A new series we’re bringing to Steelers Depot to get us through a portion of the offseason. A list of the top 10 individual seasons in team history. Which as I sat down to research turned out to be a lot harder than I figured. A team that’s been around for 90 years has had lots of great seasons – who would’ve guessed?
So we’re counting down 10 to one the top singular season performances by anyone who has worn the black and gold. One important caveat. Players can only appear on this list once. So their best of the best season. You won’t see any repeat names on here.
As we begin to near the end of the list, I’ll also post an honorable mentions of players and performances that just missed the cut. Let me know your thoughts of the top 10 in the comments below.
We’ll continue things with #3 and #4.
#4 – 2004 OG Alan Faneca: Started All 16 Games + Pro Bowler + 1st Team All-Pro + Zero Penalties
It’s hard to quantify a lineman’s season. They don’t have the eye-popping stats receivers and pass rushers do. But you can’t forget about their greatness. And Faneca’s string of seasons in the early to mid 2000s is about as good as you’ll see. But 2004 edges out the others for two reasons. The Steelers going on a historic 15-1 run, turning to rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger who was supposed to spend the year third-string, and relying on a heavy dose of the run game to not lose a regular season game with him as starter. Pittsburgh finished the year ranking first in rushing yards, fifth in rushing touchdowns, and fifth in yards per carry.
He was known for his run blocking but was also highly athletic and could block out in space. Watch him (and C Jeff Hartings!) work out in space on this screen pass to cut down the defenders and nearly send Verron Haynes into the end zone.
What also made Faneca’s season remarkable was the number of accepted penalties he had. Zero. It’s the only time in his career he put up a goose egg, playing in every single game and never moving his offense backwards. It’s difficult to find how rare of a feat that is but you can imagine it doesn’t happen often.
Faneca was the anchor of a stout Steelers’ line, the top pulling guard in the league, and his performances shouldn’t be left off this list.
#3 – 2021 LB T.J. Watt: Record-Tying 22.5 Sacks + League-Leading 21 TFL + 5 FF + All-Pro + DPOY
This is where it gets tough. I wrestled with the top three names here quite a bit and there’s a case – as you may argue in the comments below – Watt should take the top spot. It’s more than fair. After all, Watt tied Michael Strahan’s official sack record and he didn’t need Brett Favre to slide on the final one. Heck, Watt even did it in just 15 games, missing two full contests while being limited in others. If he was fully healthy over 17 games, he probably ends with 25.
By Week Four, despite missing a game, he had five sacks. By the Week 7 bye, he had seven. And by the end of the year, he tied the record. Even in the Steelers’ lone playoff game, he recovered a fumble for a touchdown, briefly giving Pittsburgh the lead, and finished the game with a sack and three QB hits.
In the 15 he played in, Watt had at least a half-sack in 12 of them. Eight times he had more than one sack, six times he had at least two, and three times he had at least three, highlighted by a four-sack performance against the Cleveland Browns. Here’s the final one from that game, absolutely taking it to rookie RT James Hudson.
Watt was a man possessed, his OT forced fumble leading to the Steelers’ win over the Seahawks, and he was simply unblockable for the entire season.
His incredible season earned him a long overdue Defensive Player of the Year Award, dominating the vote total with 42 of 50. Truly a dominant year that even Watt, elite as he is, will have a tough time replicating.
STEELERS TOP TEN SINGLE SEASON PERFORMANCES
#10 WR Louis Lipps (1985)
#9 RB Le’Veon Bell (2014)
#8 QB Ben Roethlisberger (2014) & QB Terry Bradshaw (1978)
#7 HB Bill Dudley (1946)
#6 CB Rod Woodson (1992)
#5 LB Jack Lambert (1976)
#4 OG Alan Faneca (2004)
#3 LB T.J. Watt (2021)
