1976 Pittsburgh Steelers season

1976 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Owner	Art Rooney
Head coach	Chuck Noll
Home field	Three Rivers Stadium
Results
Record	10–4
Division place	1st in AFC Central
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (at Colts) 40–14 Lost AFC Championship (at Raiders) 7–24
Pro Bowlers	12 CB Mel Blount QB Terry Bradshaw S Glen Edwards DT Joe Greene DE L. C. Greenwood LB Jack Ham RB Franco Harris LB Jack Lambert LB Andy Russell WR Lynn Swann S Mike Wagner CB J.T. Thomas
AP All-Pros	5 Jack Ham (1st team) Jack Lambert (1st team) Glen Edwards (2nd team) Joe Greene (2nd team) Mike Wagner (2nd team)
Team MVP	Jack Lambert
←  1975 Steelers seasons 1977  →

The 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 44th in the National Football League. The team attempted to win their third consecutive Super Bowl championship, but ultimately lost to their bitter rivals, the Oakland Raiders, in the AFC Championship Game. Despite failing to reach the Super Bowl, the 1976 Steelers are fondly remembered as one of the franchise's most dominant teams, thanks to a record-setting defense and running game. The Steelers' strong defense finished the season with just 9.9 points allowed per game, the fewest in the NFL, and a franchise record that still stands.

Season Summary

The Steelers started the season looking to become the first team in the Super Bowl era to win three-straight league championships (and first since the 1929–1931 and 1965–1967 Green Bay Packers). However, many thought that would be in doubt after the team started 1–4 and saw quarterback Terry Bradshaw injured in the week 5 loss to the Cleveland Browns after a vicious sack by Joe "Turkey" Jones that has since become immortalized in NFL Films as part of the Browns-Steelers rivalry.

Despite the setbacks, behind the strength of the Steel Curtain defense and the dual threat of Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier at running back, the Steelers ended the season on a nine-game winning streak to finish 10-4 and win the AFC Central. Harris rushed for 1,128 yards and 14 touchdowns, while Bleier had the best season of his career with 1,036 rushing yards and five touchdowns. With both running backs rushing for over 1,000 yards, the Steelers became the second team in NFL history to have a 1,000 yard rushing duo (the first being the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins, the 1976 Steelers and the 1972 Dolphins are the only teams to accomplish this in a 14-game schedule).

Meanwhile, led by linebacker Jack Lambert, the 1976 Defensive Player of the Year, the Steel Curtain had its most dominant season. The defense posted five shutouts, the most in a single season in the Super Bowl era; all five shutouts came during the team's nine-game winning streak. This included three consecutive shutouts (from Weeks 7-9), a 15-quarter shutout streak, and five consecutive games where the team did not allow a touchdown (Weeks 6-10). During the winning streak, the team did not allow a touchdown in eight games. Overall, the defense allowed just 138 points (including only 28 during the winning streak), forced 46 turnovers, and sent eight starting defensive players to the Pro Bowl, including the entire starting secondary.

Rookie quarterback Mike Kruczek wound up going 6–0 starting in place of Bradshaw, largely due to the strength of the ground game and defense. This would also stand as an NFL record for best start for a rookie quarterback until 2004—when the Steelers' own Ben Roethlisberger more than doubled that record and went 13–0 as a starter his rookie season.

However, injuries to both Bleier and Harris in the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Baltimore Colts sidelined them both for the following week's AFC Championship game against the Oakland Raiders. Without both of their 1,000-yard rushers, the Steelers lost to the Raiders by a score of 24–7. Even with Pittsburgh coming up short, many Steelers fans—including the Rooney family themselves—consider the 1976 Steelers the best team in franchise history, even better than all six world championship teams.^{[ citation needed ]} Jack Lambert, who won 4 Super Bowls with the Steelers between 1974 and 1979, claimed that the 1976 Steelers team was the best team that he ever played for, and subsequently, the loss to the Raiders in the AFC Championship game was the most painful loss of his career. He (Lambert) is convinced that they would have beaten the Raiders and gone on to win that season's Super Bowl had Harris and Bleier both been healthy and available for said AFC Championship game. Despite their opinions, the 1976 Steelers were not on the 100 greatest teams of all time presented by the NFL on its 100th anniversary. ^{[1] [2]}

