The Pittsburgh Steelers have played 92 NFL seasons, their 93rd starting in just a few months. There have been highs, lows, and everything in between. In a new series we’ll use to pass the time of the offseason, I’m ranking all of them, from the worst season in franchise history to the best. This means picking which of the six Super Bowl winners came out on top—not an easy task.
We’ll break this series down into parts (roughly) 10 at a time, working from worst to best, with one small caveat. I won’t include the team’s two merger years, 1943 and 1944, when Pittsburgh combined with the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Cardinals due to a player shortage resulting from WWII. Since these were merger years where Pittsburgh wasn’t entirely its own entity, they fall into a separate category. We will rank the other 90.
Our finale, ranking the 10 best Steelers teams of all-time.
Part One – Worst Of The Worst
Part Two – Not The Worst, Far From Best
Part Three – Total Stagnation
Part Four – Learn To Love .500
Part Five – Signs Of Life
Part Six – Are We There Yet?
Part Seven – The For Real Teams
Part Eight – The (Almost) Best
Ranking Every Steelers Season (No. 10-1)
10. 2004 season (15-1 record, Divisional Win, AFC Championship Loss)
A magical regular season that couldn’t quite go all the way in the playoffs. Ben Roethlisberger’s rookie season, tasked to replace an injured Tommy Maddox in Week 2. Met with skepticism from even teammates, the Steelers didn’t lose from Week 3 through the rest of the regular season. The Steelers had an identity with a steady running game and an elite defense, and Roethlisberger was making backyard plays uncommon in the league at the time.
Under Maddox, Pittsburgh opened the season with a win over the Oakland Raiders. Week 2 would produce the only loss, 30-13 to the Ravens. Roethlisberger’s first NFL start came in post-hurricane conditions in Miami, coming away with a 13-3 victory. By the bye, Pittsburgh sat at 5-1.
Many thought a rude awakening was waiting on the other side of the bye. Underdogs to the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh beat both in convincing fashion. One of the few era triumphs over Tom Brady, the Steelers won 34-20 in Week 8. Brady was picked twice and sacked four more, while Roethlisberger managed the game well and threw two scoring passes to WR Plaxico Burress. RB Duce Staley mowed down the Pats’ defense with 125 yards.
Pittsburgh raced out to a 21-0 lead to shock Philadelphia the following week. WR Hines Ward had rushing and receiving touchdowns while the Eagles were completely held in check with seven first downs, 113 total yards, and three points. By the middle of the game, QB Donovan McNabb and WR Terrell Owens spent more time fighting on the sidelines than battling the Steelers.
Throughout the season, Pittsburgh didn’t always put up huge points, but won by keeping the score down and making timely plays. Across Weeks 11-14, Pittsburgh failed to even cross the 20-point threshold but won every contest. A more high-scoring affair came with a 33-30 win over the New York Giants, RB Jerome Bettis shouldering the workload with 36 carries for 140 yards.
With the No. 1 seed clinched, Pittsburgh played its backups in the finale and still topped the Buffalo Bills. It was RB Willie Parker’s breakout game, rushing for 102 yards. James Harrison returned a fumble for a touchdown in a 29-24 win.
Hosting the New York Jets in the Divisional Round, the Steelers hung on to win. It took two missed field goals by the Jets’ Doug Brien to do it, but in overtime, K Jeff Reed hit a 33-yarder to deliver a 20-17 win. Bettis and Staley combined for over 150 yards and one touchdown while Ward went over 100 receiving yards, always playing his best in the playoffs.
In a rematch against the Patriots in the championship game, the Steelers’ magic ran out. Roethlisberger threw three picks, including a back-breaking 87-yard pick-six by S Rodney Harrison right before halftime that had the game over at the break. Pittsburgh outgained New England, but four turnovers to the Patriots’ zero were the difference-maker. The game would later be remembered as part of the Spygate scandal, with former players like Bettis believing the Patriots cheated and knew the plays Pittsburgh called in.
Pittsburgh finished with the 11th-ranked offense and No. 1 defense for the year. The passing numbers weren’t big, but they didn’t need to be. Roethlisberger tossed 17 touchdown passes to 11 interceptions while being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Bettis and Staley formed a strong duo, rushing for 941 and 830 yards respectively, while Bettis vultured nearly all of the team’s 16 touchdowns. Ward crossed the 1,000-yard mark and made a Pro Bowl while Burress led the team with five touchdown receptions.
Defensively, the Steelers didn’t have a weakness. Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith up front. Joey Porter and James Farrior at linebacker. Ike Taylor at cornerback and Troy Polamalu at safety. After a tough rookie year, the light clicked for Polamalu (Dick LeBeau returning as DC played a big role), and he picked off five passes and made his first Pro Bowl. Collectively, the defense forced 20 fumbles and intercepted 19 passes.
Pittsburgh finished the year with 41 touchdowns scored and only 26 allowed.
Despite being the only 15-win team in history with just one loss, the Steelers’ point differential was relatively low. Still a solid plus-121, but a figure that ranks 12th all-time. That and the lack of a Super Bowl trip keep it from being higher on the list.
