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 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.
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?
Ranking Every Steelers Season (No. 30-21)
30. 1989 season (9-7 record, won Wild Card, lost Divisional)
Up there for the strangest season in Steelers’ history. It would be the most miserable year if only its first two games were judged. What began with two of the worst losses ever, including literally the team’s biggest defeat, ended in a playoff berth and victory.
Pittsburgh opened the season with the Cleveland Browns stealing its soul. When the clock struck zero, the Steelers lost 51-0. This remains the largest margin of defeat the team has ever had. Pittsburgh finished with more turnovers (eight) than first downs (five). Things looked just as bleak the following week, when the Cincinnati Bengals blew out Pittsburgh again, 41-10.
Somehow, the team salvaged things. The first on this list with a playoff win, Pittsburgh scored its first two wins in the next two games over the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. An NFC tour helped the team reset, and the team remained .500 through Thanksgiving. The Steelers got hot late in the year, winning five of their final six, including winning the final three to make the Wild Card round.
Touchdown underdogs to Jerry Glanville’s Houston Oilers, the Steelers pulled off the upset. Kicker Gary Anderson connected from 50-yards in overtime to beat Houston and advance to the Divisional Round. RB Merril Hoge played a key role, rushing for 100-yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown that sent the contest into a fifth frame.
Travelling to face the Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh dropped a heartbreaker. The Steelers raced out to a 17-7 lead and were ahead by seven at halftime. But the Broncos reset at half and outscored the Steelers 14-6 in the final 30 minutes, taking the lead on a 1-yard rush by Mel Bratton. Despite holding John Elway in check, Pittsburgh couldn’t find victory.
Pittsburgh’s passing game was an issue all season. The offense finished with 10 scores by its quarterbacks. QB Bubby Brister threw only nine in 14 starts. Tim Worley and Hoge served as leading rushers while the underrated Louis Lipps was the top receiver. With seven sacks and three picks, Greg Lloyd had a playmaking season.
The blowout losses still created lopsided numbers—a terribly negative point differential, a team that only scored 29 touchdowns while allowing 38. But the year ended with the franchise’s first playoff win since 1984, and the fact that Pittsburgh even made it to the postseason is remarkable.
Notable: Despite a minus-eight turnover margin in the opening loss to Cleveland, Pittsburgh still finished the year well into the positive. The team ended at plus-11.
29. 1977 season (9-5 record, Divisional Round loss)
From the Immaculate Reception through the rest of the decade, this was one of just two seasons in which Pittsburgh didn’t at least reach the AFC Championship game. The 1973 season was the other. The Steelers won the AFC Central and looked poised for another Super Bowl run. The year started strong with a shutout win over the San Francisco 49ers, a game in which 49ers’ starter Jim Plunkett (he played for San Fran, who knew?) had just three completions and two interceptions.
But Pittsburgh scuffled from there to find itself 4-4 at midseason. The offense found its mojo, and the defense held the San Diego Chargers to nine points in the regular season finale. The Steelers won five of their last six to clinch the division.
Running into the 12-2 Denver Broncos, the Steelers’ Super Bowl dreams were dashed. Denver came out strong and pulled away in the fourth quarter. Terry Bradshaw threw three picks, while the team turned it over four times. The Steelers outgained the Broncos, but Denver QB Craig Morton tossed a pair of touchdowns to lead the way to a 34-21 win. It was the most points Pittsburgh allowed all season.
Bradshaw had a tough year, finishing with more interceptions than touchdowns. RB Franco Harris continued to shine and posted a 1,100-yard season, earning All-Pro honors for his efforts. It was the only first-team selection of his Hall of Fame career. Receivers John Stallworth and Lynn Swann had similar seasons, about 800 yards and seven touchdowns each. Unofficially, DL Steve Furness led the team with 8.5 sacks.
The defense again featured several standouts. CB Mel Blount picked off six passes, and LB Jack Ham had four more. Ham and Green were named All-Pro, while Lambert received a Pro Bowl nod. Blount, curiously, received no accolades.
Notable: This was the last time the NFL played a 14-game season. The league switched to a 16-game slate in 1978.
