The Pittsburgh Steelers have played 92 seasons in the NFL, their 93rd starting in just a few months. There’s 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, which 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 be including 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.
Part One – Worst Of The Worst
Part Two – Not The Worst, Far From Best
Ranking Every Steelers Season (No. 70-61)
70. 1970 season (5-9 record)
Chuck Noll’s second season. A marked improvement on the 1-13 record in Year One that ranks 86th on this list, but five wins is still five wins. Pittsburgh began the year 0-3 with losses to the Houston Oilers, Denver Broncos, and Cleveland Browns. The rest of the season went slightly better, with dual instances of winning back-to-back games. However, the Steelers still ended the season beating just one team with a winning record, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 21-10 (and then losing to the Bengals 34-7 in the rematch).
In Terry Bradshaw’s rookie year, he struggled to make the jump to the NFL and led an ever-changing roster still in need of time to mature. In eight starts, he threw just six touchdowns and a whopping 24 interceptions. It remains the team’s second-most since the merger (1970 was the first merger year, by the way) and only surpassed by the 25 he would throw to bookend the 70s. His 11-percent interception rate is the second-worst of any quarterback post-merger, only trailing the Baltimore Colts’ Bert Jones in 1973.
Pittsburgh’s offense and defense finished below-average, with the offense in the bottom six. Ron Shanklin was the only receiver to eclipse 500 yards. The team threw 32 picks.
The impressive parts? Joe Greene picked up eight sacks. Running back Frenchy Fuqua had an 85-yard touchdown in the finale against the Philadelphia Eagles, though his 216-yard performance came in a loss. Sticking with the merger theme, Fuqua’s score remains the Steelers’ longest rushing touchdown since 1970. Those 216 yards are also a franchise record for most rushing yards in a loss. The positivity here is short-lived. The rest of the decade is much better, I promise.
Notable: 1970 was the second and final season the Steelers rostered K Gene Mingo, the first black kicker in NFL history. He was cut mid-way through the year after making just 5-of-18 tries.
69. 1986 season (6-10 record)
This year could’ve ranked far worse. And it would’ve, had the team kept digging deeper after a 1-6 start. The Steelers’ only win over that span came in overtime versus the Houston Oilers.
To save a little face, Pittsburgh played above .500 the rest of the way. That run included convincing wins over the Green Bay Packers (27-3), Cincinnati Bengals (30-9), and New York Jets (45-24). Still, the team finished far below-average offensively and defensively.
Starting QB Mark Malone completed only a hair above half of his passes and threw 18 interceptions. Running backs Earnest Jackson and Walter Abercrombie sniffed around 1,000 yards, the former making the Pro Bowl. Defensively, Mike Merriweather received the same honors while DL Keith Willis shined with a 12-sack season.
Still, it couldn’t mask the stench of a lost season. Even in that 5-4 final stretch, Pittsburgh lost back-to-back overtime games to the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears.
Notable: The Steelers dropped the season opener 30-0 to the Seattle Seahawks. It’s tied for the worst Week One defeat in franchise history.
68. 1991 season (7-9 record)
First glance shows a record that doesn’t appear too bad. But looks are deceiving.
Pittsburgh bottomed out to 5-9 before winning the team’s final two meaningless games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns by identical 17-10 scores. Overall, the Steelers’ point differential was minus-52. A fitting number after a 52-34 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week Two, the third-most points the team has allowed since the merger. Late that year, Pittsburgh was easily dispatched by the Houston Oilers, 31-6.
The offense finished 17th of 28 teams. The defense sank even lower to 22nd. Pittsburgh had nine combined turnovers across Weeks 15-16, though that somehow included a win over the Bengals. The ground game produced just eight rushing scores, and QB Neil O’Donnell had as many fumbles as touchdowns, 11 apiece. At least Rod Woodson made the Pro Bowl.
It was the final year for head coach Chuck Noll, who stepped down and was replaced by Bill Cowher in 1992. Though the finale was “meaningless,” Noll’s career ended with a victory, the 193rd of his Hall of Fame career.
Notable: Pittsburgh had an equal number of turnovers and takeaways, 30 each.
67. 1966 season (5-8-1 record)
After blowing a 31-17 fourth quarter lead, Pittsburgh opened the season with a 34-34 tie against the New York Giants. The offense was slightly above-average, ranking seventh out of fifteen teams, but the defense ranked a lowly twelfth. The Steelers allowed 30-plus points in five of 14 games, a key reason why the team began 1-5-1. Like many other teams on this list, Pittsburgh finished strong with blowout victories against the Giants (47-28) and a whopper over the Atlanta Falcons (57-33). The Steelers haven’t scored more in a game since.
