The Killer B's, in the context of the Pittsburgh Steelers, refer to the era from the 2013 Pittsburgh Steelers season to the 2017 Pittsburgh Steelers season when three offensive players were in their prime: [1] Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell, and Ben Roethlisberger, all of whom have initials beginning with the letter 'B'. [2] [3] Sometimes, this group included placekicker Chris Boswell due to his accuracy, this was cemented in a playoff win where Boswell accounted for all of the Steelers points. The group is considered to be one of the most talented offensive trios in the history of the Steelers and "one of the most dynamic, unstoppable assemblages of offensive talent the league has ever seen". [4] However, they never saw serious success, reaching only three playoff games in their six years together. [5]
Pittsburgh's Killer B's era ended after Bell refused to sign the franchise tag of which was placed on him during the 2017 season, and while still technically on the roster, did not play and sat out the entire season. After Bell left in free agency during the 2018 offseason, Brown would be traded to the Oakland Raiders, but would be cut before the 2019 season started. [6] Brown would then sign with the Patriots, though his tenure there only lasted one game before he was cut. After leaving the Patriots, Brown would rejoin Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, where they both won Super Bowl LV. Roethlisberger would remain a Steeler until his retirement following the 2021 season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in 1933, the Steelers are the seventh-oldest franchise in the NFL, and the oldest franchise in the AFC.
Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr., nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football for the Miami RedHawks, and was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are an American football franchise representing Pittsburgh. They are the seventh-oldest club in the National Football League (NFL), which they joined in 1933. The only surviving NFL teams with a longer history are the Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and Washington Commanders. The Philadelphia Eagles joined the league concurrently with the Steelers in 1933.
The Browns–Steelers rivalry or Turnpike Rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Bengals–Steelers rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 72nd season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League. It would be the first season the franchise would have under quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He would play 18 seasons as a Steeler, a franchise record.
The Ravens–Steelers rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 2013 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 81st season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). It also marked the 14th season under leadership of general manager Kevin Colbert and the seventh under head coach Mike Tomlin.
Christopher Lynn Boswell is an American professional football placekicker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Rice and was signed by the Houston Texans in 2014 as an undrafted free agent and has also spent time with the New York Giants. He is currently the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history on field goal attempts of 50 yards or more.
The 2015 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 83rd season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). It also marked the 16th season under leadership of general manager Kevin Colbert and the ninth under head coach Mike Tomlin. For the first time since 2002, safety Troy Polamalu was not on the opening day roster, as he announced his retirement on April 9.
The Raiders–Steelers rivalry is an NFL rivalry between the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 2016 season was the 84th in the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). It also marked the 17th season under leadership of general manager Kevin Colbert and the 10th under head coach Mike Tomlin. For the first time since 2004, tight end Heath Miller was not on the opening day roster, as he announced his retirement on February 19, 2016.
The National Football League playoffs for the 2016 NFL season began on Saturday, January 7, 2017. The postseason tournament concluded with Super Bowl LI on Sunday, February 5, 2017, when the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
The 2017 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 85th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). It was the 18th season under leadership of general manager Kevin Colbert and the eleventh under head coach Mike Tomlin. It was also the Steelers' first full season since the death of Dan Rooney.
The 2018 season was the Pittsburgh Steelers' 86th as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). It also marked the 19th season under leadership of general manager Kevin Colbert and the 12th under head coach Mike Tomlin. After starting the season 7–2–1, the Steelers lost four of their last six games, allowing the Ravens to clinch the AFC North on the last day of the season, and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
The 2019 season was the Pittsburgh Steelers' 87th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). It marked the 20th season under leadership of general manager Kevin Colbert and the 13th under head coach Mike Tomlin. The team failed to improve upon its 9–6–1 record from 2018 following a Week 16 loss to the New York Jets.
The 2020 season was the Pittsburgh Steelers' 88th in the National Football League (NFL), their 20th playing home games at Heinz Field, their 21st under general manager Kevin Colbert, and their 14th under head coach Mike Tomlin. The team vastly improved on their 8–8 record from 2019 beginning the season 11–0, a franchise-best. They became the first NFL team to do so since the Carolina Panthers in the 2015 season. However, that streak was broken after a Week 13 loss to the Washington Football Team; the loss was the first of four in a five-game span to close the regular season. The Steelers clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2017 after the Miami Dolphins' Week 14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and clinched their first AFC North title since 2017 with a Week 16 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
The 2021 season was the Pittsburgh Steelers' 89th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 22nd and final season under general manager Kevin Colbert and their 15th under head coach Mike Tomlin. They failed to improve upon their 12–4 record from 2020 and failed to win their division in back to back years for the first time since 2016–2017. However, despite only having a 6% chance to make the playoffs according to FiveThirtyEight before Week 18, they did clinch a Wild Card spot that week as well as make the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since 2014–2017 after defeating the Baltimore Ravens, combined with the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers not tying and the Jacksonville Jaguars upsetting the Indianapolis Colts; this came despite the Steelers finishing with a -55 point differential. However the Steelers were defeated in the first round of the playoffs by the Kansas City Chiefs 42–21.
The Patriots–Steelers rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Patriots and Steelers are the two most storied franchises in the Super Bowl era, the Patriots and Steelers have played each other intermittently since the 1970s, but the two teams did not become full-fledged rivals until the late 1990s, when they became Super Bowl contenders. The rivalry would reach new heights during the 2000s and 2010s when both teams, led by quarterbacks Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger for the Patriots and Steelers respectively, posted winning seasons and several playoff appearances during this time period with both teams making it to the Super Bowl and taking home more than one Vince Lombardi Trophy. The two met each other in three AFC championship games during the 2000s and 2010s in which the Patriots defeated the Steelers each time and eventually made their way to the Super Bowl, winning a title in each appearance. Despite the Patriots' dominant reign over the NFL from 2001 to 2019, the Steelers would still prove themselves to be a consistent playoff contender during that time period with three Super Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl victories. However, the Steelers would be more successful in the postseason during the 2000s than in the 2010s. In 2020, CBS Sports ranked the Patriots–Steelers rivalry as the 8th best NFL rivalry of the 2000s.