In 2007, ESPN.com named the 1976 Steelers the greatest defense in NFL history, ^[3] noting, "the 1976 unit was the best (slightly better than the '75 squad). Here's why: 28. That's how many points the Steel Curtain surrendered in the last nine games of the season. That's a total. As a result, Pittsburgh, which started the season 1–4, made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game. Only one of the seven teams the Steelers played during the streak finished the season with a winning record (Cincinnati) and none made the playoffs. However the defensive dominance did extend to the Divisional playoff with a resounding 40–14 defeat of the AFC East Champion Baltimore Colts. The Steelers' defense had Hall of Famers Mean Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham and Mel Blount. And eight Steelers defensive players made the 1976 Pro Bowl team: cornerback J.T. Thomas, defensive end L. C. Greenwood, Greene, Ham, Lambert, defensive back Glen Edwards, safety Mike Wagner, and Blount."

Personnel

Staff

1976 Pittsburgh Steelers staff

Front office Chairman of the board — Arthur J. Rooney President — Daniel M. Rooney Vice president — John R. McGinley Vice president — Arthur J. Rooney, Jr. Public relations director — Ed Kiely Traveling secretary — James A. Boston Publicity director — Joe Gordon Controller — Dennis P. Thimons Ticket manager — Joseph H. Carr Director of player personnel — Dick Haley Assistant director of player personnel — Bill Nunn Director of professional scouting — V. Timothy Rooney Head coaches Head coach — Chuck Noll Offensive coaches Offensive backfield — Dick Hoak Offensive line — Dan Radakovich Offensive assistant — John Spezzaferro Receivers — Lionel Taylor

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator — Bud Carson Defensive line — George Perles Linebackers — Woody Widenhofer Strength and conditioning Strength — Louis Riecke Flexibility — Paul Uram Team Physician, M.D. — Dr. David S. Huber Team physician, orthopedic — Dr. Paul B. Steele, Jr. Team dentist — Dr. George P. Boucek Trainer — Ralph Berlin Assistant trainer — Robert Milie Equipment manager — Anthony Parisi Field manager — Jack Hart Film director — Bob McCartney Photographer — Harry Homa [4]

Roster

1976 Pittsburgh Steelers final roster

	Quarterbacks 12 Terry Bradshaw 15 Mike Kruczek Running backs 20 Rocky Bleier 35 Jack Deloplaine 33 John Fuqua 32 Franco Harris 46 Reggie Harrison Wide receivers 83 Theo Bell PR 43 Frank Lewis 22 Ernie Pough KR 82 John Stallworth 88 Lynn Swann Tight ends 87 Larry Brown 89 Bennie Cunningham 84 Randy Grossman		Offensive linemen 50 Jim Clack G/C 57 Sam Davis G 71 Gordon Gravelle T 55 Jon Kolb T 56 Ray Mansfield C 72 Gerry Mullins G/T 74 Ray Pinney C/T 52 Mike Webster C Defensive linemen 76 John Banaszak DE 67 Gary Dunn DT 64 Steve Furness DT 75 Joe Greene DT 68 L. C. Greenwood DE 63 Ernie Holmes DT 78 Dwight White DE		Linebackers 53 Greg Blankenship OLB 59 Jack Ham OLB 54 Marv Kellum MLB 58 Jack Lambert MLB 34 Andy Russell OLB 51 Loren Toews OLB Defensive backs 45 Jimmy Allen DB 47 Mel Blount CB 27 Glen Edwards FS 31 Donnie Shell S 24 J. T. Thomas CB 23 Mike Wagner SS Special teams 52 Mike Webster LS 10 Roy Gerela K 39 Bobby Walden P/H		Reserve lists 44 Mike Collier RB (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) 73 Jim Files G (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) 36 Wentford Gaines DB (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) 86 Reggie Garrett WR (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) 11 Allen Hooker S (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) 66 Al Humphrey LB (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) 29 Brent Sexton DB (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) Practice squad 16 Neil Graff QB [5] [6] [7] Rookies in italics 44 active, 7 inactive, 1 practice squad

