Roster
Notable additions include Plaxico Burress, Dan Kreider, Marvel Smith and Clark Haggans.
| 2000 Pittsburgh Steelers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | The Rooney Family |
| General manager | Kevin Colbert |
| Head coach | Bill Cowher |
| Home field | Three Rivers Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 3rd AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | OLB Jason Gildon |
| AP All-Pros | None |
| Team MVP | Jerome Bettis |
| Team ROY | Dan Kreider |
The 2000 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 68th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The season began with the team trying to improve on their 6–10 record from 1999 in which they failed to qualify for the playoffs. While Pittsburgh did improve to 9–7 and had their first winning season since 1997, it was not enough for the team to qualify for the playoffs. This season also marked the Steelers' last at Three Rivers Stadium.
Coach Bill Cowher named Kent Graham the team's starting quarterback for the season over former starter Kordell Stewart. After a 0–3 start, Graham was injured and Stewart reclaimed the starting job. Graham was released at the end of the season.
| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| G Rich Tylski (Jaguars) | DT Orpheus Roye (Browns) |
| QB Kent Graham (Giants) | S Chris Oldham (Saints) |
| S Myron Bell (Bengals) | G Brendan Stai (Jaguars) |
| DE Chris Sullivan (Patriots) | LB Carlos Emmons (Eagles) |
| DT Kimo von Oelhoffen (Bengals) | DE Nolan Harrison (Redskins) |
| QB Mike Tomczak (Lions) |
| 2000 Pittsburgh Steelers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Plaxico Burress | Wide receiver | Michigan State | |
| 2 | 38 | Marvel Smith * | Offensive tackle | Arizona State | |
| 3 | 72 | Kendrick Clancy | Defensive tackle | Mississippi | |
| 3 | 77 | Hank Poteat | Cornerback | Pittsburgh | From Oakland |
| 4 | 103 | Danny Farmer | Wide receiver | UCLA | |
| 5 | 137 | Clark Haggans | Outside linebacker | Colorado State | |
| 5 | 163 | Tee Martin | Quarterback | Tennessee | Compensatory pick |
| 6 | 173 | Chris Combs | Defensive end | Duke | |
| 6 | 204 | Jason Gavadza | Tight end | Kent State | Compensatory pick |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Kyle Atteberry | Kicker | Baylor |
| Ainsley Battles | Safety | Vanderbilt |
| Demetrius Brown | Wide receiver | Wisconsin |
| Sedrick Curry | Cornerback | Texas A&M |
| Jonathan Foster | Linebacker | Louisiana–Monroe |
| Hank Fraley | Guard | Robert Morris |
| Joey Goodspeed | Fullback | Notre Dame |
| Dan Kreider | Fullback | New Hampshire |
| Donnel Thompson | Linebacker | Wisconsin |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Notable additions include Plaxico Burress, Dan Kreider, Marvel Smith and Clark Haggans.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 30 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 38–10 | 1–0 | Texas Stadium |
| 2 | August 5 | Miami Dolphins | W 13–10 | 2–0 | Three Rivers Stadium |
| 3 | August 10 | Carolina Panthers | W 13–0 | 3–0 | Three Rivers Stadium |
| 4 | August 19 | vs. Indianapolis Colts | L 23–24 | 3–1 |  Estadio Azteca (Mexico City) |
| 5 | August 25 | at Washington Redskins | L 10–17 | 3–2 | FedExField |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 3 | Baltimore Ravens | L 0–16 | 0–1 | Three Rivers Stadium | |
| 2 | Bye | |||||
| 3 | September 17 | at Cleveland Browns | L 20–23 | 0–2 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | |
| 4 | September 24 | Tennessee Titans | L 20–23 | 0–3 | Three Rivers Stadium | |
| 5 | October 1 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 24–13 | 1–3 | Alltel Stadium | |
| 6 | October 8 | at New York Jets | W 20–3 | 2–3 | Giants Stadium | |
| 7 | October 15 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 15–0 | 3–3 | Three Rivers Stadium | |
| 8 | October 22 | Cleveland Browns | W 22–0 | 4–3 | Three Rivers Stadium | |
| 9 | October 29 | at Baltimore Ravens | W 9–6 | 5–3 | PSInet Stadium | |
| 10 | November 5 | at Tennessee Titans | L 7–9 | 5–4 | Adelphia Coliseum | |
| 11 | November 12 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 23–26 (OT) | 5–5 | Three Rivers Stadium | |
| 12 | November 19 | Jacksonville Jaguars | L 24–34 | 5–6 | Three Rivers Stadium | |
| 13 | November 26 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 48–28 | 6–6 | Paul Brown Stadium | |
| 14 | December 3 | Oakland Raiders | W 21–20 | 7–6 | Three Rivers Stadium | |
| 15 | December 10 | at New York Giants | L 10–30 | 7–7 | Giants Stadium | |
| 16 | December 16 | Washington Redskins | W 24–3 | 8–7 | Three Rivers Stadium | |
| 17 | December 24 | at San Diego Chargers | W 34–21 | 9–7 | Qualcomm Stadium | |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ravens | 10 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Steelers had a record of 0-1 on their bye week.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
| Browns | 14 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 23 |
at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
The low point for the Steelers's season was probably their Week 3 loss to the Browns. Against a team that would eventually finish 3–13, the usually stout Steelers defense allowed Tim Couch to throw for over 300 yards while failing to sack him once. Furthermore, the game ended with probably the Steelers's biggest gaffe of the season.