But the running game was stuck in the mud, finishing last league-wide with 1,092. The next closest was the Washington Redskins with nearly 300 more. On the year, the Steelers fumbled a league-high 34 times and placed sixth of eight teams in the division.
In his second season, Roy Jefferson led the NFL with 24.1-yards per reception. DL Ben McGee and DB Brady Keys made the Pro Bowl.
Notable: Linebacker Andy Russell finished the year with seven points scored. He recovered a blocked punt for a 14-yard touchdown in a big 30-9 win over the St. Louis Cardinals and kicked an extra point, though Pro Football Reference curiously doesn’t log exactly when it occurred during the season.
66. 1999 season (6-10 record)
The last year under the Bill Cowher/Tom Donahoe pairing before Cowher won out and Donahoe exited, leading the team to hire Pittsburgh native Kevin Colbert as de facto general manager in 2000.
On the positive end, Pittsburgh only finished a minus-three point differential. An unexpectedly strong number for a team that suffered four more losses than wins. A 43-0 rout of the Cleveland Browns helped narrow that gap, “welcoming” the Browns in their NFL return. That night, Cleveland finished with 40 total yards of offense and just two first downs. Since then, only once has a team finished with fewer yards, the 2004 Cleveland Browns with 26 in a loss to the Buffalo Bills. You can only imagine what that franchise’s “worst seasons list’ looks like.
But beating up on Cleveland wasn’t the story of the season. A 2-0 start quickly gave way to a three-game losing streak. Pittsburgh sat at 4-3 midseason before dropping seven of the final eight. Even the Browns got revenge with a 16-15 win in the rematch, K Phil Dawson hitting a walk-off 39-yard field goal.
Pittsburgh lost their final six divisional games (back in the old days of the AFC Central with six teams) while quarterbacks Mike Tomczak and Kordell Stewart combined to throw 18 touchdowns and 18 interceptions (RB Jerome Bettis threw a touchdown for the team’s 19th). Bettis also crossed the 1,000-yard rushing barrier.
The Steelers closed out the year with a 47-36 loss to the Tennessee Titans at home. Rookie first-rounder WR Troy Edwards led the team in receiving yards. Defensively, Jason Gildon enjoyed a solid 8.5 sack season, and FS Travis Davis had a 102-yard fumble return touchdown against the Carolina Panthers. That remains the longest touchdown in Steelers’ history, even longer than James Harrison’s 100-yard Super Bowl pick-six. So that’s pretty cool.
But neither unit was particularly strong or notable as the team limped to the finish line.
Notable: No Steeler was chosen to that year’s Pro Bowl, the first and only time the franchise has been shut out since the Pro Bowl’s creation following the 1950 season.
65. 1954 season (5-7 record)
Pittsburgh finished fourth out of six teams in the NFL East Division. The offense ranked ninth, the defense seventh. Pittsburgh got off to a classic strong start, opening up 2-0 and even 4-1 for what looked like a promising season with true staying power. That included walloping the Cleveland Browns 55-27, upsetting the eventual 9-3 Paul Brown-led squad.
However, the Steelers won just one of their final seven contests and were repeatedly blown out. Four of the final five came by 21-plus points: 30-6 to the New York Giants, 42-7 to the Cleveland Browns, 31-3 to the San Francisco 49ers, and 24-3 in a follow-up loss to the Giants.
Team leading rusher Fran Rogel finished with just 415 on the season with 102 coming in one game. Pass-catchers Ray Mathews and Elbie Nickel were offensive bright spots while punter Pat Brady led the NFL in average at 43.2 yards. Lineman/linebacker Dale Dodrill and center Bill Walsh (the other Bill Walsh, not the future 49ers’ head coach) were the team’s first-team All-Pros.
Notable: In that win over the Browns, Cleveland QB Otto Graham threw five interceptions. It was the only time in his 138-game career Graham tossed five picks in a game.
64. 1956 season (5-7 record)
Two years after ’54, the team posted an identical 5-7 record. The season arc was much different. There was no hot start. Pittsburgh got off to a big season opener victory over the Washington Redskins but lost their next three. The Steelers saved a bit of face at the end, winning three of their final five and bookended the year with a win over Washington.
Pittsburgh completed only 42.8-percent of their passes, easily the NFL’s worst. The team had just one rusher over 300 yards, only one receiver to cross 400. The Steelers made just five field goals and finished the season with a minus-33 point differential. The Detroit Lions downed Pittsburgh in convincing fashion, 45-7, in Week 11. Defensively, CB Jack Butler led the way with six interceptions and the second Pro Bowl berth of his career.