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Time (ET)	TV
1	September 12	at Oakland Raiders	L 28–31	0–1	4:00 pm	NBC
2	September 19	Cleveland Browns	W 31–14	1–1	1:00 pm	NBC
3	September 26	New England Patriots	L 27–30	1–2	1:00 pm	NBC
4	October 4	at Minnesota Vikings	L 6–17	1–3	9:00 pm	ABC
5	October 10	at Cleveland Browns	L 16–18	1–4	1:00 pm	NBC
6	October 17	Cincinnati Bengals	W 23–6	2–4	1:00 pm	NBC
7	October 24	at New York Giants	W 27–0	3–4	1:00 pm	NBC
8	October 31	San Diego Chargers	W 23–0	4–4	1:00 pm	NBC
9	November 7	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 45–0	5–4	2:00 pm	NBC
10	November 14	Miami Dolphins	W 14–3	6–4	4:00 pm	NBC
11	November 21	Houston Oilers	W 32–16	7–4	1:00 pm	NBC
12	November 28	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 7–3	8–4	1:00 pm	NBC
13	December 5	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 42–0	9–4	1:00 pm	NBC
14	December 11	at Houston Oilers	W 21–0	10–4	4:00 pm	NBC
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Oakland Raiders

Week One: Pittsburgh Steelers (0–0) at Oakland Raiders (0–0)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	7	7	14	28
Raiders	7	0	0	24	31

at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California

• Date: September 12, 1976
• Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
• Game weather: 62 °F or 16.7 °C, wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
• Game attendance: 51,371
• Referee: Jim Tunney
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy & Don Meredith

Game information

First quarter No Scoring Plays Second quarter OAK — Casper 30-yard pass from Stabler (Steinfort kick). Raiders 7–0 PIT — Bleier 2-yard-yard run (Gerela kick). 7–7 Third quarter PIT — Stallworth 47-yard lateral from Harris after 25-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 14–7 Fourth quarter PIT — Bell 11-yard pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick). Steelers 21–7 OAK — Biletnikoff 21-yard pass from Stabler (Steinfort kick). Steelers 21–14 PIT — Harris 3-yard-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 28–14 OAK — Casper 10-yard pass from Stabler (Steinfort kick). Steelers 28–21 OAK — Stabler 2-yard-yard run (Steinfort kick). 28–28 OAK — Steinfort 21-yard field goal. Raiders 31–28 Additional Notes The game was cited by the Sacramento Bee as one of the "great games of the past" and was described as a shootout. [8]

Week 2: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week Two: Cleveland Browns (1–0) at Pittsburgh Steelers (0–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	0	14	0	0	14
Steelers	0	0	17	14	31

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Date: Sunday, September 19, 1976
• Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
• Game weather: 63 °F or 17.2 °C, wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
• Game attendance: 49,169
• Referee: Tommy Bell
• TV announcers (NBC): Jack Buck & Paul Maguire

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter CLE — Rucker 14-yard pass from Sipe (Cockroft kick). Browns 7–0 CLE — Roan 17-yard pass from Sipe (Cockroft kick). Browns 14–0 Third quarter PIT — Stallworth 14-yard pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick). Browns 14–7 PIT — Gerela 47-yard field goal. Browns 14–10 PIT — Harris 2-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 17–14 PIT — Stallworth 5-yard pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick). Steelers 24–14 PIT — Bradshaw 7-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 31–14