The Browns's woeful offense drove down for touchdowns on each of their first two possessions, giving them an early 14–0 lead. A four-yard touchdown run by Richard Huntley helped the Steelers to narrow the deficit to 14–10 at the half, and Jerome Bettis's 10 yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave the Steelers a 20–17 lead. However, a Phil Dawson field goal tied it at 20, and a 79 yard pass from Couch to Kevin Johnson set up a 19-yard chip shot by Dawson to give the Browns a 23–20 lead with 2:48 to go. With the Steelers needing at least a field goal to force overtime, Kent Graham found Bobby Shaw for a 28-yard completion, then a 20-yard run by Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala put the Steelers inside the 10-yard line when they called their final timeout with 30 seconds left. The Steelers decided to go for the win, and Graham spiked the ball before making the worst play of the day. On third and goal from the six-yard line, Graham dropped back with the Browns pass rush closing in. Rather than throwing incomplete to stop the clock, however, Graham allowed rookie DE Courtney Brown to sack him, meaning that the Steelers had no way to stop the clock without running another play. In the ensuing chaos, the Steelers sent out kicker Kris Brown to attempt a game-tying field goal (with Graham as the holder since he was already on the field), and they failed to get their formation set before time ran out, resulting in a loss. [6]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titans | 10 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 23 |
| Steelers | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 20 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
After their humiliating loss to the Browns, the Steelers were in a must-win situation upon returning home to face the Titans. With Steve McNair suffering a bruised sternum in the Titans's previous game, it would be former Steelers QB Neil O'Donnell getting the start against his former team.
While the defense harassed O'Donnell, who completed less than half his passes (13-27) with three interceptions, the Steelers trailed for much of the game with the team down 13-6 late in the third. However, Kent Graham completed a 17-yard pass to Hines Ward, who went down just before the goal line. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Kordell Stewart subbed in for Graham and jumped over the Titans line for the game-tying touchdown. A five-yard touchdown run by Jerome Bettis made it 20-16 Steelers late. With three minutes to go, Jason Gildon sacked O'Donnell, knocking him out of the game. With O'Donnell hurt, Steve McNair, who dressed for the game but was not expected to play with a bruised sternum, came in despite his injury. All McNair did was drive the Titans down the field in four plays, hitting Erron Kinney for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:31 to go. On the next play from scrimmage, Graham was hit after completing a 20 yard pass to Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala and also had to leave the game due to injury, forcing Kordell Stewart to take over at QB. Although Stewart only went 1–4 on the drive, he did manage to put the Steelers in field goal range with a 16 yard run. However, kicker Kris Brown's potential game-tying 50-yard field goal was short. [7]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Jaguars | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
Steelers get first ever win in Jacksonville.
With Kent Graham out with an injury, Kordell Stewart received his first start of the season coming off losing his starting job after two much-maligned seasons. However, to the pleasant surprise of the team and the fans, Stewart demonstrated his form of old, completing 10 of 16 passes (albeit for only 132 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception) and running for 61 more. Jerome Bettis added 97 yards rushing with 2 touchdowns, and the Steelers jumped out to a 24-6 lead.
