History of The Pittsburgh Steelers - Steelers Rivalries

Steelers Rivalries

Many Pittsburgh natives and fans consider the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, and the Oakland Raiders to be the teams primary rivals. Upon conclusion of the 2006 season, Pittsburgh has a .500 record vs these 3 teams when combining regular and post season games. The historic rivalries with the Raiders and Cowboys have been decisive in the outcomes of the Super Bowl, particularly in the 1970s.

Pittsburgh and Cleveland have been in the same division and have met at least twice a year since 1950. The Steelers hold a 2–0 post season record against the Browns. The Browns handed the Steelers the worst defeat in their history, 51-0 in Week 1 in 1989.

The Steelers and Raiders have met 6 times in the post season, including 5 consecutive appearances between 1972 through 1976 which gave the 2 teams an unusual familiarity with the other since each is in a different division. Their post season record against one and other is tied 3–3.

Pittsburgh and Dallas first met in 1960 (the two actually met in the Cowboys' first game as a franchise, with the Steelers winning 35–28), and have faced each other in the Super Bowl on three occasions (X, XII, XXX) with Pittsburgh leading the series 2–1. In the 1970s, Pittsburgh and Dallas where both renowned for stifling defenses named: "The Steel Curtain", and "The Doomsday Defense" respectively. Pittsburgh became the first team to achieve 3 Super Bowl wins when it defeated Dallas in Super Bowl XIII, and the first team to achieve 4 Super Bowls a year later when they defeated the Rams. Dallas defeated the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX to become the second team behind San Francisco to win 5 Super Bowl Championships. Ten years later Pittsburgh would join Dallas and San Francisco to become the third team to reach that milestone when they defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. Three years later, the Steelers would become the first team to win a sixth Super Bowl, achieving that milestone in the 08-09 season. They played against the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, and eventually rallied a 27-23 comeback victory. The Steelers received a nickname favored by the fans, the Sixburgh Steelers.

The rivalry with the New England Patriots is relatively recent. The two clubs met thirteen times 1972-95 with the Steelers winning ten, including five in a row. But in 1996 the two met in the playoffs for the first time and the rivalry changed, as the Patriots defeated the Steelers 28-3 in the AFC Divisional Playoffs in January 1997. The next year the Steelers edged New England in overtime 24-21 and won in the divisional round 7-6. Since then, however, the Patriots have won five of seven regular-season meetings and two AFC Championship Game matchups, both at Heinz Field. 2004 was the most recent season the two teams met twice in the season; Pittsburgh ended New England's 21-game winning streak in a 34-20 rout and surged to a 15-1 regular season, but in the AFC Championship the Steelers were crushed 41-27 by the Patriots.

updated through 2011 season