Week 3: vs. New England Patriots

Week Three: New England Patriots (1–1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	6	3	14	7	30
Steelers	7	6	7	7	27

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Date: Sunday, September 26, 1976
• Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
• Game weather: 56 °F or 13.3 °C, wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
• Game attendance: 47,379
• Referee: Dick Jorgensen
• TV: NBC

Game information

First quarter PIT — Harris 3-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 7–0 NWE — Smith 42-yard field goal. Steelers 7–3 NWE — Smith 40-yard field goal. Steelers 7–6 Second quarter PIT — Gerela 32-yard field goal. Steelers 10–6 NWE — Smith 26-yard field goal. Steelers 10–9 PIT — Gerela 41-yard field goal. Steelers 13–9 Third quarter PIT — Harris 2-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 20–9 NWE — Francis 38-yard pass from Grogan (Smith kick). Steelers 20–16 NWE — Stingley 58-yard pass from Grogan (Smith kick). Patriots 23–20 Fourth quarter NWE — Grogan 6-yard run (Smith kick). Patriots 30–20 PIT — Grossman 11-yard pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick). Patriots 30–27

Week 4: at Minnesota Vikings

Week Four: Pittsburgh Steelers (1–2) at Minnesota Vikings (2–0–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	6	0	0	0	6
Vikings	0	7	0	10	17

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

• Date: Monday, October 4, 1976
• Game time: 9:00 pm EDT
• Game weather: 65 °F or 18.3 °C, wind 13 miles per hour (21 km/h; 11 kn)
• Game attendance: 47,809
• Referee: Pat Haggerty
• TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford (play by play)
  Alex Karras and Howard Cosell (color commentators)

Game information
First quarter PIT — Cunningham 1-yard pass from Bradshaw (kick blocked). Steelers 6–0 Second quarter MIN — Foreman 8-yard run (Cox kick). Vikings 7–6 Fourth quarter MIN — Foreman 4-yard run (Cox kick). Vikings 14–6 MIN — Cox 43-yard field goal. Vikings 17–6

Week 5: at Cleveland Browns

Week Five: Pittsburgh Steelers (1–3) at Cleveland Browns (1–3)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	7	3	0	6	16
Browns	3	3	9	3	18

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

• Date: Sunday, October 10, 1976
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 48 °F or 8.9 °C, wind 13 miles per hour (21 km/h; 11 kn)
• Game attendance: 76,411
• Referee: Bernie Ulman
• TV: NBC
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter CLE — Don Cockroft 43-yard field goal. Browns 3–0 PIT — Franco Harris 1-yard-yard run (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 7–3 Second quarter CLE — Don Cockroft 28-yard field goal .Steelers 7–6 PIT — Roy Gerela 30-yard field goal. Steelers 10–6 Third quarter CLE — Cleo Miller 1-yard-yard run (kick failed) .Browns 12–10 CLE — Don Cockroft 50-yard field goal. Browns 15–10 Fourth quarter CLE — Don Cockroft 40-yard field goal. Browns 18–10 PIT — Mike Kruczek 22-yard-yard run (kick blocked). Browns 18–16 Top-yard passers PIT — Terry Bradshaw — 10/18, 75 yards, INT CLE — Brian Sipe — 4/14, 80 yards Top rushers PIT — Franco Harris — 13 rushes, 39 yards, TD CLE — Greg Pruitt — 22 rushes, 76 yards Top receivers PIT — Lynn Swann — 3 receptions, 74 yards CLE — Reggie Rucker — 3 receptions, 77 yards

Terry Bradshaw was injured on a sack by Turkey Jones and missed six weeks.