During the game, rookie WR Plaxico Burress caught a third down pass and went down without being touched. He spiked the football to celebrate (confusing NCAA rules with NFL rules), but since he was never touched down, the ball remained live (in play) and the Jaguars recovered the fumble with linebacker Danny Clark returning the ball 44 yards to the Steelers' 27 yard line. In spite of this miscue being one of the worst plays of the NFL season, the Steelers even survived this setback without further damage; on 4th and 3 inside the 10, Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin elected to go for it with his team down 18, and Earl Holmes upended Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell, leaving him a yard short of a first down. [8]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| Jets | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steelers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steelers | 3 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 22 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Ravens | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
at PSINet Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Titans | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
at Adelphia Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 3 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 26 |
| Steelers | 0 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 23 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaguars | 0 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 34 |
| Steelers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 14 | 10 | 21 | 3 | 48 |
| Bengals | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raiders | 0 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
| Steelers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
With an AFC-best 10-2 record heading into Pittsburgh, the Raiders were favored to win the first Raiders-Steelers game in Pittsburgh since 1980. What instead ensued was a very exciting contest featuring vicious hits, gutsy play, and a game-ending controversy that recalled the glory days of the Raiders-Steelers rivalry in the 1970's.
In the first quarter, Kordell Stewart threw a 19 yard touchdown pass to Bobby Shaw for a 7-0 lead. However, the Steelers fell behind 17-7 in the second quarter. An calf injury to Stewart forced him to the sidelines, and in his relief appearance, Kent Graham threw a pass that was intercepted by Eric Allen and returned 27 yards for a touchdown. Then with 1:06 to go in the half, Rich Gannon found tight end Randy Jordan on a screen pass for a 21 yard touchdown make the score 17-7 Raiders at the half. In the second half, Kordell Stewart returned to play despite his injury and drove the Steelers down to the Raiders's 6 yard line. This drive featured a play where Stewart fumbled at his own 14 yard line, but recovered the ball and escaped the Raiders for 17 yards. On second and goal, Stewart threw a pass in the right flat to tight end Mark Bruener at the 1, when Raiders safety Calvin Branch went into Breuner at full speed and shoved him backwards towards the 5. Unwilling to be stopped short, Breuner fought back and dragged Branch into the end zone with him just before he could be shoved out of bounds, making the score 17-14.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Stewart ran for a 17 yard touchdown for the Steelers to regain the lead, 21-17. Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 42 yard field goal to make it 21-20, but with 4 minutes to play, missed another field goal that would have given the Raiders the lead. The Raiders got the ball back with 1:39 left with one last chance to win the game. Rich Gannon completed passes to receivers James Jett and Andre Rison for 11 and 14 yards, then found Tim Brown to convert a fourth down at midfield. The game came down to a controversial call. The Raiders had a fourth and one at the Steelers' 41 yard line, but the sideline crew was slow to switch the down markers from 3 to 4, so Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon called for a pass out in the flat to fullback Jon Ritchie. The Steelers blitzed and forced Gannon to throw incomplete, when the Raiders began to challenge their turnover on downs. Referee Tom White conferred with scorekeeper Charles Heberling to review the down and distance for the previous four plays, and Heberling confirmed that because the previous play was in fact fourth down in spite of what was labeled, the Steelers would be awarded the ball.
During the game, Raiders lineman Regan Upshaw confronted punter Josh Miller after a Steelers punt and spat at him. While Upshaw was not penalized as the refs did not see the incident, CBS cameras did and Upshaw was fined nearly $30,000 after the game.
On the ESPN highlight show NFL Primetime, rather than being shown and recapped with one of the show's standard themes, the highlights were set to the NFL Films songs "A Golden Boy Again" and "Raiders' Theme" to commemorate the final Raiders-Steelers matchup at Three Rivers Stadium, as well as the final game from Three Rivers they would show a highlight from during a regular edition of the show.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Giants | 3 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 30 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Just one week after their big win against the Raiders, the Steelers were blown out against the Giants in New Jersey. The Steelers allowed 333 yards passing from Giants quarterback Kerry Collins, and the Steelers were held to just 47 yards rushing.
