By virtue of Sunday’s 29-24 win over the Detroit Lions, the Pittsburgh Steelers have set a new standard for excellence in the NFL.
Winners of three straight games, Pittsburgh has clinched its 22nd consecutive non-losing season, an NFL record. The Steelers had previously shared the record with the Dallas Cowboys, a team that they have previously faced in three Super Bowls.
The Steelers have not had a losing season since they went 6-10 in 2003.
Most consecutive non-losing seasons in NFL history
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has also secured his 19th consecutive non-losing season, which ties him with former Patriots coach Bill Belichick for second all time behind Tom Landry, who was the Cowboys’ coach throughout the Dallas’ 20-year non-losing streak.
Tomlin has also extended his own record of consecutive non-losing seasons to begin a coaching career. In 2021, he broke the record that was previously held by Marty Schottenheimer. Sunday was also Tomlin’s 200th career win (including the postseason).
Most consecutive non-losing seasons for an NFL coach
1
Tom Landry (Cowboys)21
1965-85
2
T2
Bill Belichick (Patriots)19
2001-19
6
T2
Mike Tomlin (Steelers)19
2007-Present
1
4George Halas (Bears)161933-42; 1946-514
5
Marty Schottenheimer (Browns/Chiefs)14
1984-97
0
The Steelers’ current streak started in 2004, when they won a franchise-record 15 regular-season games. That season also saw Ben Roethlisberger win each of his first 13 career starts, an NFL record.
“It legitimized the fact that we can play with the big boys,” former Steelers safety Troy Polamalu once said of the ’04 Steelers. “Midway through the season, we had beaten two unbeaten teams, which were Philadelphia and New England. … Philadelphia had Terrell Owens, who was extremely talented, and Donovan McNabb. Obviously, everybody knows that Tom Brady is a pretty good quarterback as well (laughs) that we lost to (in the AFC Championship Game).
“That year was a very significant year because we [realized] we were good enough to play with everybody.”
The following season, the Steelers became the first six seed to win the Super Bowl after they defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. That would be the second-to-last season on the sideline for Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher, whose 15 seasons with the Steelers included tying Paul Brown’s record by leading Pittsburgh to the playoffs in each of his first six seasons as coach.
Pittsburgh continued its success upon Tomlin’s arrival in 2007. The Steelers won the AFC North title that year before capturing the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl title in 2008 after defeating the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. In 2010, the Steelers reached the Super Bowl again before falling to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
In 2011, the Steelers lost to Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos in the AFC wild-card round in what is considered one of the most shocking playoff losses in franchise history. What followed were consecutive 8-8 seasons as many of the central figures on Pittsburgh’s championship teams began to depart.
Behind an explosive offense, the Steelers enjoyed a successful four-year run from 2014-17 that included three division titles, four consecutive playoff berths and the franchise’s most recent AFC Championship game appearance at the end of the 2016 season. In 2017, the Steelers went 13-3 before suffering another upset loss in the playoffs, this time at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After closing the 2010s with two non-playoff seasons, the Steelers made the playoffs four times over a five-year span from 2020-24. But while they’ve continued to remain competitive, Pittsburgh has yet to win a playoff game since defeating the Chiefs in the 2016 divisional round. That drought has, in some people’s eyes, diminished the team’s record of non-losing seasons.
Here are some of the essential figures during the Steelers’ recent run:
- Former head coach Bill Cowher
- Current head coach Mike Tomlin
- Former general manager Kevin Colbert
- Late owner Dan Rooney
- His son and current team president Art Rooney II
- Former defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau
- Two-time Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger
- Pro Football Hall of Fame safety and 2010 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Troy Polamalu
- 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison
- 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt
- Former All-Pro linebackers James Farrior and Joey Porter
- Standout offensive linemen Alan Faneca and Maurkice Pouncey
- Perennial Pro Bowl defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith
- Former running backs Jerome Bettis, Willie Parker, Le’Veon Bell and Najee Harris
- Former Pro Bowl tight end Heath Miller
- Former All-Pro receivers Hines Ward and Antonio Brown
At 9-6, the Steelers currently lead the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North standings by two games. They are hoping to cap off the regular season with their first division title since 2020, which would lead to the franchise’s first home playoff game in five years.