Week 6: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week Six: Cincinnati Bengals (4–1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1–4)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	3	0	3	0	6
Steelers	0	13	0	10	23

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Date: Sunday, October 17, 1976
• Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
• Game weather: 41 °F or 5 °C, wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
• Game attendance: 48,311
• Referee: Cal Lepore
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and John Brodie
• ^[9]

Game information
First quarter CIN — Bahr 22-yard field goal. 0–3 Second quarter PIT — Gerela 42-yard field goal. 3–3 PIT — Harris 1-yard run (Gerela kick). 10–3 PIT — Gerela 40-yard field goal. 13–3 Third quarter CIN — Bahr 19-yard field goal. 13–6 Fourth quarter PIT — Harris 1-yard run (Gerela kick). 20–6 PIT — Gerela 30-yard field goal. 23–6

Week 7: at New York Giants

Week Seven: Pittsburgh Steelers (2–4) at New York Giants (0–6)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	10	0	17	27
Giants	0	0	0	0	0

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

• Date: Sunday, October 24, 1976
• Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
• Game weather: 51 °F or 10.6 °C, wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
• Game attendance: 69,783
• Referee: Gordon McCarter
• TV: NBC
• ^[10]

Game information
First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter PIT — Harris 1-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 7–0 PIT — Gerela 21-yard field goal. Steelers 10–0 Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter PIT — Harris 1-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 17–0 PIT — Gerela 28-yard field goal. Steelers 20–0 PIT — Lewis 16-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 27–0

This was the first of five shoutout victories, and the second of a sequence of nine games conceding just two touchdowns.

Week 8: vs. San Diego Chargers

Week Eight: San Diego Chargers (4–3) at Pittsburgh Steelers (3–4)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	0	0	0	0	0
Steelers	0	3	0	20	23

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Date: Sunday, October 31, 1976
• Game time: 1:00 pm EST
• Game weather: 44 °F or 6.7 °C, wind 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn)
• Game attendance: 45,484
• Referee: Tommy Bell
• TV announcers (NBC): Jim Simpson and Len Dawson
• ^[11]

Game information
First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter PIT — Gerela 36-yard field goal. Steelers 3–0 Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter PIT — Bradshaw 1-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 10–0 PIT — Pough 11-yard pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick). Steelers 17–0 PIT — Fuqua 3-yard run (kick failed). Steelers 23–0

Week 9: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week Nine: Pittsburgh Steelers (4–4) at Kansas City Chiefs (3–5)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	7	3	21	14	45
Chiefs	0	0	0	0	0

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

• Date: Sunday, November 7, 1976
• Game time: 2:00 pm EST
• Game weather: 41 °F or 5 °C, wind 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn)
• Game attendance: 71,516
• Referee: Fred Silva
• TV announcers (NBC): Ross Porter and Lionel Aldridge
• ^[12]

Game information

First quarter PIT — Harrison 4-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 7–0 Second quarter PIT — Gerela 28-yard field goal. Steelers 10–0 Third quarter PIT — Harris 25-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 17–0 PIT — Harris 5-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 24–0 PIT — Lewis 19-yard pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick). Steelers 31–0 Fourth quarter PIT — Deloplaine 15-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 38–0 PIT — Deloplaine 7-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 45–0

Week 10: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week Ten: Miami Dolphins (5–4) at Pittsburgh Steelers (5–4)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	0	0	3	0	3
Steelers	0	7	0	7	14

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Date: Sunday, November 14, 1976
• Game time: 4:00 pm EST
• Game weather: 29 °F or −1.7 °C, wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
• Game attendance: 48,945
• Referee: Bob Frederic
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Don Meredith
• ^[13]

Game information
First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter PIT — Harris 21-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 7–0 Third quarter MIA — Yepremian 45-yard field goal. Steelers 7–3 Fourth quarter PIT — Harrison 1-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 14–3

Week 11: vs. Houston Oilers

Week Eleven: Houston Oilers (4–6) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6–4)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	0	10	0	6	16
Steelers	10	5	10	7	32

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Date: Sunday, November 21, 1976
• Game time: 1:00 pm EST
• Game weather: 32 °F or 0 °C, wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
• Game attendance: 47,947
• Referee: Ben Dreith
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and John Brodie
• ^[14]