The Giants held a 13–3 lead at halftime, and extended their lead to 20–3 after a Collins touchdown pass to Ike Hilliard.
The Steelers's best play of the game, in fact, came on what appeared to be yet another bad play for the team. Kerry Collins completed a pass to a wide-open Hilliard, and he cut to the middle of the field, appearing to break free for what would be a 66 yard touchdown when fullback Greg Comella flattened Steelers safety Ainsley Battles on a block inside the 10, but somehow, Battles rolled into position and tripped up Hilliard at the 7 yard line, and a sure Giants touchdown became a field goal to make it 23-3. Battles's miraculous tackle gave the Steelers one more chance to stay in the game, and Kordell Stewart drove the Steelers inside the 10 yard line, but on fourth and goal, Stewart was intercepted by Reggie Stephens to effectively end any remaining hope the Steelers had. Collins then drove the Giants down the field and threw an insurance touchdown to Amani Toomer to make it 30–3.
The loss put the Steelers at a major disadvantage in the AFC playoff race. With the Steelers at 7-7, the Titans having clinched the division, and the Steelers two games behind the #6 wild card spot in the AFC, the Steelers would have to win out and get major help from other teams in order to qualify for the playoffs. [9]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Steelers | 0 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
This was the last game at Three Rivers Stadium.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 7 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 34 |
| Chargers | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
Heading into the last Sunday of the 2000 season, the Steelers needed a win, a Jets loss, and a Colts loss in order to earn the last available Wild Card berth in the AFC playoffs. With the Jets losing to the Ravens in a 1:00 game, the Steelers were still alive when their matchup with the 1–14 Chargers started.
Early on in the game, the Chargers demonstrated the potential for an upset bid. On the Chargers's first play from scrimmage, quarterback Ryan Leaf threw a 71-yard touchdown to Jeff Graham, and while Steelers kick returner Will Blackwell answered with a 98 yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the next play, the Chargers held a 14-7 lead after one quarter with Rodney Harrison returning a Kordell Stewart interception 63 yards for a touchdown. However, the Steelers scored 17 unanswered points in the second quarter and never relinquished the lead.
Although Stewart's passing statistics were relatively pedestrian (16-32, 190 yards, and 1 touchdown against 2 interceptions), he ran for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns, and the Steelers held the Chargers to less than 200 yards of total offense while sacking Ryan Leaf six times.
Other than the aforementioned touchdown on the first play, Leaf played poorly as usual, going 15-29 for 171 yards with a touchdown and an interception, giving him only 100 yards passing after his first play. To top it off, he lost a fumble on the last Chargers possession, which turned out to be his last snap as a Charger. Following the game, Leaf stormed out of the locker room without speaking with reporters.
Although the Steelers did their part in winning against the hapless Chargers, the Colts got a big break with their matchup against the Vikings. With the Giants having clinched the #1 seed in the NFC the previous day and the Saints having clinched the NFC West with a worse record than the Vikings, the Vikings could not advance their playoff seed in the playoffs. As a result, the Vikings rested many of their starters (including Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss) after the first quarter of their game against the Colts, and the Colts capitalized with an easy 31–10 win. This result meant that the Steelers would fail to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season. [10] [11] [12]
| AFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |||
| (1) Tennessee Titans | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 346 | 191 | W4 | ||
| (4) Baltimore Ravens | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 333 | 165 | W7 | ||
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 321 | 255 | W2 | ||
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 367 | 327 | L2 | ||
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 185 | 359 | L1 | ||
| Cleveland Browns | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 161 | 419 | L5 | ||
The 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 74th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). It was the 7th season under the leadership of general manager Kevin Colbert and the 15th and last under head coach Bill Cowher, as he retired on January 5, 2007. The team failed to improve on their 11–5 record from 2005 and also failed to defend their Super Bowl XL championship, Instead, they finished the season with an 8–8 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2003. In the first half of the season, the Steelers record was 2-6. However, the team dramatically improved during the second half of the season, flipping their record from the first eight games and going 6-2 in their last eight.
The 2007 Jacksonville Jaguars season was the franchise's thirteenth season in the National Football League (NFL) and the fifth under head coach Jack Del Rio. They improved upon their 8–8 record from 2006 when they finished third in the AFC South, and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2005. The Jaguars upset the Pittsburgh Steelers 31–29 in the Wild Card round but were defeated by the New England Patriots 31–20 in the Divisional Playoffs.