28. 1947 season (8-4 record, first round loss)
The first playoff team in franchise history, ’47 was one of the few bright spots before Chuck Noll came along. In its final season with Jock Sutherland as head coach, easily the team’s best before Noll, the team made the postseason despite a negative point differential and below-average offense and defense. Each side ranked seventh of ten teams.
Still, Pittsburgh found ways to win. In an early 1-2 hole, the Steelers rattled off six-straight victories. There were big wins over the Boston Yanks (30-14) and two over the New York Giants (38-21, 24-7) and close contests against the Green Bay Packers (18-17) and Washington Redskins (21-14).
The Steelers were still no match for the vaunted Chicago Bears, blown out 49-7 in late November. But a season sweep of the Yanks in the finale put Pittsburgh in the playoffs, where it would face the cross-state Philadelphia Eagles. The winner would play in the championship game.
Philadelphia dominated. Pitching a 21-0 shutout, Pittsburgh was held to just 154 yards of offense. The Eagles ran at will, 52 times for just 124 yards, but they controlled the clock and kept the Steelers’ offense motionless. Steelers’ quarterback (still running the single wing) Johnny ‘Zero’ Clement completed only 25-percent of his passes. Eagles’ quarterback Steve Van Buren tossed a first-quarter touchdown while special teams sealed the win, Bosh Pritchard running back a punt for the second half’s only points.
It was a playoff appearance, but Pittsburgh was promptly shut out and sent home. The Eagles fell to the Chicago Cardinals in the title game. Sutherland died on a scouting trip the ensuing offseason, and the Steelers fell back to their losing ways.
Notable: There’s a book on the ’47 season entitled Starless. It’s a good read.
27. 1984 season (9-7 record, Divisional Win, AFC Championship loss)
The first team on this list to make it to the AFC title game. An uncompetitive AFC Central and quirky conference helped. Pittsburgh won the division as the only team with a winning record, finishing ahead of the 8-8 Cincinnati Bengals. The AFC West sent three teams, all with at least 11 wins, but the Seattle Seahawks (in the AFC from 1977-2001) and Los Angeles Raiders were forced to battle in the Wild Card round while Pittsburgh enjoyed a bye.
The Steelers hovered around .500 for most of the regular season. A 35-7 win over the Houston Oilers pushed Pittsburgh to 6-4, but back-to-back losses against the Cincinnati Bengals and New Orleans Saints dropped them back to .500. But Pittsburgh won three of its final four, including defeating the Raiders 13-7 in the finale, to clinch the division and finish above .500.
Hitting the road to face Dan Reeves and the 13-3 Denver Broncos, the Steelers were underdogs. QB John Elway got the scoring started in the first quarter, but Pittsburgh wrestled a 10-7 lead at the break, RB Frank Pollard providing the go-ahead score. A third-quarter Elway touchdown again gave Denver the lead, but Pittsburgh knotted the game at 17 entering the fourth quarter. Pollard plowed ahead for a 2-yard score in the fourth, and the Steelers’ defense prevented Elway from working his magic, preserving a 24-17 win.
The Miami Dolphins showed no mercy in the title game. With a 14-2 record and dispatching Pittsburgh 31-7 in the regular season, Miami scored 21 unanswered after the Steelers fought hard early to lead 14-10. QB Dan Marino fired four touchdowns and while QB Mark Malone tossed three, he also threw three picks. Receivers Mark Duper and Mark Clayton combined for three touchdown catches, and the Dolphins finished with a convincing 45-28 win. Joe Montana and the 49ers cleaned their clocks in the Super Bowl.
Steve Woodley and Malone split starts during the year, combining to have an even 1:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. With Franco Harris in Seattle, Pollard led the team in rushing. WR John Stallworth exploded for a 1,395-yard season, he and rookie Louis Lipps making the Pro Bowl. Lipps was also named Offensive Rookie of the Year, with his return duties helping punch his ticket, leading the league in punt return yards with one score. Defensively, LB Mike Merriweather had a high-impact 15-sack season to make the Pro Bowl. Safety Donnie Shell picked off seven passes.
Notable: Lipps is one of three Steelers to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, following RB Franco Harris in 1972 and preceding QB Ben Roethlisberger in 2004.
