The Greatest Pittsburgh Steelers Wins of All-Time

The Pittsburgh Steelers have just had another wobbly NFL campaign as they are trying to reach new heights after Ben Roethlisberger's farewell from football. However, this does not mean that we should forget the magnitude of this franchise and the significance they have in the strongest football league on the planet. 

Remembering some of the biggest team’s achievements, we wanted to create a list of the top seven biggest victories in Pittsburgh Steelers history. To do so, we have worked with Mark Wighan, who is the football expert handicapper at betting picks 4 you. You may or may not agree with some of the wins, but the list itself will surely provoke some emotional memories of a great American football team.  

7 – 1974 AFC Championship: Steelers vs Raiders, 24-13

The 1974 win over the Raiders was huge on so many levels. To give some perspective to those who do not recall it, the Steelers had only featured in the playoffs once before 1972. From 1972 to 1974, they have secured three successive postseason appearances. They fell in the AFC Championship game in 1972 to the unbeaten Miami Dolphins. 

Next year they were brutally outplayed by the Raiders who would later become one of their greatest rivals. Pittsburgh had eliminated the Raiders in the 1972 divisional round thanks to the famous Immaculate Reception and the last-minute score. It was just against the Raiders that the Steelers secured their maiden AFC Championship title, beating them 24-13 with a fantastic display from running back Franco Harris who secured 111 yards and scored two touchdowns on the occasion. 

6 – 1972 Divisional Round: Steelers vs Raiders, 13-7

We have already provided an introduction to this win in the previous paragraph. Pittsburgh have never secured a playoff win before 1972, despite being around for almost 40 years beforehand. They finally won the division with a fine 11-3 record in 1972, but only to run into the Raiders who had played in the AFC Championship game in four of the past five seasons. 

While many experts considered the Steelers huge underdogs on the occasion, Pittsburgh managed to secure a 13-7 victory to open the way for the creation of the well-known 1970's dynasty. This is the match that gave birth to one of the greatest moments in league history as the play that secured the win for the Steelers at the death of the affair entered history as the "Immaculate Reception."

5 – 1980 Super Bowl XIV: Steelers vs Rams, 31-19

We stay in the 1970's dynasty, remembering a huge win over the Rams in Super Bowl XIV. By this time, the 1970's Steelers' generation had already won many hearts all over the globe, not just in Steel City or America. Pittsburgh has become one of the most popular franchises in the sport in general. 

Nevertheless, they had huge problems with injuries throughout the whole regular season campaign in 1979. They somehow managed to catch the playoffs with a 12-4 record. They went all the way to the Super Bowl and won it in style, destroying Los Angeles Rams by 12 points on the occasion. Terry Bradshaw was sensational as he completed 14 of 21 pass attempts for as many as 309 yards. Franco Harris scored two touchdowns, and we must not forget Lynn Swann's touchdown either.

4 – 2006 Super Bowl XL: Steelers vs Seahawks, 21-10

The 2006 trophy was very important for several reasons. First of all, it marked the team's maiden crown since the 1970's generation, putting the Steelers back on the right trajectory. The match itself was additionally special because of the two players. 

Firstly, it marked the beginning of the Ben Roethlisberger era in Steel City. It's been decades since the Steelers have had a star quarterback and Big Ben finally put an end to the wait. Secondly, this match was all about Jerome Bettis. He was one of the most beloved Steelers of all-time and this Super Bowl was held just in his hometown, Detroit. Bettis ended his career as a champion in his hometown, who could have written a better story? 

3 – 1975 Super Bowl IX: Steelers vs Vikings, 16--6

We've now come to Pittsburgh's inaugural Super Bowl title. We have already spoken about some of the important wins at the start of the most successful decade of the team's history in this article. However, Pittsburgh has not gone all the way to win the Super Bowl ever before 1975. It was the season in which head coach Chuck Noll had to deal with a lot of criticism, particularly articulated towards star quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Well, Bradshaw finally came through and he did it big time as Pittsburgh dispatched the Minnesota Vikings 16-6 for their maiden Super Bowl title. 

2 – 1979 Super Bowl XIII: Steelers vs Cowboys, 35-31

This was one of the greatest games, not just in Pittsburgh history, but in NFL history. The Steelers and the Cowboys were two of the most popular outfits on the planet in the late 1970's. They have earned the status with stellar performances in big games and titles in recent years. Indeed, the rosters these two teams had back then were amazing. It was the clash between the "Doomsday Defense" and the "Steel Curtain Defense." 

The momentum swung back and forth throughout, but Pittsburgh's main stars came through at the start of the fourth quarter as touchdowns from Franco Harris and Terry Bradshaw put the game away for the Steelers. 

1 – 2009 Super Bowl XLIII: Steelers vs Cardinals, 27-23

It was very hard to underline a single victory as the very best in the team's history because it is very hard to compare different generations. While we will never forget the 1970's Steelers, we had to give the top spot on this list to the 2000's generation led by Big Ben. 

The quality of the Super Bowl game itself certainly impacted our decision because this match just had it all. We've seen the longest interception return and score in NFL history, as well as one of the most heartbreaking endings to a Super Bowl game. Ben Roethlisberger connected with Santonio Holmes for the match-winning touchdown with just :42 seconds left on the clock. We’ll leave this play as the final piece of this article as well.