The 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 47th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Steelers successfully defended their Super Bowl Championship from the previous year, despite not improving on their 14–2 record from last year with a 12–4 record. They went on to defeat the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV. The Steelers started out to a 4–0 record. Adding to the previous season, the Steelers had won 12 in a row. They finished the regular season at 12–4. In six of those games the opponents were held to a touchdown or less. In the playoffs Pittsburgh defeated Miami, 34–14 and then for the second consecutive season beat Houston 27–13, in the AFC championship game. The Steelers ended the decade by defeating the Los Angeles Rams 31–19 in Super Bowl XIV. Despite them and the San Diego Chargers having 12–4 records, the Chargers were awarded the top seed in the AFC because of their victory over the Steelers.
The 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 73rd season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). It was the 6th season under the leadership of general manager Kevin Colbert and the 14th under head coach Bill Cowher. The Steelers failed to improve upon their 15–1 record from 2004 and in 2005, the Steelers struggled. At one point, they were 7–5 and in danger of missing the playoffs but rose to defeat the Chicago Bears on December 11 and started a four-game win streak to finish the season at 11–5.
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.
The 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 65th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 1983 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 51st season in the National Football League.
The 1984 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 52nd season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League. This for the first time since 1969 Terry Bradshaw was not on the opening day roster.
The 1985 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 53rd season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League. The Steelers challenged for the AFC Central most of the season, sitting at 6–5 after their first eleven games. However, losing 4 out of their final 5 games dropped the Steelers to a 7–9 overall record, their first season with a losing record in fourteen years.
The 1989 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 57th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League. They were considered a rebuilding team filled with many young players, especially after the release of longtime center Mike Webster in the offseason. The young team showed its inexperience in the first game of the season, when they lost at home to the archrival Cleveland Browns 51–0. The loss marked the Steelers worst defeat in franchise history. The following week wasn't much better, losing 41–10 to another division rival, the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals.
The 1990 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 58th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 1998 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 66th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL).
The 1999 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise’s 67th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 2002 season was the Pittsburgh Steelers' 70th as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 2001 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 69th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). After finishing the previous three seasons a combined 22–26, the Steelers returned to the top seed in the AFC, rolling to a 13–3 record in their first playoff berth and AFC Central title since 1997 and playing at Heinz Field. The Steelers went 7–1 in their new home stadium, with the only loss coming to the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.
The 1998 Tennessee Oilers season was the franchise's 39th season overall, 29th with the National Football League (NFL), and their final season as the Oilers; they would be renamed the Titans the following year.
The 2009 Oakland Raiders season was the 50th season for the original American Football League (AFL) team, and its 40th in the National Football League (NFL). On September 6, 2009, The Raiders traded a 2011 draft pick to the New England Patriots for 5× Pro Bowl Defensive Lineman Richard Seymour. With their loss to Dallas on November 26, 2009, The Raiders sealed their seventh consecutive losing season. After beating the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 6, 2009, the Raiders moved to 4–0 when playing Pittsburgh the year they won the Super Bowl, or are the defending Champions, winning in 1974, 1980, 2006, and now 2009. However, they missed the playoffs for a new team record 7th season.
The 2011 season was the New England Patriots' 42nd in the National Football League (NFL) and their 52nd overall. The Patriots finished the regular season at 13–3, and represented the AFC in Super Bowl XLVI. It was the seventh Super Bowl trip in franchise history, and the fifth for head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady.
The 2013 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 44th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 46th overall, and the 11th under head coach Marvin Lewis. The Bengals improved on their 10–6 regular season record from 2012 and clinched the AFC North division title. However, the Bengals lost 27–10 to the San Diego Chargers in the playoffs – the third consecutive season that the Bengals had lost in the Wild Card round. Their training camp was featured on the HBO show Hard Knocks.
The 2016 Indianapolis Colts season was the franchise's 64th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the 33rd in Indianapolis. The Colts matched their 8–8 record from 2015, but would miss the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1997–1998. This season would also see the Colts get swept by the Houston Texans for the first time in franchise history. As a result, the Colts fired general manager Ryan Grigson after five seasons with the team. However, head coach Chuck Pagano would return the next year.
