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, 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
Part Three – Total Stagnation
Part Four – Learn To Love .500
Ranking Every Steelers Season (No. 50-41)
50. 1961 season (6-8 record)
Pittsburgh finished a lowly fifth out of seven teams in the division. Despite being two games below .500, the Steelers finished with a plus-eight point differential, a rare occurrence for the era. An 0-4 start proved to define the season, ending it before it started, but the team rallied as victors of five of the last eight. There were some hard-luck losses, three of the first four decided by one score.
The Steelers swept the Washington Redskins including a 20-0 outcome to notch their first win of the year and exacted revenge on the Dallas Cowboys 37-7 after falling to them in the opener. Turnovers were problematic all year, with four games of six-plus turnovers. A 20-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the finale prevented the team from reaching .500.
As a team, Pittsburgh threw 34 interceptions. WR Buddy Dial was a bright spot, becoming the team’s first 1,000-yard receiver in history. He finished the year with 1,047 yards to make the Pro Bowl.
Notable: DT Gene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb is unofficially credited with 17.5 sacks. He and T.J. Watt are the only two Steelers to do so in a season.
49. 1959 season (6-5-1 record)
A winning season, one of the first on the list. Pittsburgh began the year with a win over Paul Brown’s Cleveland squad before suffering close losses to the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles the next two weeks. A win over Washington in the rematch got the team back to .500 before another two-game skid followed by a tie to the Detroit Lions.
Pittsburgh got hot the rest of the way, winning three straight games that included a 31-0 beatdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in the rematch. A tight 27-21 loss to the Chicago Bears late in the year was the only blemish. Beating the Chicago Cardinals 35-20 in the finale put Pittsburgh over the .500 mark, and a 28-point second quarter was a crucial reason for the win.
Statistically, the Steelers finished well. They were fourth defensively and fifth offensively. In his first full season with the team, a 33-year-old QB Bobby Layne tossed 20 touchdowns. He also threw a league-high 21 picks and served as the team’s kicker, making 11 field goals on 17 tries. RB Tom Tracy led the squad in rushing while wide receiver Jimmy Orr was selected to the Pro Bowl.
CB Jack Butler had an All-Pro year, but it was defensive back Dean Derby who led the unit with seven interceptions, making the second-team All-Pro squad.
Despite the promising record, Pittsburgh still finished behind the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, and Philadelphia Eagles in the division.
Notable: Butler didn’t just finish behind Derby in interceptions. He finished fourth behind him, Dick Alban’s six, and Bobby Luna’s three.
48. 2006 season (8-8 record)
A more recent and remembered season. The last of Bill Cowher’s head coaching career, Pittsburgh suffered a Super Bowl hangover after winning one for the thumb. QB Ben Roethlisberger regressed after a life-threatening motorcycle crash in June and an emergency appendectomy that caused him to miss the season opener. He finished the year with 23 touchdowns but 18 interceptions.
Even without Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh won its season opener. But Roethlisberger was greeted by a stout Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense in Week Two, shutting the Steelers out 9-0.
Pittsburgh stumbled to a 1-3 start and had ugly games all year long. Two uncompetitive losses to the Baltimore Ravens, an overtime heartbreaker to the Atlanta Falcons, and a 20-13 loss to an Oakland Raiders team that ended the year 2-14. The Steelers got hot late in the year, and when they won, they won big: 45-7 over Kansas City, 37-3 against Carolina, and an overtime win over Cincinnati to end Cowher’s career on a high note.
Individually, RB Willie Parker didn’t slow down and rushed for almost 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns. Rookie WR Santonio Holmes dazzled as a receiver and returner while SS Troy Polamalu and NT Casey Hampton represented the Steelers’ defense in the Pro Bowl. OG Alan Faneca made his fifth first-team All-Pro team. But the year fell well short of expectations.
Notable: Pittsburgh was shut out twice that year, 9-0 to the Jags and 27-0 in one of the Ravens’ losses. That Baltimore game marks the last time the Steelers have been shut out in a game, owning the league’s second-longest active streak behind, funny enough, the Ravens. Baltimore hasn’t been shut out since 2002.
47. 1981 season (8-8 record)
Pittsburgh opened the season 0-2 before stacking four-straight victories, including an overtime win against the New England Patriots. The Steelers climbed to 5-3 before getting streaky, losing the next two, winning the following three, and closing the year on a three-game skid. TE Dave Casper caught a go-ahead fourth quarter touchdown pass to lead the Oilers to a regular season finale win over Pittsburgh.
It was a strange season. Pittsburgh beat the New York Jets by 28, shutout the Los Angeles Rams 24-0, and knocked off the Cleveland Browns by 22. The team also lost to the Miami Dolphins by 20 points and the Cincinnati Bengals by 27 points.
WR John Stallworth posted his second 1,000-yard season while RB Franco Harris finished just shy of four digits. LB Jack Lambert, CB Mel Blount, and S Donnie Shell were ballhawks, combining for 17 of the defense’s 30 interceptions. All made the Pro Bowl.
Notable: RB Sidney Thornton fumbled six times on just 64 total touches, the worst ratio by a Steelers’ running back since the merger.
