Stories abound about the Pittsburgh Steelers, and I think one of the most compelling stories is connected to the 1976 team. Here’s why.
The 1976 season got off to an excellent start for the defending Super Bowl Champions … or so it seemed. Victory seemed to be in the bag when the Steelers sprinted out to a comfortable 4th Q lead, 28-14, against the Oakland Raiders. But the Raiders staged a furious comeback, scoring 17 unanswered points to win the game, 31–28.
The ship seemed to be righted the following week when Pittsburgh scored an easy 31–14 win over the Cleveland Browns. But (there’s that word again) the Steelers then went on a three-game losing skid. To make matters worse (perhaps fatal), starting quarterback Terry Bradshaw was injured in the fifth game. One more loss and the 1-4 Steelers could kiss the playoffs goodbye.
How could a team that had won consecutive Super Bowls be facing dire straights? Answers were all over the map, but one thing was for sure–the ’76 team had lost four games to very good teams–Oakland, Minnesota, New England, and Cleveland.
And quality opponents didn’t end with that bunch. Dating back to mid-December 1975 (excluding pre-season) through mid-October, 1976, the Steelers had played eleven straight games against high-caliber teams. Pittsburgh won seven of those eleven games, losing the other four by an average of five points a game. Still, the cost is a very big part of the story: playing top-notch teams week after week exacts a toll, physically and mentally.
And, now, these Steelers had their collective backs against the wall. At 1-4, they had to beat the next team-up–the Cincinnati Bengals. They did, 23-6. Important as that win was, it’s not the big story of the Steelers 1976 season.
The Steelers not only won that game, but they also went on to beat every other team on the regular-season schedule–converting a 1-4 start into a 10-4 finish. Here’s how they did it.
Pittsburgh followed the Bengals’ win with a trio of shutouts–the Giants (27-0), the Chargers (with Bradshaw back, 23-0), and the Chiefs (45-0). In the next game, Pittsburgh almost made in four shutouts in a row when the Dolphins went down, 14-3. Counting the Bengals’ game, the Steelers had not allowed a touchdown in five games. The Steel Curtain had allowed only three field goals during that span.
The shutout string ended in Week 11, but the Steelers still managed to double the score against the Oilers, 32-16. And that win set up a do-or-die showdown with the division-leading Bengals. Because the Steelers started 1-4, the division lead over Pittsburgh would have grown to three games had Cincinnati won the game. Result? Cincinnati would clinch the division and the Steelers would drop into third place in the division behind the 8-4 Browns, a team that had won earlier that day.
The game was played at Riverfront Stadium on a cold, snowy day, and, not surprisingly, it was a hard-hitting, defensive battle. The Bengals took a 3–0 lead on a first-quarter field goal, and that lead held into the 3rd Q when Franco Harris scored from four yards out. Pittsburgh’s four-point lead, 7-3, was enough to grab the win mainly because The Steel Curtain defense held the Cincinnati offense to 225 total yards and forced two turnovers.
That was the good news for Steelers’ fans. The bad news is that the Bengals still held the division lead, which meant Pittsburgh remained with its back to the wall.
Winning was necessary but not sufficient. The Bengals still had a one-game division lead going into the Week 14 Monday Night game against the Raiders. Pittsburgh really needed Cincinnati to lose that game because winning the division was likely the only way that the Steelers would get into the playoffs. That’s because three other teams were in the race with the Steelers for a Wild Card berth. The Patriots and Colts both stood at 10–3, and Cleveland was 9–4. Winning the division was a sure way (and perhaps the only way) for the Steelers to get into the playoffs and defend their SB championship.
How did the division- and -playoff race turn out? The Bengals lost to the Raiders, 35–20, and then vanquished the lowly Jets, 42-3. Meanwhile, the Steelers closed out the campaign by shutting out the Oilers. Ending the season tied for first place in the division, Pittsburgh held the tie-breaker because the Steelers won both times against the Bengals. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Bengals, too. They not only lost the division title, but they also failed to nab the Wild Card spot, which went to the Patriots.
Now in the playoffs, the Steelers wanted to make the most of their good fortune … and they did. Despite facing the formidable 11-3 Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh smashed the AFC East winner, 40-14, to score its tenth win in a row. Impressive as that was, perhaps even more impressive was how the Steelers played during the streak, winning games by an average score of 27-4.
The 14-1 Oakland Raiders were next up in the AFC Championship Game. The task, difficult enough as it was, became all the more challenging because Pittsburgh would have to play the game shorthanded. Both starting running backs, Franco Harris and Rocky Blier, were injured against the Colts. The concerns were well-founded. Running back replacements Reggie Harrison and John Fuqua netted only 68 yards total against the Raiders, and the Steelers’ offense mustered fewer than 250 yards total. The John Madden- and Ken Stable-led Raiders won that day, 24–7.
Even though the Steelers didn’t move the ball much on the ground against Oakland, they still outgained the Raiders (220 total yards). That outcome led some analysts and fans to assert that the Steelers would have won if Franco and Rocky had played. Of course, that’s speculative, and it’s likely to be wishful thinking, too. For comparison, in the 1973 NFC Championship Game, the Cowboys played the Vikings without two top players–running back Calvin Hill and defensive lineman Bob Lilly. Dallas lost by 17 points, 27–10. Would the Cowboys have been more competitive if Hill and Lilly had played? Probably. Would the Cowboys have won? Probably not.
I feel the same way about the Steelers v. the Raiders. Besides, it’s important to give Oakland its due. A week later, the Raiders dominated the Vikings in Super Bowl 11, winning 32-14. That said, let’s also give loads of credit to the 1976 Steelers–a team that came back from the brink to play in the AFC Championship game.
But there’s another chapter in this story. How does the ’76 team stack up against the other Steelers’ teams of the 1970s? Furthermore, was the ’76 team the best Steelers squad ever? (I’ve heard that said.)
Pittsburgh lost five games in 1976, and they didn’t play in the Super Bowl that season. That’s why I don’t rank the ’76 team above any of the Steelers’ Super Bowl winners of that era (1975-76 or 1979-1980).
In my book, the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers were very good–perhaps even great–but they were not the greatest Steelers team ever. That defense, though … ?
I agree with this article a lot, but not all of it. I would add the lack of the long bomb. The long bomb makes for more entertainment in my eyes. Sure the QB’s percentage is higher today but, to me, it makes for a boring game. I hardly watch football these days even in Steeler Country. I don’t remember Jack Lambert doing some kind of jig after a tackle or Franco Harris going nuts for getting a first down.
Thanks for commenting Scott. The 1970s was more of a running game, but when QBs like Bradshaw threw, they usually threw the long bomb. And you’re right, it was entertaining. Today’s game is all about the short pass, and it’s so boring I don’t watch it anymore (not even the Super Bowl). You’re also right about players of that era not celebrating every time they made a good tackle or had a good run. They were much more mature and acted like professionals. Thanks again! Mark