Notable: Two non-quarterbacks threw touchdown passes for Pittsburgh in 2004 – RB Jerome Bettis and WR Antwaan Randle El.
9. 1995 season (11-5 record, Divisional Win, AFC Championship Win, Super Bowl Loss)
So close. So far. The first Super Bowl-bound team on the list, Pittsburgh fell just short in the team’s first return to the big game since the 70s dynasty. It sits behind 2010 because of one fewer regular-season win, much worse point differential, smaller margin of victory, and lack of No. 1 unit on either side of the ball. Pittsburgh finished the year with the No. 5 offense and No. 9 defense.
Pittsburgh opened the season with a hard-fought 23-20 win over the Detroit Lions, followed by a more convincing 34-17 victory against the Houston Oilers the following week. A two-game stumble in losses to the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings seemed to shake the team, and by the Week 7 bye, the Steelers were .500. It didn’t look better with a 27-9 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the game after the off week.
But the Steelers got hot the rest of the way. Beating Jacksonville in Week 9, a 37-34 overtime win over the Chicago Bears, vaulted the team on an eight-game winning streak through Week 16. Pittsburgh beat up on the AFC Central division with clear-cut wins over the Cleveland Browns (20-3), Cincinnati Bengals (49-31), and Houston Oilers (21-7). Those wins and the others helped Pittsburgh capture the AFC Central with ease, the only team over .500 that season.
The win streak ended during the regular-season finale, a 24-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers, in which Neil O’Donnell threw 55 passes.
Earning a first-round bye, Pittsburgh hosted the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round. The Steelers went up 20-0 and won without much resistance. RB Bam Morris rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns while Bills QB Jim Kelly was picked three times, once by Levon Kirkland, Jerry Olsavsky, and Carnell Lake. Thousand-yard rusher Thurman Thomas was held to just 46 in the loss.
The title game was closer and nearly ended in a miracle Indianapolis Colts win. QB Jim Harbaugh’s Hail Mary attempt was nearly caught but fell incomplete in the end zone as the Steelers hung on. Morris put the Steelers ahead in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t a pretty win, but it put Pittsburgh back in the Super Bowl.
A Super Bowl now known for Neil O’Donnell’s three interceptions. Despite that, Pittsburgh clawed its way back to make it 20-17 with the ball in Cowboys’ territory. But four-straight O’Donnell incompletions effectively ended the game, his final interception coming on a Hail Mary heave. Pittsburgh didn’t play a bad game and held Dallas’ stars in check. QB Troy Aikman only threw for 209 yards. RB Emmitt Smith was held to 49 of them, though he scored twice. WR Michael Irvin made a couple of catches but was held out of the end zone. Still, turnovers, as they often are, were the difference. Pittsburgh had three, Dallas had zero. A 27-17 outcome, and Lombardi went the Cowboys’ way.
For the year, O’Donnell started 12 games and went 9-3. Mike Tomczak played a brutal stretch with one touchdown pass and nine interceptions over his four starts, a key reason why Pittsburgh started so slowly. Morris was a playoff star, but RB Erric Pegram led the team with 813 rushing yards. WR Yancey Thigpen made the Pro Bowl with a 1,300-yard, five-touchdown season, while WR Ernie Mills made big downfield plays. Rookie Kordell Stewart became “Slash,” with a passing, rushing, and receiving score. K Norm Johnson led the NFL with 34 field goals.
In his final season with the team, EDGE Kevin Greene led the Steelers with nine sacks. DL Ray Seals was right behind with 8.5 for a defense that recorded 42 of them. Greg Lloyd contributed 6.5 of those sacks but was a playmaker in every facet, forcing a league-high six fumbles, picking off three passes, and leading the team with 116 tackles despite playing outside linebacker. CB Willie Williams picked off seven passes.
Notable: At the time, O’Donnell’s 55 attempts against the Packers set a single-game Steelers’ record. It wouldn’t be broken until Tommy Maddox’s 57 in 2002. Ben Roethlisberger currently holds the record with 66.
8. 1976 season (10-4 record, Divisional Win, AFC Championship Loss)
The greatest “what-if” team in Steelers’ history and the top squad that didn’t make the Super Bowl, beating out two groups that did. The greatest defense in Pittsburgh history and very arguably the No. 1 defense in NFL history. What this unit achieved will never be replicated.
With an offense struggling after Cleveland Browns DL Turkey Joe Jones viciously threw down and injured Terry Bradshaw, leaving Pittsburgh only with rookie Mike Kruczek, the defense stepped up. A 1-4 start turned into a historic run the rest of the regular season.
“Elite” isn’t a strong enough word for how well the defense played. From Weeks 6-14, the defense allowed 28 total points. It pitched five shutouts, including three straight from Weeks 7-9. Since 1936, the Steelers and the 1970 Chicago Cardinals are the only teams to shut out their opponent in three straight games. Over that span, Pittsburgh gave up just two touchdowns and won by crooked scores: 27-0 versus the New York Giants, 45-0 to the Kansas City Chiefs, 42-0 against the miserable Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While the schedule wasn’t especially challenging — only the Cincinnati Bengals had a winning record during the streak — the numbers are simply hard to believe and illogical in a modern-era context.