46. 2000 season (9-7 record)
Though Pittsburgh missed the playoffs, a 9-7 record and plus-66 point differential are positives and served as tangible progress following the 1999 6-10 campaign. The year got off to a tough start with a 16-0 shutout loss to the Baltimore Ravens, one the team had to sit in for an extra week thanks to a quirky Week 2 bye. In fact, the Steelers opened the year 0-3 following identical 23-20 losses to the Cleveland Browns and the Tennessee Titans.
It took until October for Pittsburgh to notch its first victory, setting off a five-game winning streak to set them to 5-3. That was capped by a 9-6 slugfest revenge win over the Ravens.
2000 was a year of low-scoring affairs. That included back-to-back shutout victories, 15-0 over the Cincinnati Bengals and 22-0 versus the Cleveland Browns, a feat Pittsburgh hadn’t achieved since its vaunted 1976 unit. From Weeks 6-10, the Steelers gave up just 18 total points.
That 5-3 mark was erased by a three-game losing streak, which itself was reversed by winning four of the team’s final five games. Beating the Washington Redskins 24-3 in the final game at Three Rivers Stadium, the Steelers knocked off the San Diego Chargers on the road in the regular season finale. Still, that placed them third in the AFC Central behind the 13-win Tennessee Titans and 12-win Baltimore Ravens.
Quarterback play was weak, and Pittsburgh relied on the running game. Kent Graham and Kordell Stewart combined to throw for just 12 touchdowns, Graham producing just one despite five starts. RB Jerome Bettis was the offensive anchor, rushing for 1,300 yards. Receivers Hines Ward and Bobby Shaw tied for the team lead with 672 yards each. Defensively, Jason Gildon and Joey Porter went for double-digit sacks, though only Gildon made the Pro Bowl. Pittsburgh’s defense allowed just 22 touchdowns all year and netted a pair of defensive touchdowns with two pick-sixes.
This season also served as Kevin Colbert’s first in the de facto general manager role, although we wouldn’t officially hold the title until 2010.
Notable: Since the 1970 merger, only two teams have allowed no more than 18 collective points over a five-game regular season span. Pittsburgh did both. First in 1976 and again in this year, 2000.
45. 1946 season (5-5-1 record)
A respectable season with a positive point differential (plus-19). Under head coach Jock Sutherland, easily the best coach Pittsburgh had before Chuck Noll, the team found traction. The Steelers won or tied three of their first four games, only narrowly falling to the New York Giants 17-14 over that span. The defense held firm wire-to-wire to finish No. 1 in the league, allowing just 10.6 points per game. The offense, however, stumbled at the finish line and scored just 24 points over its final four games. Pittsburgh lost three of those contests.
Bill Dudley was the star of the team and a rare Triple Crown winner. He led the NFL in rushing, all-purpose yards, and interceptions, the type of season we’ll never see again. Still, he only made second-team All-Pro.
A run-first team, no Steeler had more than 10 receptions. Instead, Dudley led the team – and the league – with 146 rushes. He truly did it all, even kicking, punting, and being Pittsburgh’s punt returner—a literal “team on his back” status.
Notable: Revisiting that defensive output, the 10.6 PPG Pittsburgh allowed is the second-best scoring average the Steelers have ever allowed in a single season—the ’46 squad trails only the historic 1976 defense, which allowed 9.9 PPG.
44. 1949 season (6-5-1 record)
A rare winning season of the era, only the third the Steelers would have from inception in 1933 through 1957. A hot start was the key factor, beginning 4-1, aided by two wins over Steve Owen’s New York Giants. The finish was the problem, running into and losing against the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears in two of the final three weeks. Pittsburgh ended the year with a win, shutting out the New York Bulldogs in the franchise’s first season (they would fold after 1951).
The defense was excellent, finishing second out of the then-10 NFL teams, holding teams to seven or fewer in five of 12 games. Passing remained a problem, though it was hardly the most efficient way to move the ball, finishing with 10 touchdowns to 18 interceptions. Former third-round pick Jerry Nuzum led the team with 611 rushing yards and five touchdowns in what was easily his best NFL season. End Elbie Nickel and receiver Val Jasante were the top receivers. In fact, Nickel led the NFL at 24.3 yards per reception, 633 yards on 26 catches.
Field goals were rare, the team making just two all season. Ultimately, Pittsburgh finished second in the division behind the 11-win Philadelphia Eagles, who went on to beat the Los Angeles Rams in the 1949 Championship Game.
Notable: RB/DB Bob Gage recorded a 97-yard rushing touchdown in that late-season loss to the Chicago Bears. It remains the Steelers’ longest rushing score in team history. By a wide margin, too. The next-closest is John Henry Johnson’s 87-yard score in 1960, while the post-merger mark is 80, tied by Kordell Stewart and Willie Parker (Le’Veon Bell had an 81-yard run but not for a touchdown).
Gage’s run remains tied for the fifth-longest rushing score in NFL history.
43. 1990 season (9-7 record)
Something a little more modern. Another season-opening loss to the Cleveland Browns, one year after getting shellacked by them 51-0. This one was closer at 13-3. Pittsburgh bounced back with a Week Two victory over the Houston Oilers before dropping the next two games to begin 1-3. A molasses offense was the biggest issue.
