And I know you know the Pittsburgh Steelers’ three-game losing streak is bad. Really bad. This team stumbling to the finish line and getting dusted by three clubs with real Super Bowl aspirations. But the Steelers’ losing streak is uglier and more common than you might think.
Pittsburgh lost all three games by double digits. To the Philadelphia Eagles by 14, the Baltimore Ravens by 17, the Kansas City Chiefs by 19. It’s the first time they’ve dropped three-straight by 10-plus points since 1988, one of the final years of Chuck Noll’s head coaching career. Losses to the Cleveland Browns, Phoenix Cardinals, and Houston Oilers, two teams that have changed their names/locations. That’s how long ago the last instance was. And it’s the only other time it’s occurred since the 1970 merger.
If the Steelers make it four in a row, which is possible facing the Cincinnati Bengals’ high-flying offense in the finale, it’ll be the first time since Noll’s first season in 1969. That would be true rock-bottom.
While three-game skids of this magnitude are rare, losing three-straight has become all too common. This marks the seventh-straight season that Pittsburgh has dropped three in a row at some point of the regular season.
2018: Weeks 12-14
2019: Weeks 1-3, Weeks 15-17
2020: Weeks 13-15
2021: Weeks 2-4
2022: Weeks 2-5
2023: Weeks 13-15
2024: Weeks 15-17
Five of those eight instances have occurred late in the season. That includes this season’s skid. In fact, all of them have come near the start or the end of the year. Explaining why is difficult to do but the streaks are telling as they are consistent.
Put that streak in perspective. Doing so in seven-straight years lumps Pittsburgh in with some of the NFL’s bottom-dwellers. It’s tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the league. Here’s the list.
Longest Active Streaks With 3-Straight Losses
1. New York Jets: 9 seasons
2. Las Vegas Raiders: 8 seasons
2. Denver Broncos: 8 seasons*
4. Arizona Cardinals: 7 seasons
4. Pittsburgh Steelers: 7 seasons
4. Carolina Panthers: 7 seasons
There’s an asterisk next to the Broncos because their streak could end this year. They’ve yet to have a three-game skid this season. But coming off a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Broncos need to win one of their final two games to snap it.
You wouldn’t expect the Steelers to be in present company with teams like the Jets, Raiders, Cardinals, and Panthers. Some of the league’s worst teams over the last decade. But Pittsburgh has been good for one ugly stretch per season. Often, the Steelers rebound but with it occurring so late this season, there isn’t much time for a turnaround.
Like many issues with this team, it’s hard to figure out why the Steelers are so prone to these woes. This year was in part due to a tough schedule, though teams with big aspirations like Pittsburgh can’t use that as an excuse, but it doesn’t explain the past seven years. For a team that continually posts non-losing seasons, not that we’re celebrating that, it’s incredible the Steelers have done it despite routinely losing three in a row.
For most of the year, it felt like 2024 would break the streak. Even going 1-2 over this 11-game stretch would’ve provided some hope, showing the Steelers could beat the Eagles or Chiefs or clinch the division against the Ravens. Instead, the team was swept and will try to avoid the four-peat in the finale. Truly as bad of a stretch as you could imagine for how Pittsburgh is wrapping up its season.