For the season, the Steelers finished No. 1 in scoring defense at 9.9 points per game. That’s the best mark in franchise history. The team’s five shutouts are the NFL’s most since 1944 and will probably never be matched again. The unit forced 46 turnovers and held the opposition to under 200 total yards of offense in six of 14 games.
The offense benefited from such stoutness but should get credit, too. Despite Bradshaw starting only eight games, Pittsburgh had the No. 5 scoring offense. The running game was the catalyst, Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier finishing as the Steelers’ first and only dual 1,000-yard rushers in team history. Harris led the league with 14 rushing scores. When Pittsburgh did throw, Lynn Swann was most often on the receiving end with 516 yards and three scores.
Sacks were unofficial, but the defense is credited with 41, nearly three per game. Joe Greene led with six. Pittsburgh picked off 22 passes while allowing just nine passing scores; Glen Edwards and Mel Blount tied with six interceptions.
In total, a whopping eight Steelers defenders made the Pro Bowl. Five were named All-Pro, while Jack Lambert took home the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Cruising to the playoffs, Pittsburgh faced a challenging divisional matchup against the 10-win Baltimore Colts. The game wasn’t close. The Steelers’ defense continued to play lights-out, allowing 225 yards of offense in a 40-14 win. Colts QB Bert Jones was picked off twice and sacked five times while Pro Bowl RB Lydell Mitchell, who rushed for 1,200 yards on the season, was held to just 55 yards.
The only thing that stopped the Steelers was themselves. Harris and Bleier were injured and unable to play in the AFC Championship Game against the Oakland Raiders. Without them, the offense faltered and the defense finally relented. With 51 rushing attempts, the Raiders grinded out a 24-7 win.
Pittsburgh ended the season with a plus-204 point differential, the second-best in team history. Its 14.6 margin of victory is also second-best and one of four seasons in which the team sat in double digits.
Oh, what could’ve been. But what was is a masterful feat of defensive dominance never seen before, after, or ever again.
Notable: For such a defensive season, an offensive stat to leave you with. Kruczek started six games but threw just 85 passes. His primary job was handing the ball off and playing with a lead. In fact, he failed to even throw for a touchdown. In history, his six starts are tied for second-most by a quarterback who failed to throw a touchdown pass. Kruczek’s tied with the Colts’ Marty Domres in 1974 and was only surpassed by the Eagles Bobby Hoying’s seven in 1998.
7. 2010 season (12-4 record, Divisional win, AFC Championship win, Super Bowl loss)
The latest Steelers squad to make the Super Bowl, though this unit failed to end it by hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. Two years after a Super Bowl win, Pittsburgh returned to the big game. RB Rashard Mendenhall raced down the right sideline to beat the Atlanta Falcons 15-9 in overtime to open the season. Pittsburgh started the year 3-0 and 3-1 heading into an early bye week.
The Steelers weren’t perfect, but they played well against the division, going 5-1 and exacting revenge on the Baltimore Ravens for their one loss. In the Week 13 rematch, Pittsburgh won 13-10. A classic primetime rivalry game for the era, Troy Polamalu forced a fumble on an unsuspecting Joe Flacco late in the game. Plays later, QB Ben Roethlisberger found RB Isaac Redman (who wasn’t even supposed to be in the game) over the middle for the game-winning score.
Pittsburgh capped the year with a 41-9 beatdown of the Cleveland Browns, with even WR Antwaan Randle El throwing a touchdown pass. Highlight wins on the year included a 35-3 blowout of the Oakland Raiders, a 19-16 thriller over the Buffalo Bills (the Stevie Johnson drop game), and an early 38-13 victory besting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Meeting the Ravens for a Part Three in the divisional round, the Steelers came out on top. A 21-7 Baltimore lead didn’t deter Pittsburgh, outscoring the Ravens 24-3 in the second half. Mendenhall found the end zone with 90 seconds left to break a 24-all tie.
Facing rookie Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan’s New York Jets in the title game, Pittsburgh held on. The Steelers held a commanding 24-3 lead at the half, but froze in the second half and nearly blew the game. But Roethlisberger found Antonio Brown for a third-down conversion to run out the clock and advance to the Super Bowl.
There, a great defense was carved up by Aaron Rodgers and company. Rodgers threw lasers while Roethlisberger was pick-sixed by S Nick Collins. Despite early adversity, the Steelers battled and made the game close. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Mendenhall fumbled and the Packers recovered. Rodgers promptly marched the offense downfield for a score to help cement the outcome. He finished the day with 304 yards and three touchdowns while Pittsburgh turned the ball over three times. A seventh ring wasn’t in the cards.
On the season, Pittsburgh ranked 12th in scoring but No. 1 defensively. The opposition was never shut out but held to single-digit points in five games.
Offensively, Roethlisberger was efficient in 12 starts with 17 touchdowns to five interceptions. Mendenhall led the way with 1,273 yards and 12 touchdowns, while Mike Wallace was a consistent playmaker. He generated 21 yards per catch and 10 scores. At age 34, Hines Ward became a possession receiver but continued moving the chains, recording a first down on nearly 60 percent of his receptions.
