The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most successful National Football League (NFL) franchises of all time. Following the 2022 NFL season, the Steelers were tied with the New England Patriots for most Super Bowl victories, at six. Pittsburgh has also excelled during the regular season. With 665 wins, the franchise ranks fourth all-time, though the teams ranked ahead of the Steelers have played significantly more games. The Steelers have won 13 or more games four times, plus six additional 12-win seasons.
The Steelers recorded two .500 records and one winning record during the team’s first 12 seasons in the NFL. After a 5-5-1 campaign in 1946, head coach Jock Sutherland led the 1947 team to an 8-4 record, a franchise win record that stood for 15 years.
Entering the 1972 season, Pittsburgh had recorded just five winning seasons. Head coach Chuck Noll’s fourth year with the team proved to be a turning point for the franchise. The team won nine of 10 games to close out an 11-3 season and advanced to the playoffs for just the second time, losing in the American Football Conference (AFC) Championship to the Miami Dolphins, 21-17.
The 1972 season was the first of five consecutive years with double-digit wins, including a 12-2 outing in 1975. The franchise set a new all-time win record in 1978, winning 14 of 16 games played. Pittsburgh opened the season on a seven-game winning streak. The team’s two losses had a combined margin of 10 points, while major victories included a 28-3 drubbing of the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3 and a 31-7 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6.
The franchise enjoyed its best regular season and playoff results under coach Noll during this period. From 1972 to 1979 the team went 88-27-1 during the regular season and won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1974 and 1975, and again in 1978 and 1979. Noll continued with the franchise for 12 seasons but only managed another double-digit win season in 1983.
Coach Bill Cowher led Pittsburgh to several strong regular season results, winning at least 10 games five times in six attempts from 1992 through 1997, including a 12-4 1994 season. An 11-win Steelers team reached the Super Bowl the following season but fell to the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 27-17.
The 2001 Pittsburgh Steelers team won 13 games, the franchise’s best regular-season result in over two decades. A strong defense powered the team to an AFC Championship showing.
Coach Cowher’s last few seasons with the team proved to be even more successful. After an underwhelming 6-10 effort in 2003, the 2004 squad began the year with a 24-21 win over the Oakland Raiders, followed by a 30-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. It proved the only defeat of the regular season for Pittsburgh, who closed out the year on a 14-game winning streak. A 33-30 win over the New York Giants in Week 15 was the team’s only single-score victory. The 15-1 Steelers scored a 20-17 overtime win over the Jets in the opening round of the playoffs but lost to the Patriots in the conference championship.
Pittsburgh won 11 regular-season games in 2005 and won the Super Bowl. A 12-win Steelers team won another championship in 2008. Four Steelers teams have won at least 12 games since then, including a 13-3 team in 2017.
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