When it comes to Super Bowl wins, no team currently has more than the Pittsburgh Steelers, and when it comes to winning percentage, this team tops the league since the NFL merger, according to Statmuse.com. Some impressive winning streaks over the years have put the franchise in this position.
The Steelers are known for their Steel Curtain era in the '70s as well as their powerhouse defenses of the early 2000s. It's no surprise to see some of their hottest streaks during these years. Here are the three longest winning streaks in Pittsburgh Steelers history.
3. 1975 season: 11-game winning streak
The 1975 season marked the second of four Super Bowls over a six-year stretch for head coach Chuck Noll and the Pittsburgh Steelers. A star-studded defense helped this team surrender just 11.6 points per game to their opponents -- good for second in the league.
Though there were a couple of close calls that threatened this impressive stretch, Pittsburgh was able to string together 11 straight wins. This broke the record for the longest streak without a loss since the franchise started all the way back in 1933.
After losing in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills, the Steelers caught fire before their offense put up just 3 points in a 3-10 loss against the Rams -- ending their 11-game winning streak. If not for this loss, the Steelers could have made it 15 straights game, as they would eventually go on to win Super Bowl X against the Dallas Cowboys following the 1975 season.
2. 2020 season: 11-game winning streak
We certainly don't think about the 2020 season as being a historic time for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger just returned from a season-ending elbow injury at the age of 38, and Randy Fichtner was the team's offensive coordinator.
Somehow, a slightly above-average Steelers team consistently took care of business. This resulted in Mike Tomlin winning his first 11 games of the 2020 season -- tying the previous record held by Chuck Noll and the Steelers team of 1975.
After winning 7 of their first 11 games by one score or less, their winning streak came to a screeching halt in Week 13 against Washington. Pittsburgh would go on to prove that they weren't as good as their early record indicated, as they finished the season 1-5. They followed this up by getting humiliated by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the playoffs.
It's interesting that one of the best winning streaks in the history of one of the best NFL franchises came at the hands of a rather mediocre Steelers squad that didn't have much going for them outside of a good defense. Still, they proved a lot of doubters wrong in 2020 when they kicked off the season with 11 straight wins.
1. 2004 season: 15-game winning streak
The best winning streak ever by the Pittsburgh Steelers comes back in 2004, and for some of us, we remember it quite well. It was Ben Roethlisberger's rookie season. Just partway through Week 2, starting quarterback Tommy Maddox suffered an elbow injury that took him out of commission. It was Big Ben's show from there.
The Steelers weren't able to escape Week 2 with a win against the Ravens, but Roethlisberger would go on to win 15 straight games to open up his career as a starting quarterback. However, he certainly wasn't without help.
Ben was never asked to throw more than 28 passes in a game during this stretch and he was aided by an all-star cast on defense that included players like Troy Polamalu, Joey Porter, James Farrior, Aaron Smith, Ike Taylor, and plenty of others. The Steelers ultimately finished first in points allowed per game in 2004.
The Steelers road this wave all the way to the AFC Championship Game when their 15-game winning streak came to an end against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. This remains one of the greatest single-season winning streaks in NFL history.