Defensively, James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley cracked double-digit sacks. ILB Lawrence Timmons had a big year with a team-high 135 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. Polamalu was the year’s DPOY thanks to his seven interceptions and overall dominant play. And K Shaun Suisham replaced Jeff Reed mid-year, making 14-of-15 regular-season tries.
Notable: Mike Wallace is one of six receivers in NFL history to record 60-plus receptions and average 21 yards per catch. Since 1985, he’s been the only player to do it and one of two – James Lofton, the other – to achieve it after the 1970 merger.
6. 2005 season (11-5 record, won Wild Card, won Divisional, won AFC Championship, won Super Bowl)
The first Super Bowl winner. The challenging task was ranking six ideal outcomes, Lombardi Trophies, from “worst” to best. Someone has to take that spot, and it’s the ’05 unit. The reasons why? I nearly put 1974 here, but the ’74 team had a better winning margin, a stronger regular-season record, and better offensive and defensive scoring rankings.
For a chunk of the regular season, Pittsburgh didn’t look like a true Super Bowl contender. After two big wins over the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans, the Steelers dropped close games to the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars, the latter in overtime. Through Week 6, the Steelers sat at just 3-2. A four-game winning streak, including one over each divisional foe, jump-started the team. But that was followed by three consecutive losses, including an overtime defeat to the Baltimore Ravens.
With a record of 7-5, Pittsburgh was hoping just to make the playoffs. Finding resolve that began with RB Jerome Bettis turning back the clock on a snowy day against the Chicago Bears, the Steelers won the next four. Bettis ran for his final career 100-yard game and trucked LB Brian Urlacher to create an iconic moment. Pittsburgh won its final four games by double-digits, including a 41-0 shutout of the Cleveland Browns in Week 16 and 35-21 over the Detroit Lions in the season finale. With that, the Steelers squeezed into the playoffs in a competitive AFC as the No. 6 seed.
That laid the runway for the first No. 6 seed ever to win a Super Bowl. On the road for every playoff game and underdogs along the way, Pittsburgh pulled off repeated upsets. Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer injured his knee in the Wild Card game, and Cincinnati gave up 10-0 and 17-7 leads to fall 31-17. Ben Roethlisberger was brilliant in the playoffs as Pittsburgh surprised opponents with pass-first approaches. Against the Bengals, he threw three for touchdowns.
Considered a fluke by many, few gave the Steelers a chance to upset the top-seeded Indianapolis Colts, a team that beat Pittsburgh 26-7 earlier that year. Again using the pass game as a catalyst, the Steelers quieted the Colts’ crowd by jumping out to a 14-0 lead. Pittsburgh controlled the game through three quarters until Peyton Manning got hot in the final 15 minutes.
Still, after a key fourth-down sack, the Steelers had seemingly salted the game away. Until Bettis fumbled on the goal line, the ball popping out behind with S Nick Harper scooping it up and a clear path to outrunning Pittsburgh’s goal-line offense. Roethlisberger made a touchdown-saving ankle tackle. CB Bryant McFadden had a key end zone breakup to force a field goal and K Mike Vanderjagt shanked it badly to give Pittsburgh a 21-18 win.
In the AFC Championship Game, Pittsburgh rolled through the Denver Broncos. Again, the Steelers started hot to lead 24-3 at the break. Everything from there was academic. Roethlisberger threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another, while Denver QB Jake Plummer was picked off twice, resulting in a 34-17 outcome.
A storybook year got even more magical knowing Jerome Bettis, in his final NFL game, would play in his hometown of Detroit in Super Bowl XL versus the Seattle Seahawks. But it was RB Willie Parker who left a legacy on the field. Following LG Alan Faneca, Parker rushed for a 75-yard touchdown to open up the third quarter. It remains the longest rushing touchdown in Super Bowl history. Pittsburgh capped the scoring and the win with a trick play of WR Antwaan Randle El hitting WR Hines Ward for a 43-yard score. The Steelers’ defense hemmed in the Seahawks’ No. 1 offense, limiting RB Shaun Alexander and company.
Pittsburgh captured one for the thumb and the franchise’s first Lombardi since 1979. Ward was named the game’s MVP. Bettis rode off into the sunset as a champion while Bill Cowher captured a Super Bowl he had narrowly missed out on throughout the previous decade. His Hall of Fame career was cemented.
The Steelers ended the season with the No. 9 offense and No. 3 defense. Roethlisberger led the NFL in touchdown percentage while backup Charlie Batch won a pair of replacement starts. Bettis led the way with nine touchdowns, but Parker broke out to show his wheels and post big numbers, rushing for 1,202 yards. Ward fell just shy of 1,000 yards but scored 11 times. TE Heath Miller finished second in NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, losing to runaway winner RB Cadillac Williams.
Joey Porter Sr. cracked double-digit sacks while the defense combined to rack up 47. Safety Chris Hope picked off three passes. Troy Polamalu was named first-team All-Pro for the first time. The team’s plus-131 point differential is fourth among its six Super Bowl winners.
Notable: Since Super Bowl XL, no Steeler has topped Willie Parker’s 75-yard touchdown run. It’s been done 104 times by the rest of the NFL, including five times by Derrick Henry, six times by Adrian Peterson, and seven times by Chris Johnson.