26. 2014 season (11-5 Season, Wild Card loss)
Despite not winning a playoff game, the 2014 squad came in higher than two postseason winners. The Steelers’ offense is a big reason why, scoring a team-record 436 points, though even that was only good enough for a seventh-place finish league-wide.
Escaping Week One with a win over the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh sat at 3-3 by mid-October. But the offense went wild from there, highlighted by QB Ben Roethlisberger’s back-to-back six-touchdown performances against the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens—both big-time wins.
Pittsburgh kept the season rolling after a late Week 12 bye, winning all four games in December to finish 11-5 and capture the AFC North crown. But with a beat-up backfield that pressed Josh Harris, Ben Tate, and Dri Archer into action, Pittsburgh became one-dimensional in the Wild Card round, facing a tough Baltimore Ravens’ defense. The Steelers rushed for just 68 yards, turned it over three times, and lost 30-17.
On the year, Roethlisberger led the NFL with nearly 5,000 yards passing and threw for 32 touchdowns. In the regular season, RB Le’Veon Bell was an All-Pro with video-game-like numbers. More than 1,300-yards rushing, 800 receiving, and 11 total touchdowns. Had Reggie Nelson not injured his knee in the finale, maybe Pittsburgh would have beaten Baltimore.
Antonio Brown entered the prime of his career, nearly capturing the NFL’s Triple Crown after leading in receptions (129) and yards (1,698). Only Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant beat him out in touchdowns, 16 to Brown’s 13. Rookie Martavis Bryant had a second-half surge rarely seen before, scoring eight times in 10 games. He caught six touchdowns during his first four appearances.
The defense was the problem. A rare handful of years where the unit struggled, Pittsburgh ranked 18th in points allowed. The secondary was poor and included an aging Troy Polamalu, limited to just 12 games and finishing with zero interceptions. The pass rush was just as mediocre, putting up only 33 sacks despite often playing with the lead, which forced teams to pass. Another example of Pittsburgh’s inability to find roster equilibrium. A great offense and a poor defense that prevented a serious run.
Notable: Pittsburgh’s offense scored 27-plus points ten times in 2014. Over the past three seasons combined, the Steelers have only done so nine times.
25. 1942 season (7-4 season)
The No. 1 pre-Noll/merger season on this list, the ’42 campaign, cracks the Top 25. It was Pittsburgh’s first-ever winning season and one of its few bright spots during a couple of dark decades. The Steelers finished with a plus-48 point differential, the first time the team ended a year in the positives. That number wouldn’t be surpassed until 1972.
Pittsburgh started in an 0-2 hole after tough losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. But the defense dug in to allow just 10 total points over the next three weeks, pitching consecutive shutouts to topple the Brooklyn Dodgers and Eagles in the rematch.
The Steelers won four of their last five in mostly convincing fashion: 35-7 over the Detroit Lions, 19-3 against the Chicago Cardinals, and 13-0 versus the Brooklyn Dodgers. In fairness, those teams were all bad (Detroit went 0-11), but wins are wins for a Steelers franchise that wasn’t doing a whole lot of winning in its first decade in the league.
Pittsburgh battled but narrowly lost to the Green Bay Packers in the finale, a 24-21 defeat. But even had the Steelers won, the Redskins clinched the division and beat the Chicago Bears 14-6 in the title game.
Out of ten teams, Pittsburgh finished No. 4 in scoring offense despite throwing only two touchdowns all season. The defense ranked third. All-Pro ‘Bullet’ Bill Dudley led the NFL in rushing yards, and the team finished plus-seven in turnover differential. The team took care of the ball well relative to the era, with just 21 giveaways all season (by comparison, they had 49 the year before).
Under head coach Walt Keisling and a couple of stars, the Steelers felt like a success, for a moment. World War II forced Pittsburgh to merge rosters for the following two seasons.
Notable: Kicker/offensive lineman Armand Niccolai played his final season with the Steelers. The franchise’s first “longevity” player, he joined in 1934 and spent nine years in Pittsburgh.
