The Pittsburgh Steelers made history during Sunday's 30-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks. With the win, the Steelers secured their 20th straight non-losing season, passing the 2001-19 Patriots for the second-longest streak in NFL history.
The Steelers now trail only the Dallas Cowboys for the most consecutive seasons without having a losing record. Dallas did not have a losing season from 1965-85. The franchise, coached throughout that entirely by Hall of Famer Tom Landry, won two Super Bowls and five NFC titles over that span. Coincidentally, the Cowboys lost two Super Bowls to the Steelers over that span.
Pittsburgh's current streak began in 2004, the season then-rookie Ben Roethlisberger helped lead the Steelers to a then-AFC record 15 regular season wins. The streak was started by Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher and has been continued by Mike Tomlin, who this season extended his record of 17 consecutive non-losing seasons to begin a head coaching career.
Steelers records since 2004
| Year | Record | Playoffs? |
|---|---|---|
2004 | 15-1 | Yes |
2005 | 11-5 | Yes** |
2006 | 8-8 | No |
2007 | 10-6 | Yes |
2008 | 12-4 | Yes** |
2009 | 9-7 | No |
2010 | 12-4 | Yes |
2011 | 12-4 | Yes |
2012 | 8-8 | No |
2013 | 8-8 | No |
2014 | 11-5 | Yes |
2015 | 10-6 | Yes |
2016 | 11-5 | Yes |
2017 | 13-3 | Yes |
2018 | 9-6-1 | No |
2019 | 8-8 | No |
2020 | 12-4 | Yes |
2021 | 9-7-1 | Yes |
2022 | 9-8 | No |
| 2023 | 9-7 | ??? |
This year's Steelers team appeared a shoo-in to secure the 20th straight non-losing season after a 7-4 start. But three straight losses (including two to 2-10 teams) cast a serious shadow of doubt on whether or not Pittsburgh would keep the streak alive.
As they often have over the past 20 years, the Steelers responded to adversity. They did so this season by dispatching the Bengals in Week 16 and the Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday. A key contributor the turnaround has been the inspiring play of Mason Rudolph, who threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns in Pittsburgh's 34-11 win over the Bengals. He threw for an efficient 250 yards (without committing a turnover) on Sunday while leading Pittsburgh to its first win in Seattle since 1983.
The Steelers are hoping to parlay their recent success into a playoff berth. To do that, Pittsburgh will need a win in Baltimore and a Bills loss in Miami next Sunday. The Ravens, who lost to the Steelers earlier this season, will likely be resting several starters for that game after clinching the AFC's top seed by virtue of Sunday's 65-19 shellacking of Miami.