5. 1974 season (10-3-1 record, won Divisional, won AFC Championship, won Super Bowl)
The Steelers’ first Super Bowl team narrowly edged out the 2005 unit for fifth-best among the ones that won. Its 116-point differential is the lowest of any Super Bowl winner, 13th in history, and behind seven non-Super Bowl squads. Still, it’s a special group for bringing the first Lombardi to the Rooney name.
Pittsburgh finished the year with the No. 6 offense and No. 2 defense. The Steelers had a loud start to the season with a 30-0 win over the Baltimore Colts. The following week ended in the team’s first-ever overtime tie, a 35-35 deadlock with the Denver Broncos. A 17-0 loss to the Oakland Raiders briefly put Pittsburgh underwater. But the Steelers would only lose two of their final 11 regular-season games, one-score defeats to the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans.
Pittsburgh’s defense was stellar throughout the season, allowing more than 17 points just twice. It forced a league-high 47 turnovers. The offense was steady and consistent.
Clinching a first-round bye, the Steelers hosted and discarded the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round. A 26-point second quarter cinched the game by halftime thanks to three rushing scores by Franco Harris, the only player in NFL history to score three times in one quarter of a playoff game. On the road in the conference title game, a slugfest turned into a 21-point Pittsburgh fourth-quarter outburst to pull away from the Oakland Raiders, 24-13. Harris again scored twice while QB Terry Bradshaw connected with WR Lynn Swann for a touchdown. The Steelers ran the ball 51 times for 210 yards while picking off QB Ken Stabler three times.
Facing Fran Tarkenton and the Purple People Eaters in the Super Bowl, the Steelers buttoned up defensively and made just enough plays offensively. The only first-half points were a safety to give Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead. Harris and TE Larry Brown scored in the second half while the defense held the Vikings’ No. 5 scoring offense to 119 yards and forced five turnovers. For the first time, the Steelers were world champions.
Bradshaw had a turbulent regular season and spent parts of the season on the bench. But he worked his way back into the lineup later in the year and never left, finding traction that propelled his Hall of Fame career. Still, Joe Gilliam led the team in passing yards. Harris led the way on the ground, rushing for 1,006 yards and six total touchdowns en route to the Pro Bowl. Passing the ball wasn’t the method to move the offense, but receivers Frank Lewis and Ron Shanklin were the top two guys, while rookies John Stallworth and Lynn Swann learned the ropes. Swann, however, was an excellent punt returner.
Ernie Holmes, not Joe Greene or L.C. Greenwood, led the Steelers with 11.5 sacks. Greenwood was right behind with 11, while Greene notched nine, both making first-team All-Pro, while Holmes wasn’t even a Pro Bowler. Jack Lambert, part of that historic 1974 draft class that produced five total Hall of Famers, was named Defensive Rookie of the Year. Glen Edwards and Jack Ham tied for first on the team with five interceptions. In all, four Steelers defenders made the Pro Bowl.
Notable: The ’74 Steelers are one of four Super Bowl champs to record 40-plus regular-season takeaways. The ’79 Steelers did the same while the 1980 and 1983 Raiders joined them.
4. 2008 season (12-4 record, won Divisional, won AFC Championship, won Super Bowl)
The most recent Super Bowl champion. No, the offense wasn’t good or even average. But the defense was elite and drove them to the Super Bowl while QB Ben Roethlisberger, WR Santonio Holmes, and the offense led a magical drive to win it all.
Pittsburgh began the year 2-0 with wins over the Houston Texans and the Cleveland Browns. Tripped up in a nine-sack loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week Three, the Steelers won in overtime against the Baltimore Ravens in Week Four. K Jeff Reed hit a 46-yarder to secure the victory. Beating the Jacksonville Jaguars the following week, Pittsburgh cruised into the bye 4-1.
A big win over the Cincinnati Bengals lifted Pittsburgh after the bye week. There was the infamous “James Harrison long snap” game that ended in a loss to the New York Giants. Sitting at 6-3 in November, the Steelers reeled off five-straight wins to truly take control of the season. The defense didn’t give up more than 13 points in any of those games while the offense took care of business, including beating the Tom Brady-less New England Patriots 33-10 in Foxborough.
Another Steelers-Ravens instant classic resulted in a 13-9 Pittsburgh win. The Steelers shut out the hapless Cleveland Browns 31-0 in the finale, even with backups. Browns QB Bruce Gradkowski completed just 5-of-16 throws while Cleveland had 26 passing yards as a team.
Securing a bye, the Steelers hosted the San Diego Chargers in the Divisional Round. The Chargers raced out to an early lead, but Holmes returned a punt 67 yards to tie the game at seven. A late RB Willie Parker touchdown gave the Steelers a lead going into the half. Pittsburgh controlled the second half with touchdowns from Parker, TE Heath Miller, and RB Gary Russell. A late-Chargers score made things look slightly more respectable. Parker finished with 146 yards and two touchdowns while OLB LaMarr Woodley picked up two sacks.