24. 2015 season (10-6 record, Wild Card Win, Divisional Loss)
Pittsburgh finished second in the AFC North with another strong offense, fourth league-wide at more than 26 points per game. The defense improved upon 2014, finishing 11th. After a season-opening loss to the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh won the next two games. An overtime loss to Baltimore dropped the Steelers back to .500 before a gutsy call by Mike Tomlin put Le’Veon Bell in the end zone on a literal buzzer-beating touchdown against the San Diego Chargers the following week.
Even starting Landry Jones and Mike Vick for five games, the Steelers found ways to win. Ben Roethlisberger came off the bench to torch the Cleveland Browns 30-9, and Pittsburgh won four of its six games after the bye to finish 10-6. A big-time comeback versus the Denver Broncos, down 27-10, to score 24 unanswered, helped the Steelers reach double-digit wins.
The Wild Card game lived up to its “wild” moniker. Looking doomed against the Cincinnati Bengals, LB Ryan Shazier forced a fumble on RB Jeremy Hill to give Pittsburgh life. An injured Roethlisberger moved Pittsburgh downfield when dual 15-yard penalties on Cincinnati after a hit from LB Vontaze Burfict and an ensuing shove after Joey Porter took the field got the Steelers into field goal range. Kicker Chris Boswell, signed to replace Shaun Suisham after the disaster that was Josh Scobee, kicked his fourth field goal to win.
Against Denver, Pittsburgh seemed poised to return to the AFC Title Game. Leading 13-12 well into the fourth quarter, RB Fitzgerald Toussaint fumbled the ball away. QB Peyton Manning and the Broncos’ run game didn’t squander the chance, finding the end zone on the following drive to take the lead and win 23-16.
RB Le’Veon Bell missed the latter half of the season with an MCL injury, putting DeAngelo Williams in charge of the backfield. He rushed for a league-high 11 touchdowns. Antonio Brown was a vacuum at receivers, sucking in 136 receptions in another All-Pro year. At the time, that was the second-most in NFL history (Brown tied Julio Jones that season) and still ranks fourth-best. WR Martavis Bryant made an impact in limited action, while defensively, DL Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt teamed up to combine for 13.5 sacks. Pittsburgh picked off 17 passes and the defense finished third in takeaways, punching above their weight and talent.
Notable: In the comeback win over Denver, Pittsburgh rushed for just 23 yards. To date, the fewest the Steelers had since the merger in a win. That was broken in 2020 when the team rushed for just 22 yards in a win over the Indianapolis Colts.
23. 2002 season (10-5-1 record, Wild Card win, Divisional Loss)
Another year with a potent offense and so-so defense. Under Tommy Maddox, Pittsburgh finished eighth in scoring but 16th in points allowed. Like so many others, the season appeared lost after back-to-back double-digit losses to the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots. A quirky but well-placed Week Three bye gave Pittsburgh time to reset. Pittsburgh beat the Cleveland Browns in overtime the following week, returning to .500 before Halloween.
After a famous 34-34 tie to the Atlanta Falcons, a game in which WR Plaxico Burress fell 1-yard shy of a successful Hail Mary, and lost to the Tennessee Titans, the Steelers got hot. Winning five of their last six, Pittsburgh came back from 11 points down to beat the Baltimore Ravens in the regular season finale.
Meeting the Cleveland Browns in the playoffs, Pittsburgh looked done for. Trailing 27-14 and 33-21 at separate points of the fourth quarter, a massive surge brought the Steelers all the way back. RB/FB Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala took the ball over the goal line with less than a minute to play to give Pittsburgh the lead, boosted by a successful two-point try from WR Antwaan Randle El to TE Jerame Tuman. Pittsburgh won 36-33.
Fighting the Tennessee Titans tooth and nail in the Divisional round, the game stretched into overtime. Kicker Joe Nendy seemingly faked falling to draw a roughing the kicker penalty, allowing him to re-kick after missing his attempt. He made it, and the Titans won 34-31 in a controversial fashion.
Out of the league from 1996-2000, Maddox came out of nowhere to start and show flashes in 2002. He threw 20 touchdowns, posted a 7-3-1 record, and was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year. RB Jerome Bettis missed time due to injury, leading Amos Zereoue to finish first in rushing yards. Receivers Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress each surpassed 1,300-yards. Ward had 12 touchdowns, Burress seven.