Game information

First quarter PIT — Bleier 10-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 7–0 PIT — Gerela 37-yard field goal. Steelers 10–0 Second quarter PIT — Safety, Toews blocked punt out of end zone. Steelers 12–0 HOU — Burrough 69-yard pass from Hadl (Butler kick). Steelers 12–7 PIT — Gerela 35-yard field goal. Steelers 15–7 HOU — Butler 43-yard field goal. Steelers 15–10 Third quarter PIT — Harrison 1-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 22–10 PIT — Gerela 18-yard field goal. Steelers 25–10 Fourth quarter PIT — Harrison 1-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 32–10 HOU — Sawyer 2-yard pass from Hadl (kick failed). Steelers 32–16

Week 12: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week Twelve: Pittsburgh Steelers (7–4) at Cincinnati Bengals (9–2)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	0	7	0	7
Bengals	3	0	0	0	3

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati

• Date: Sunday, November 28, 1976
• Game time: 4:00 pm EST
• Game weather: 32 °F or 0 °C, wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
• Game attendance: 55,142
• Referee: Jim Tunney
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Don Meredith
• ^[15]

Game information
First quarter CIN — Bahr 40-yard field goal. Bengals 3–0 Second quarter No scoring plays Third quarter PIT — Harris 4-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 7–3 Fourth quarter No scoring plays

Week 13: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Thirteen: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Pittsburgh Steelers

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Buccaneers	0	0	0	0	0
Steelers	7	21	14	0	42

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Date: Sunday, December 5, 1976
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 23 °F or −5 °C, wind 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h; 4.3 kn)
• Game attendance: 43,385
• Referee: Cal Lepore
• TV: NBC
• Box score

Game information

First quarter PIT – Rocky Bleier 7-yard run (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 7–0 Second quarter PIT – Rocky Bleier 1-yard run (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 14–0 PIT – Mike Kruczek 1-yard run (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 21–0 PIT – Rocky Bleier 3-yard run (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 28–0 Third quarter PIT – Lynn Swann 35-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 35–0 PIT – Lynn Swann 23-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 42–0 Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers PIT – Mike Kruczek – 6/7, 84 yards TAM – Steve Spurrier – 4/10, 58 yards, INT Top rushers PIT – Rocky Bleier – 29 rushes, 118 yards, 3 TD TAM – Jimmy DuBose – 5 rushes, 32 yards Top receivers PIT – Lynn Swann – 5 receptions, 92 yards, 2 TD TAM – Jack Novak – 2 receptions, 30 yards

Week 14: at Houston Oilers

Week Fourteen: Pittsburgh Steelers (9–4) at Houston Oilers (5–8)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	7	7	7	21
Oilers	0	0	0	0	0

at Astrodome, Houston, Texas

• Date: Saturday, December 11, 1976
• Game time: 4:00 pm EST
• Game weather: Played indoors (domed stadium)
• Game attendance: 44,743
• Referee: Fred Silva
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and John Brodie
• ^[16]

Game information
First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter PIT — Swann 21-yard pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick). Steelers 7–0 Third quarter PIT — Harris 11-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 14–0 Fourth quarter PIT — Bradshaw 1-yard run (Gerela kick). Steelers 21–0

With this win the Steelers record the most NFL shutouts in a season in 50 years with their fifth and set a new NFL record forcing 71 punts in a season.

Standings

AFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Pittsburgh Steelers (3)	10	4	0	.714	5–1	9–3	342	138	W9
Cincinnati Bengals	10	4	0	.714	4–2	8–4	335	210	W1
Cleveland Browns	9	5	0	.643	3–3	7–5	267	287	L1
Houston Oilers	5	9	0	.357	0–6	3–9	222	273	L2

Postseason

Schedule

Round	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
Divisional	December 19	at Baltimore Colts (2)	W 40–14	1–0	Memorial Stadium	59,296
AFC Championship	December 26	at Oakland Raiders (1)	L 7–24	1–1	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	53,821