The Steelers and Ravens met in the AFC Title game. A massive chance for both sides, Pittsburgh’s victory was sealed on SS Troy Polamalu’s iconic pick-six of Joe Flacco, weaving his way through traffic and following a convoy to the end zone. Ryan Clark knocked Willis McGahee (and himself) out of the game shortly after to wrap up a 23-14 win. The Steelers’ defense won the day, holding the Ravens under 200 yards and Flacco to complete under half his passes.
Pittsburgh took on the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl. Kurt Warner drove the offense to the Steelers’ goal line before the half. Then, James Harrison went rogue and dropped into coverage as an unsuspecting Warner threw the ball into his belly. Another convoy led Harrison into the end zone just before WR Larry Fitzgerald could catch him. It’s one of the greatest moments in Steelers and Super Bowl history.
But the game was far from over. Arizona took a 23-20 lead on a long touchdown from Warner to Fitzgerald. It forced Roethlisberger to lead an eight-play, 78-yard drive (that backed up to Pittsburgh’s 12 following a penalty) to hit Holmes in the right corner of the end zone on a perfect pass where only Holmes could catch it. After a long review, the play stood, and the Steelers went ahead. Woodley prevented a Warner Hail Mary attempt, forcing a fumble in which DL Brett Keisel recovered. A sixth Lombardi was added to the trophy case in what was the franchise’s most thrilling way to earn it.
In the regular season, Roethlisberger didn’t post strong numbers and had nearly as many picks (15) as touchdown passes (17). The running game wasn’t as stout, and the offensive line wasn’t impressive. Ward went over 1,000 yards receiving while Holmes made plays.
The defense was truly the catalyst, giving up more than 24 points just once the entire run, regular season and playoffs. Harrison was unstoppable with 16 sacks and seven forced fumbles to win Defensive Player of the Year. Woodley wasn’t far behind with 11.5 takedowns. Polamalu was named first-team All-Pro with seven interceptions as part of the team’s 20 collective picks and 29 total takeaways.
The defense finished with 51 sacks, more than three per game. Pittsburgh’s unit finished first in more than a dozen defensive categories, while the 223 points given up are the third-fewest since the merger (strike seasons excluded).
Pittsburgh scored 38 touchdowns while allowing just 21 in the regular season.
Notable: LaMarr Woodley finished the postseason run with six sacks. That ties Richard Dent and Michael McCrary for the NFL record of most in a single playoff season.
3. 1979 season (12-4 record, won Divisional, won AFC Championship, won Super Bowl)
The fourth and final dynasty team of the 70s. Pittsburgh’s offense evolved into a leading role, ending the year with the No. 1 offense. The defense remained strong, ranking fifth league-wide.
The team enjoyed an undefeated first month of the season, going 4-0, which included a 38-7 whipping over the Houston Oilers. The Steelers lost two of the next three, though they outscored the Cleveland Browns 51-34 in between, before winning their next four. Pittsburgh allowed 20 combined points over that span with blowouts against the Denver Broncos (42-7), Washington Redskins (38-7), and Kansas City Chiefs (30-3). The Steelers found themselves on the wrong side of a 35-7 drubbing to the San Diego Chargers to break the streak before edging out the Browns 33-30 in overtime to get back in the win column. That was followed up with a 37-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals as the Steelers’ offense found its stride.
Houston got revenge to hand Pittsburgh its fourth loss, but the Steelers ended the year pitching a shutout over the Buffalo Bills in the finale, 28-0. Winning the division and earning a bye, the Steelers began the postseason hosting Don Shula’s Miami Dolphins in the divisional round. Miami had a good year, but was no match for Pittsburgh. The Steelers went up 20-0 in the first quarter and never looked back in a 34-14 win. Bradshaw threw for 230 yards and two scores while RBs Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier, and Sidney Thornton had rushing touchdowns.
After splitting the regular-season series, the Steelers and Oilers met for a third time for the right to advance to the Super Bowl. Two Bradshaw passes before the half put Pittsburgh ahead at the break, and the defense kept Houston out of the end zone in the second half in a 27-13 victory. In fact, the Oilers’ only touchdown came on a first-quarter pick-six; the offense scuffled to finish with just 227 yards. Pittsburgh took away the running game, holding Houston to 24 yards on 22 tries. WR John Stallworth and TE Bennie Cunningham found the end zone through the air, while Bleier did so on the ground. Pittsburgh was off to its fourth Super Bowl of the ’70s.
Pittsburgh capped the dynasty with a 31-19 win over the Los Angeles Rams. The Steelers entered as heavy favorites versus a Rams’ team that went just 9-7 in the regular season. But Los Angeles provided serious resistance, leading at the half and pulling ahead in the third quarter. But in one of the most memorable Super Bowl moments, Bradshaw reared back and perfectly placed a downfield dime into WR John Stallworth’s awaiting hands for a 73-yard touchdown. Harris added another score to salt the game away. Bradshaw was brilliant, throwing for 309 yards and two touchdowns, and completed his career arc from oft-benched disappointment to game-manager-to MVP.