The offense perked up in October, ripping off 36 and 34-point performances in wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos. That got the Steelers back to .500. Pittsburgh hung around that mark through most of the season until winning the first three games of December. The Steelers dropped the finale, 34-14, to the Houston Oilers, which prevented a playoff berth. Instead, the Oilers (and division winner Cincinnati Bengals) made the postseason.
The Steelers’ defense finished third in the league. Defensive linemen Gerald Williams and Keith Willis led the pass rush while Rod Woodson patrolled the skies, picking off five passes and being named first-team All-Pro. He also returned a punt for a score.
Pittsburgh ended the year with 24 picks and held 11 of 16 opponents under 20 points. The offense, led by QB Bubby Brister and RB Merril Hoge, wasn’t nearly as effective.
Notable: In Week 16, Pittsburgh romped the Cleveland Browns 35-0. The defense forced nine turnovers, including eight fumble recoveries. The Steelers are the last NFL team to force nine takeaways in a regular-season game.
42. 2009 season (9-7 record)
Another Super Bowl hangover after the team’s sixth Lombardi. The year began with an overtime win over the Tennessee Titans, K Jeff Reed making a field goal to send it into the extra frame before winning it on a 33-yard boot. After losing the next two, Pittsburgh regained composure to win five straight through the bye. Sitting pretty at 6-2, the Steelers slid to lose five in a row, including consecutive overtime losses to the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens. An ugly home loss to the Oakland Raiders (which I believe I attended) was also included.
Pittsburgh ended the year with three straight wins to complete a year of streaks. On the final play of the game, QB Ben Roethlisberger found a toe-tapping WR Mike Wallace in the end zone to knock off the Green Bay Packers. Tight end Heath Miller made his first Pro Bowl.
Still, it wasn’t enough to make the postseason, finishing behind the Ravens and the AFC North champ Cincinnati Bengals.
RB Rashard Mendenhall bounced back from his rookie year shoulder injury to rush for 1,100 yards. At receiver, Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward registered 1,000-yard seasons while Mike Wallace led the league in yards per reception in his rookie year. EDGE LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison became an elite duo. Woodley had 20 TFL and 13.5 sacks, Harrison 14 TFL and 10 sacks. At age 34, ILB James Farrior led the team with 102 tackles.
It felt like this team had talent and plenty of individual achievement, but collectively, it wasn’t good enough. Roethlisberger being sacked 50 times didn’t help the cause.
Notable: Pittsburgh played three overtime games in 2009, going 1-2. The two defeats tied 2005 and 1986 for the team’s most OT games lost in a season.
41. 2021 season (9-7 Record, Wild Card Loss)
Our first playoff team. Ben Roethlisberger’s final season ended in a playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Pittsburgh hung in early and even briefly took the lead on a T.J. Watt scoop-and-score, but Patrick Mahomes and company got rolling before the half ended.
An upset win over the Buffalo Bills got the year going, but the following three losses put a damper on things. Roethlisberger tested positive for COVID the night before a game against the Detroit Lions, forcing Mason Rudolph into action last-second. The game ended in a tie. A failed comeback bid against the Los Angeles Chargers came in Roethlisberger’s return. Before the playoff meeting, the Chiefs routed the Steelers 36-10 the day after Christmas.
Sitting at 7-7-1 with two weeks to go, Pittsburgh got its act together with a 26-14 Monday night win over the Cleveland Browns, a fitting Heinz Field sendoff for Roethlisberger to defeat the team he dominated throughout his career. After the victory, Roethlisberger traced the stadium before he and his family made their way to the team tunnel. With more work to do, the Steelers knocked off the Baltimore Ravens 16-13, K Chris Boswell winning the game in overtime, to send Pittsburgh to the playoffs.
Beating long odds for the postseason, the Steelers were heavy underdogs to the Chiefs and proved they still lacked answers to counter Andy Reid and Mahomes. Mahomes finished the day with five touchdowns and only nine incompletions. Roethlisberger threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns.
Big picture, Roethlisberger ended his final season with 3,740 yards and 22 touchdowns, though late in his career, with two bum knees, most of his throws were short and underneath. Rookie RB Najee Harris ran for exactly 1,200 yards while WR Diontae Johnson made the Pro Bowl with a 1,161-yard, eight-touchdown campaign.
EDGE T.J. Watt took home Defensive Player of the Year by tying the NFL record with 22.5 sacks. Many would argue he was robbed of at least one more that would’ve given him the outright lead. Cam Heyward made first-team All-Pro with a 10-sack season. Interceptions weren’t plentiful, with just 13 as a team, CB Ahkello Witherspoon leading with three.
This playoff season ranks lower because of a blowout playoff loss, an offense and defense that finished 20th in scoring, and the team’s minus-55 regular season point differential, second-worst of any Steelers’ team that has made the playoffs. Only 1989, a year in which Pittsburgh won the Wild Card game, was worse.
Notable: In the regular season for his career, Roethlisberger went 26-2-1 against the Browns.
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
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