Game summaries

AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Baltimore Colts

AFC Divisional Playoffs: (3) Pittsburgh Steelers at (2) Baltimore Colts

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	9	17	0	14	40
Colts	7	0	0	7	14

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

• Date: December 19
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C), wind 6 MPH
• Game attendance: 59,296
• Referee: Pat Haggerty
• TV announcers (NBC): Jim Simpson & John Brodie
• Box score

Game information

First quarter PIT – Frank Lewis 76-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (kick failed). Steelers 6–0. PIT – Roy Gerela 45-yard field goal. Steelers 9–0. BAL – Roger Carr 17-yard pass from Bert Jones (Toni Linhart kick). Steelers 9–7. Second quarter PIT – Reggie Harrison 1-yard run (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 16–7. PIT – Lynn Swann 29-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 23–7. PIT – Roy Gerela 25-yard field goal. Steelers 26–7. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter PIT – Lynn Swann 11-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 33–7. BAL – Roosevelt Leaks 1-yard run (Toni Linhart kick). Steelers 33–14. PIT – Reggie Harrison 10-yard run (Ray Mansfield kick). Steelers 40–14. Top passers PIT – Terry Bradshaw – 14/18, 264 yards, 3 TD BAL – Bert Jones – 11/25, 144 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers PIT – Franco Harris – 18 rushes, 132 yards BAL – Lydell Mitchell – 16 rushes, 55 yards Top receivers PIT – Frank Lewis – 2 receptions, 103 yards, TD BAL – Raymond Chester – 3 receptions, 42 yards

Pittsburgh gained a then-NFL record 524 total yards, but Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier were lost to injuries.

AFC Championship: at (1) Oakland Raiders

AFC Championship: (3) Pittsburgh Steelers at (1) Oakland Raiders

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	7	0	0	7
Raiders	3	14	7	0	24

at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California

• Date: December 26
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST / 1:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C), wind 7 MPH
• Game attendance: 53,821
• Referee: Tommy Bell
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy & Don Meredith
• Box score

Game information

First quarter OAK – Errol Mann 39-yard field goal. Raiders 3–0. Second quarter OAK – Clarence Davis 1-yard run (Errol Mann kick). Raiders 10–0. PIT – Reggie Harrison 3-yard run (Ray Mansfield kick). Raiders 10–7. OAK – Warren Bankston 4-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick). Raiders 17–7. Third quarter OAK – Pete Banaszak 5-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick). Raiders 24–7. Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers PIT – Terry Bradshaw – 14/35, 176 yards, INT OAK – Ken Stabler – 10/16, 88 yards, 2 TD Top rushers PIT – Reggie Harrison – 11 rushes, 44 yards, TD OAK – Mark van Eeghen – 22 rushes, 66 yards Top receivers PIT – Lynn Swann – 3 receptions, 58 yards OAK – Cliff Branch – 3 receptions, 46 yards

References

1. "NFL Top 100 Teams". Pro Football Reference.
2. "100 Greatest Teams: Numbers 100-1 SUPERCUT". NFL.com.
3. The List: Best NFL defense of all-time, 2007
4. 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
5. 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
6. 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
7. "1976 Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
8. Great Games of the Past, web: The Sacramento Bee, 1978, retrieved March 13, 2023
9. "Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers — October 17th, 1976". Pro Football Reference.
10. "Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants — October 24th, 1976". Pro Football Reference.
11. "San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers — October 31st, 1976". Pro Football Reference.
12. "Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs — November 7th, 1976". Pro Football Reference.
13. "Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers — November 14th, 1976". Pro Football Reference.
14. "Houston Oilers at Pittsburgh Steelers — November 21st, 1976". Pro Football Reference.
15. "Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals — November 28th, 1976". Pro Football reference.
16. "Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Oilers — December 11th, 1976". Pro Football Reference.

External links

• 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers season at Profootballreference.com
• 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers season statistics at jt-sw.com