For the regular season, Bradshaw threw for over 3,700 yards and 26 touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl and finished top-five in MVP voting. Harris was excellent with an 1,100-yard season while Thornton quietly rushed for six touchdowns. Stallworth and Swann continued their elite duo, combining for just shy of 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns. Stallworth was rewarded with first-team All-Pro honors. Thornton added four more receiving scores, making for what’s gotta be the most-forgotten 10-touchdown season in Steelers’ history.
Defensively, L.C. Greenwood and Steve Furness tied for the team lead with seven sacks. Linebacker Jack Lambert led the team with six sacks, and Safety Donnie Shell was right behind with five. In all, six members of the Steelers defense made the Pro Bowl. Another four did on offense, including C Mike Webster, making this a decorated team in terms of personal and team achievements.
Notable: Bradshaw’s 3,724 passing yards set a team record that stood for decades. His mark wasn’t broken until Ben Roethlisberger’s 4,328 campaign 30 years later.
2. 1978 season (14-2 record, Divisional win, AFC Championship win, Super Bowl)
The second-greatest team in history. With a sparkling 14-2 record and a whole lot more to say. The Steelers’ plus-161 point differential is fourth-best in team history. A seven-game winning streak to open the season sure helped, showing the ability to win big (31-7 over Atlanta, 28-3 versus Cincinnati) and narrow (15-9 in overtime against Cleveland).
The first loss came in Week Eight to the Houston Oilers, a Monday night contest. Pittsburgh won the next two before dropping its second game of the season to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11. The Steelers wouldn’t lose again. The team ran the table the rest of the regular season with an offense that could score and a defense with a knack for turning the ball over. In three-straight wins from Weeks 12-15, the defense took the ball away 21 times. Even resting starters in the season finale didn’t prevent a loss, with RB Rick Moser and WR Jim Smith contributing to a 21-17 win over the Denver Broncos.
But what mattered was the postseason. Pittsburgh made mincemeat of what was left of the AFC. Playing the Broncos again, the Steelers ran away to a 33-10 win. In his coming-out season, QB Terry Bradshaw threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns while Franco Harris rushed for over 100 yards and two more scores. Stallworth went off for a 10-reception, 156-yard, touchdown day. The Broncos took half as many sacks (six) as they had completions (12).
The AFC Title Game versus the Oilers was even more laughable. A 34-5 victory, with Houston managing a lowly field goal and safety. Bradshaw fired two more touchdowns while Harris and Rocky Bleier found the end zone. The Oilers recorded only 70 yards of offense and had nine turnovers. Five interceptions, four fumbles lost. That’s tied for the most turnovers in a playoff game—total domination in front of a home Steelers’ crowd.
A Super Bowl rematch from 1975 against the Dallas Cowboys was far tougher. Chuck Noll versus Tom Landry, Terry Bradshaw versus Roger Staubach. Both quarterbacks exchanged first-quarter touchdown passes while Bradshaw hit Stallworth for a 75-yard score in the second quarter. Pittsburgh took a 21-14 lead into the half. A quiet third quarter led to a hotter fourth, Harris and WR Lynn Swann scoring before Dallas stormed back with two touchdowns of its own. Too little, too late, and Pittsburgh hung on 35-31 for ring No. 3.
Bradshaw threw four touchdowns, connecting with Stallworth twice and Swann and Bleier once. Staubach made plays but was intercepted and sacked five times. Yet again, Pittsburgh defeated “America’s Team.”
The NFL’s 1978 MVP, Bradshaw, threw for 2,915 yards and a league-high 28 touchdowns. Harris rushed for over 1,000 yards, Bleier more than 650, and the two combined for 14 total touchdowns. Swann went over 800 receiving yards, and Stallworth nearly did the same. The two had noses for the end zone, Swann with 11 and Stallworth nine. Defensively, DL L.C. Greenwood led the charge with nine sacks, making the Pro Bowl alongside Joe Greene. Future NFL head coach Tony Dungy led the Steelers with six interceptions. Jack Lambert and Mel Blount had four apiece. The defense finished with 27 interceptions and 48 overall takeaways.
Some season stats to close things out. Pittsburgh had the No. 5 offense and No. 1 defense, allowing just 12.2 PPG. The Steelers had 46 touchdowns for and just 22 against. Six players on defense made the Pro Bowl. Pittsburgh won by an average margin of more than 10 points.
Notable: The Steelers forced 14 turnovers in the playoffs. Despite playing only three games, that’s tied for fifth-most in a single postseason cycle by an NFL team.
1. 1975 season (12-2 record, won Divisional, won AFC Championship, won Super Bowl)
1975. The greatest Pittsburgh Steelers’ team. Ever.
I wrestled with 1978 and 1975. Ultimately, I chose ’75 for a couple of reasons: higher offensive points per game (26.6), lower/better defensive points per game (11.6), a higher margin of victory (15.1, which is insane), and a higher point differential (plus-211, more on that in a minute).
The playoff run wasn’t as easy as the ’78 edition’s, but the outcome was the same: a Super Bowl.
The plus-211 point differential can’t be talked about enough. Despite playing in a 14-game season, it’s the highest PD in team history. One of just two Steelers teams to crack the 200-point mark, with third-place at plus-168, far away from what the ’75 squad did. Pittsburgh completely dominated in the regular season.