Outside linebackers Jason Gildon and Joey Porter posted nine sacks apiece, with Porter making All-Pro. He also picked off four passes. Kicker Jeff Reed replaced a struggling Todd Peterson midseason to make 17-of-19 field goals.
Notable: The only loss down the stretch is arguably the worst and weirdest in team history, 24-6 to the Houston Texans despite outgaining them 422-37.
22. 1983 season (10-6 record, Divisional loss)
No playoff win here, but Pittsburgh earned a first-round bye. The Steelers opened the year white-hot at 9-2, including a seven-game winning streak sandwiched in the middle of the year. Pittsburgh swept the Houston Oilers along the way.
But the team flatlined by season’s end. Three straight losses late in the year, plus a finale loss to the Cleveland Browns. After the playoff bye, Pittsburgh got trounced 38-10 by the Las Vegas Raiders in the divisional round. A Lester Hayes pick-six off Cliff Stoudt gave the Raiders a first-quarter lead they wouldn’t give back. RB Marcus Allen rushed for 121 yards and two scores, the Raiders didn’t turn the ball over, and the Steelers completed less than 50 percent of their passes.
Terry Bradshaw’s final season and barely playing, Stoudt started most of the season. He threw 12 touchdowns to 21 picks. A 33-year-old Franco Harris eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark while WR Calvin Sweeney led the team with 577 receiving yards. The defense was stronger. DL Keith Willis recorded 14 sacks while LB Jack Lambert made the final Pro Bowl and All-Pro of his career, intercepting two passes and recording four sacks. Kicker Gary Anderson was named to the Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro.
Pittsburgh finished the year with a plus-52 point differential and 45 takeaways. But that didn’t do them any favors once the postseason rolled around.
Notable: The Steelers’ 28-point playoff loss remains Pittsburgh’s worst postseason defeat.
21. 1996 season (10-6 record, Wild Card win, Divisional loss)
A plus-87 point differential thanks to a No. 11 offense and No. 4 defense. Pittsburgh began the season 5-1, winning five straight after an opening loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Steelers reached a zenith of 9-3 by Thanksgiving before stumbling towards the finish line. Pittsburgh dropped three of the last four, including NFC losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers.
The highlight of the regular season was a 42-6 win against the St. Louis Rams. The Steelers rushed for 248 yards as RB Jerome Bettis ripped off 129 of them and two touchdowns. Rams’ QB Tony Banks was sacked six times.
Getting back to AFC play for the postseason, the Steelers shook off their issues and drummed the Indianapolis Colts 42-14. Indy erased a 13-point deficit to take a brief 14-13 lead. But Pittsburgh was off to the races from there, outscoring them 29-0 in the second half. The Steelers rushed for five touchdowns—two from Jerome Bettis, two from Kordell Stewart, and one from Jon Witman. Colts’ QB and future NFL head coach John Harbaugh completed 12-of-32 passes and was sacked three times. Steelers LB Chad Brown had three of the defense’s four sacks.
The tables turned in the Divisional Round. Travelling to New England, Pittsburgh was stomped out 28-3 (a score highly favorable to the Patriots over the years). RB Curtis Martin rushed for 166-yards, postseason bests that would stand best against Pittsburgh until Derrick Henry in 2024. The Steelers’ only points came off a K Norm Johnson third-quarter field goal. It was the first but hardly the last playoff loss to New England.
QB Jim Miller started the opener but was yanked in favor of Mike Tomczak. He threw 15 touchdowns to 17 interceptions. RB Jerome Bettis rushed for more than 1,400 yards and made the Pro Bowl and All-Pro in his first year with the team following a trade from the St. Louis Rams. WR Charles Johnson tallied a 1,000-yard season.
Defensively, Chad Brown put up a big year with 13 sacks, earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. Filling in for an injured Greg Lloyd, EDGE rusher Jason Gildon broke out for a seven-sack campaign. Rod Woodson made the Pro Bowl after picking off six passes. Pittsburgh scored 39 touchdowns and allowed only 27.
Notable: On the other hand, Pittsburgh’s 28-point win over Indianapolis is the second-largest postseason victory in team history. It only trails a 29-point win over the Houston Oilers, 34-5 in 1979.
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
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