10 greatest Pittsburgh Steelers teams of all time

10. 1976 Steelers

Coming off back-to-back Super Bowl titles, the Steelers limped out to a 1-4 start. However, they closed the regular season with nine straight wins and blasted the Colts in the first round of the playoffs.

But their hopes of a threepeat came crashing to a halt in a 24-7 AFC Championship game loss to John Madden and the Raiders. Having two 1,000-yard rushers in Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier wasn’t enough to make history.

9. 1972 Steelers

This team might not have made the list if not for a heroic play by Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris. The famous game-ending deflection that turned into a 60-yard touchdown pass lifted the Steelers into the AFC Championship game. As an interesting side note, Bradshaw had only 115 yards passing prior to that miracle play.

Pittsburgh fell short against powerhouse Miami in the AFC Championship game.

8. 2010 Steelers

The Steelers got things done on both sides of the football while posting a 12-4 regular season. Then in the playoffs they took down the Ravens before edging the Jets, 24-19 in the AFC Championship game.

And they had their finger on the pulse of a Super Bowl title against the Packers. Roethlisberger’s 25-yard scoring strike to Mike Wallace with 7:34 left in the game pulled the Steelers to within three points. But Aaron Rodgers guided the Packers to a field goal with 2:07 remaining. The Steelers couldn’t muster a drive and fell by a score of 31-25, sealing the team’s fate outside of the top five in Steelers’ history.

7. 2005 Steelers

Coming off the disappointment of the previous season, the Steelers put everything together. They overcame a late three-game losing streak to close the regular season with four straight wins. Forced to go through the wild-card route, the Steelers dispatched the Bengals, edged the Colts, and hammered the Broncos.

In the Super Bowl, the Steelers overcame a 9-for-21 passing performance by Roethlisberger to get the win. The turning point play came early in the fourth quarter as Antwaan Randle El hit Hines Ward for a 43-yard touchdown pass.

6. 2008 Steelers

Pittsburgh found its groove in November, finishing the regular season with six wins in seven games. They brushed aside the Chargers and Ravens before meeting the Cardinals in the Super Bowl

It looked like this Super Bowl title might slip away. The Cardinals scored on a 64-yard pass from Kurt Warner to Larry Fitzgerald, giving Arizona a 23-20 lead. But Roethlisberger drove the Steelers from their own 22 to a first-and-goal at the Cardinals’ 6-yard line with 48 seconds remaining. On second down, Roethlisberger somehow threaded a pass to Santonio Holmes, whose toe-drag swag gave the Steelers the victory.

5. 2004 Steelers

This fantastic team lost the second game of the season, a tough 30-13 decision against the Ravens. But the Steelers won their next 15 games, including a 34-20 handling of the Patriots in Week 8.

They met the Patriots again in the AFC Championship game with rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on a roll. Trailing 24-3 at halftime, Roethlisberger rallied his team to within 11 points early in the fourth quarter before the Patriots pulled away. The 16 overall wins still stand as the franchise record. But the lack of a Super Bowl title knocks the team down the list.

4. 1974 Steelers

Sometimes the team that breaks through gets overlooked. And that’s probably the case with this group. It’s harder to get there when you haven’t been there before, so maybe the No, 4 spot is a little low.

The Steelers ended a 41-year wait for owner Art Rooney. After a 1-1-1 start to the season, the Steelers found their groove. In the playoffs, they manhandled the Bills, took down the Raiders, and brushed aside the Vikings in the Super Bowl. The emerging Steel Curtain defense allowed only 17 yards rushing to the Vikings in a 16-6 decision, according to pro-football-reference.com.

3. 1975 Steelers

It’s tough to repeat, but the Steelers got down to business and won 12 of their first 13 games. The Rams clipped them in Week 14, but the Steelers took down the Colts and Raiders — a close 16-10 decision with all but three points for both teams scored in the fourth quarter.

That set the stage for the first showdown with the Cowboys. Dallas led 10-7 going into the fourth quarter. But the Steelers scored 14 unanswered points on a blocked punt safety, two Roy Gerela field goals, and a 64-yard touchdown pass from Bradshaw to Lynn Swann. That earned the Steelers their first back-to-back titles.

2. 1979 Steelers

There may not be a big margin separating the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on this list, but there is a difference between these teams. The 1979 bunch suffered blowout losses to the Bengals (34-10) and the Chargers (35-7) while compiling a 12-4 regular season mark.

And in the postseason, the Steelers got a break when Rams quarterback Vince Ferragamo hit Billy Waddy on a 50-yard scoring strike with just over two minutes left against the Cowboys in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. The Rams beat Tampa Bay 9-0 in the NFC Championship. The Rams competed in the Super Bowl and led 19-17 heading into the fourth quarter, but the heavily favored Steelers prevailed.

1. 1978 Steelers

This is it, as Kenny Loggins once sang. The Steelers opened the season with seven straight wins before a 24-17 loss to the Oilers. They suffered a 10-7 loss to the Rams a couple of weeks later, but that was it.

In the playoffs, the Steelers crushed the Broncos 33-10 and then hammered the Oilers by a score of 34-5. The mighty Cowboys stood in the way in the Super Bowl, and it turned out to be a terrific game. But having such a tough Super Bowl opponent and still winning is part of what sets this team apart.

The final score looks closer than the game should have been. The Steelers led 35-17 midway through the fourth quarter before Dallas tacked on a pair of late scores.

However, with an organization like the Steelers and so many Super Bowl titles, it’s difficult to pick and choose between the best of the best. When the Steelers won their four 1970s Super Bowl championships, competition wasn’t the same as when the Steelers won their 2000s titles. Players didn’t move from team to team as freely. So, once the Steelers had a strong team, they simply needed to stay healthy to stay at or near the top of the NFL. It can be said that the Steelers played off their first title. But, it can’t also be said that other teams had the same opportunities.