to note that they also scored in an overtime in that span, and if overtimes counted, they would have scored in 21 consecutive quarters.
For this current Steelers team, the streak began in the fourth quarter at home against the Raiders in Week Nine. After scoring in the first two quarters to take a 21-14 lead into halftime, the offense was blanked in the third quarter, but put up 17 points in the fourth to win 38-35.
Pittsburgh has yet to not score in a quarter since then. The following game against the Browns, the Steelers netted at least a field goal in each quarter in a 30-9 victory, including a two-touchdown second quarter, heading into the bye week.
Though they came up short 39-30 in Seattle, the offense was still very effective, once against with a two-touchdown second quarter and at least one field goal in each, with three touchdowns in total. Next was a dismantling of the Colts at home, in which the Steelers scored five touchdowns from the second quarter on, after just a field goal in the first.
Over the past two games, the Steelers have combined for 77 points, scoring at least seven in every quarter against the Bengals, and at least six in every quarter against the Broncos. The streak is live and current, so if they score in the first quarter against the Ravens on Sunday, they will only pad the lead that distances this team from every other in franchise history.
As a part of this five-plus game span, the Steelers have accumulated a 5-1 record, including the Raiders game, scoring a total of 210 points and averaging 35 points per game since this streak has begun. They have scored at least 30 points in each game, needless to say.