Notable: The team’s first-round pick that year was the No. 1 overall selection. DB Gary Glick was drafted sight unseen by the coaching staff/front office, whom the school’s head coach recommended. Glick remains the draft’s lone defensive back to be selected with the first pick of a draft.
63. 1960 season (5-6-1 record)
Fifth place finish out of six teams with a minus-35 point differential. Pittsburgh defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the season opener but tailspun to 2-5-1 by late in the season. A three-game winning streak pushed the team near .500, but the Steelers were drummed 38-7 in the regular season finale by the St. Louis Cardinals, keeping them below that mark.
Starting QB Bobby Layne held his own as a starter, posting a 5-4-1 record. Backup Rudy Bukich went 0-2-1. Running backs Tom Tracy and John Henry Johnson, along with wide receiver Buddy Dial, were the Steelers’ top offensive weapons. Pittsburgh was in a tough division with four teams in the NFL East finishing with winning records.
Notable: Offensive tackle Frank Varrichione made his fourth and final Pro Bowl with the Steelers. He’d make a fifth in 1962 with the Los Angeles Rams. No Steelers’ offensive lineman would make more Pro Bowls than Varrichione until C Mike Webster made his fifth in 1982. To date, no Pittsburgh offensive tackle has made more Pro Bowls than Varrichione’s four. One of the most underrated players in team history.
62. 1950 season (6-6 record)
A lost decade of sorts, with the same range consistently appearing on this list: 1954, 1956, 1960, and now 1950. Playing .500 ball was acceptable back then, but the offense was a mess all season. Just 180 points on the board, easily last of the NFL’s 13 teams. The Steelers were held to single digits more often (five times) than they scored more than 17 (three times). The 15 points per game remains the team’s second-fewest since 1950.
The year got off to a 2-5 start before a mostly-meaningless rally saw the Steelers win three of the team’s final four. The only upside was battling back to .500.
Pittsburgh was swept by Cleveland, including a 45-7 defeat in Week Seven. It remains the Browns’ second-largest win over the Steelers in history, only trailing the 51-0 beatdown to open the 1989 season. In two combined matchups against the Browns, the Steelers allowed a whopping 75 total points.
Worse, the team finished the year with 58 turnovers. That’s the most in team history. Steelers’ quarterbacks threw 29 interceptions. Leading passer Joe Geri fumbled 12 times while RB Fran Rogel suffered seven. Three times, Pittsburgh turned it over at least eight times, and they had nine in a season-opening loss to the New York Giants.
The defense kept scores down and Pittsburgh competitive, finishing fourth in scoring allowed. Linebacker Jerry Shipkey led the way with a Pro Bowl berth in the league’s first year of the event. A two-way player, he also rushed for three touchdowns.
The best win came in the Giants’ rematch, upsetting New York 17-6. It was one of just two losses the Giants had on the year and the only one during the regular season.
Notable: Joe Geri remains the last Steeler to lead the team in passing and rushing, throwing for 866 yards and rushing 705 in the final years of the team running the Single Wing. Will anyone do it again?
61. 2022 season (9-8 record)
Ending with the most recent season to date on this list. It’s our first winning season to appear, but hollow in every sense of the phrase. Pittsburgh bottomed out to a 2-6 record by mid-year and had fans looking at draft prospects by November. The Steelers went on a run late in the season that preserved Mike Tomlin’s “never had a losing season” streak and entered Week 18 with a remote playoff chance, but the year was a mess. Despite a win in the finale, Pittsburgh was eliminated from postseason contention.
A 38-3 shellacking by the Buffalo Bills was the low point, utter domination that rarely happened to Pittsburgh to that degree. It spoiled a thrilling overtime season-opening win against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Pittsburgh netted an emotional Christmas Eve win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Celebrating the Immaculate Reception’s anniversary, RB Franco Harris’ No. 32 jersey was retired days after Harris’ shocking death. The team closed the year out with AFC North wins against the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns.
Still, the passing game was stuck in a bygone era. Quarterbacks Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky combined for 12 passing touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The scores were tied for the fewest since the merger. The offense ranked 26th in scoring at barely more than 18 per game.
EDGE T.J. Watt was injured in the season opener, and the pass rush tanked without him, finishing with just 40 sacks. The Steelers scored 29 touchdowns while allowing a lopsided 37.
The Steelers ended the year with a minus-38 point differential, the team’s second-worst mark since 1990.
Notable: WR Diontae Johnson set an NFL single-season record for most receptions without a touchdown, catching 86 of them and zero scores. It broke the 85-reception mark set by RB James Wilder in 1984.
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
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