That began with a 37-0 win over the San Francisco 49ers in the season opener. The first loss came in Week Two to the Buffalo Bills. Call it only a blip, and Pittsburgh took out its anger on the Cleveland Browns with a 42-6 Week Three win. The next week? 20-9 over the Denver Broncos. The one after that? 34-3 against the Chicago Bears. The offense scored in droves while the defense was stifling, even though neither unit finished No. 1 in the league. The offense was fifth and the defense second.
Pittsburgh went undefeated against the AFC Central and experienced its second loss against the Los Angeles Rams in the finale. It was a game that didn’t really matter, with a 10-3 outcome, with future NFL broadcaster Ron “Jaws” Jaworski getting the win from the Rams’ side.
Facing the Baltimore Colts in the divisional game, the Steelers won despite their five turnovers. The game was tied at half, and the Colts briefly took a 10-7 third-quarter lead before the Steelers locked in. RB Rocky Bleier found the end zone to retake the lead 14-10 before a Terry Bradshaw rush, and LB Andy Russell’s 93-yard scoop-and-score salted the game away. Bradshaw only threw for 103 yards and two touchdowns, but a win is a win. Harris churned out 153 yards on the ground.
Against rival Oakland Raiders in the title game, Pittsburgh hung on to a 16-10 win. Turnovers again nearly doomed them, seven of them, but the defense also forced five to keep the margin close. Just 3-0 at half, Harris and Stallworth scored over the final 30 minutes to win and overcome three Bradshaw picks. Everyone chipped in. Six players caught a pass while Harris and Bleier split backfield carries. Safety Mike Wagner picked off QB Ken Stabler twice.
The Super Bowl wasn’t sloppy, but it was close. Pittsburgh had a clean sheet without a turnover while forcing three against the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas struck first before Bradshaw hit TE Randy Grossman to knot the game at seven. After a second-quarter field goal, Dallas took and held the lead into the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh woke up by blocking a punt for a safety, K Roy Gerela nailing two field goals, and Swann hitting a massive 64-yard score to go ahead 21-10. A late Cowboys’ touchdown wasn’t enough, and the Steelers won 21-17 for their second-straight Super Bowl. Bradshaw won with just nine completions and 161 of his 209 yards going to Swann, including his famous tipped grab.
Staubach was picked off three times and sacked seven times, making him one of just two quarterbacks (Joe Burrow the other) to be taken down that much in one Super Bowl. LC Greenwood had four sacks, which remains a Super Bowl record.
Bradshaw made his first Pro Bowl for the regular season with 18 touchdowns. Harris went off for 1,246-yards and 10 scores with Bleier in a supporting role as part-time runner and lead blocker. Swann made the Pro Bowl with an 11-score campaign. Stallworth was a downfield threat, averaging more than 21 yards per grab. WR Frank Lewis offered the same. The defense racked up 43 sacks in just 14 games while CB Mel Blount led the NFL with 11 interceptions, still a Steelers’ single-season record.
Some final stats to highlight the year’s dominance. Pittsburgh scored 46 touchdowns. They allowed only 19 and only 17 defensively, only three more than what the historic ’76 defense achieved. The team’s 26.6 PPG is third-best in team history, then a record, and now trailing only 2014 and 2018. Eight Pro Bowlers represented the Steelers’ defense. Three more were added offensively.
The greatest regular season. A Super Bowl trophy. The beginning of the dynasty. The best team of all time.
Notable: While the Super Bowl win is all that matters, Pittsburgh’s 12 playoff turnovers didn’t hurt them like you might expect. The 12 giveaways tie the most of any team in a single playoff run, matching the 1982 New York Jets and 1992 Buffalo Bills. The next-closest Super Bowl-winning squad is the 2006 Indianapolis Colts, who had nine.
Ranking Steelers’ Seasons (Recap)
90. 1941
89. 1965
88. 1934
87. 1939
86. 1969
85. 1940
84. 1945
83. 1968
82. 1938
81. 1988
80. 1933
79. 1955
78. 1935
77. 1967
76. 1964
75. 2003
74. 1951
73. 1937
72. 1948
71. 1936
70. 1970
69. 1986
68. 1991
67. 1966
66. 1999
65. 1954
64. 1956
63. 1960
62. 1950
61. 2022
60. 1998
59. 1971
58. 1952
57. 2013
56. 1957
55. 2012
54. 1953
53. 2019
52. 1985
51. 1987
50. 1961
49. 1959
48. 2006
47. 1981
46. 2000
45. 1946
44. 1949
43. 1990
42. 2009
41. 2021
40. 2018
39. 1980
38. 1962
37. 1963
36. 2023
35. 2024
34. 1982
33. 1993
32. 1958
31. 2007
30. 1989
29. 1977
28. 1947
27. 1984
26. 2014
25. 1942
24. 2015
23. 2022
22.1983
21. 1996
20. 2011
19. 2020
18. 2017
17. 1973
16. 1992
15. 1997
14. 2016
13. 1994
12. 2001
11. 1972
10. 2004
9. 1995
8. 1976
7. 2010
6. 2005
5. 1974
4. 2008
3. 1979
2. 1978
1. 1975
