1976 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 44th in the National Football League. The Steelers started the season looking to become the first team in the Super Bowl era to win three-straight league championships. However, many thought that would be in doubt after the team started 1–4 and saw quarterback Terry Bradshaw injured in the week 5 loss to the Cleveland Browns after a vicious sack by Joe "Turkey" Jones that has since become immortalized in NFL Films as part of the Browns-Steelers rivalry.
Season
Despite the setbacks, the Steelers would turn it around behind the strength of the Steel Curtain and its dual threat at running back in Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, who each rushed for over 1,000 yards, finishing 10–4 and posting five shutouts. Rookie quarterback Mike Kruczek wound up going 6–0 starting in place of Bradshaw, largely due to the strength of the ground game. This would also stand as an NFL record for best start for a rookie quarterback until 2004—when the Steelers' own Ben Roethlisberger more than doubled that record and went 13–0 as a starter his rookie season.Playoffs
However, injuries to both Bleier and Harris in the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Baltimore Colts sidelined them both for the following week's AFC Championship game against the Oakland Raiders. Without both of their 1,000-yard rushers, the Steelers lost to the Raiders by a score of 24-7. Even with Pittsburgh coming up short, many Steelers fans—including the Rooney family themselves—consider the 1976 Steelers the best team in franchise history, even better than all six world championship teams. Jack Lambert, who won 4 Super Bowls with the Steelers between 1974 and 1979, claimed that the 1976 Steelers team was the best team that he ever played for, and subsequently, the loss to the Raiders in the AFC Championship game was the most painful loss of his career. He is convinced that they would have beaten the Raiders and gone on to win that season's Super Bowl had Harris and Bleier both been healthy and available for said AFC Championship game.In 2007, ESPN.com named the 1976 Steelers the greatest defense in NFL history, noting, "the 1976 unit was the best. Here's why: 28. That's how many points the Steel Curtain surrendered in the last nine games of the season. That's a total. As a result, Pittsburgh, which started the season 1–4, made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game. Only 1 of the 7 teams the Steelers played during the streak finished the season with a winning record and none made the playoffs. The Steelers' defense had Hall of Famers Mean Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham and Mel Blount. And eight Steelers defensive players made the 1976 Pro Bowl team: cornerback J.T. Thomas, defensive end L. C. Greenwood, Greene, Ham, Lambert, defensive back Glen Edwards, safety Mike Wagner, and Blount."
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
Game summaries
Week 1 (Sunday September 12, 1976): at [Oakland Raiders]
at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California- Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 62 F, wind 8 mph
- Game attendance: 51,371
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers: Curt Gowdy & Don Meredith
- Oakland – Casper 30 pass from Stabler 0–7
- Pittsburgh – Bleier 2 run 7–7
- Pittsburgh – Stallworth 47 lateral from Harris after 25 run 14–7
- Pittsburgh – Bell 11 pass from Bradshaw 21–7
- Oakland – Biletnikoff 21 pass from Stabler 21–14
- Pittsburgh – Harris 3 run 28–14
- Oakland – Casper 10 pass from Stabler 28–21
- Oakland – Stabler 2 run 28–28
- Oakland – FG Steinfort 21 28–31
Week 2 (Sunday September 19, 1976): vs. [Cleveland Browns]
- Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 63 F, wind 9 mph
- Game attendance: 49,169
- Referee: Tommy Bell
- TV announcers: Jack Buck & Paul Maguire
- Cleveland – Rucker 14 pass from Sipe 0–7
- Cleveland – Roan 17 pass from Sipe 0–14
- Pittsburgh – Stallworth 14 pass from Bradshaw 7–14
- Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 47 10–14
- Pittsburgh – Harris 2 run 17–14
- Pittsburgh – Stallworth 5 pass from Bradshaw 24–14
- Pittsburgh – Bradshaw 7 run 31–14
Week 3 (Sunday September 26, 1976): vs. [New England Patriots]
- Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 56 F, wind 8 mph
- Game attendance: 47,379
- Referee: Dick Jorgensen
- TV announcers: NBC
- Pittsburgh – Harris 3 run 7–0
- New England – FG Smith 42 7–3
- New England – FG Smith 40 7–6
- Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 32 10–6
- New England – FG Smith 26 10–9
- Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 41 13–9
- Pittsburgh – Harris 2 run 20–9
- New England – Francis 38 pass from Grogan 20–16
- New England – Stingley 58 pass from Grogan 20–23
- New England – Grogan 6 run 20–30
- Pittsburgh – Grossman 11 pass from Bradshaw 27–30
Week 4 (Monday October 4, 1976): at [Minnesota Vikings]
- Game time: 9:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 65 F, wind 13 mph
- Game attendance: 47,809
- Referee: Pat Haggerty
- TV announcers: Frank Gifford, Alex Karras & Howard Cosell
- Pittsburgh – Cunningham 1 pass from Bradshaw 6–0
- Minnesota – Foreman 8 run 6–7
- Minnesota – Foreman 4 run 6–14
- Minnesota – FG Cox 43 6–17
Week 5 (Sunday, October 10) at Cleveland Browns
Week 6 (Sunday October 17, 1976): vs. [Cincinnati Bengals]
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania- Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 41 F, wind 9 mph
- Game attendance: 48,311
- Referee: Cal Lepore
- TV announcers: Curt Gowdy & John Brodie
- Cincinnati – FG Bahr 22 0–3
- Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 42 3–3
- Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run 10–3
- Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 40 13–3
- Cincinnati – FG Bahr 19 13–6
- Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run 20–6
- Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 30 23–6
Week 7 (Sunday October 24, 1976): at [New York Giants]
- Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 51 F, wind 10 mph
- Game attendance: 69,783
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers: NBC
- Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run 7–0
- Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 21 10–0
- Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run 17–0
- Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 28 20–0
- Pittsburgh – Lewis 16 run 27–0
Week 8 (Sunday October 31, 1976): vs. [San Diego Chargers]
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania- Game time: 1:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 44 F, wind 14 mph
- Game attendance: 45,484
- Referee: Tommy Bell
- TV announcers: Jim Simpson & Len Dawson
- Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 36 3–0
- Pittsburgh – Bradshaw 1 run 10–0
- Pittsburgh – Pough 11 pass from Bradshaw 17–0
- Pittsburgh – Fuqua 3 run 23–0
Week 9 (Sunday November 7, 1976): at [Kansas City Chiefs]
- Game time: 2:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 41 F, wind 14 mph
- Game attendance: 71,516
- Referee: Fred Silva
- TV announcers: NBC
- Pittsburgh – Harrison 4 run 7–0
- Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 28 10–0
- Pittsburgh – Harris 25 run 17–0
- Pittsburgh – Harris 5 run 24–0
- Pittsburgh – Lewis 19 pass from Bradshaw 31–0
- Pittsburgh – Deloplaine 15 run 38–0
- Pittsburgh – Deloplaine 7 run 45–0
Week 10 (Sunday November 14, 1976): vs. [Miami Dolphins]
- Game time: 4:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 29 F, wind 10 mph
- Game attendance: 48,945
- Referee: Bob Frederic
- TV announcers: Curt Gowdy & Don Meredith
- Pittsburgh – Harris 21 run 7–0
- Miami – FG Yepremian 45 7–3
- Pittsburgh – Harrison 1 run 14–3
Week 11 (Sunday November 21, 1976): vs. [Houston Oilers]
- Game time: 1:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 32 F, wind 11 mph
- Game attendance: 47,947
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers: Curt Gowdy & John Brodie
- Pittsburgh – Bleier 10 run 7–0
- Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 37 10–0
- Pittsburgh – Safety, Toews blocked punt out of end zone 12–0
- Houston – Burrough 69 pass from Hadl 12–7
- Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 35 15–7
- Houston – FG Butler 43 15–10
- Pittsburgh – Harrison 1 run 22–10
- Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 18 25–10
- Pittsburgh – Harrison 1 run 32–10
- Houston – Sawyer 2 pass from Hadl 32–16
Week 12 (Sunday November 28, 1976): at [Cincinnati Bengals]
- Game time: 4:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 32 F, wind 12 mph
- Game attendance: 55,142
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers: Curt Gowdy & Don Meredith
- Cincinnati – FG Bahr 40 0–3
- Pittsburgh – Harris 4 run 7–3
Week 13 (Sunday December 5, 1976): vs. [Tampa Bay Buccaneers]
- Game time: 1:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 23 F, wind 5 mph
- Game attendance: 43,385
- Referee: Cal Lepore
- TV announcers:
- Pittsburgh – Bleier 7 run 7–0
- Pittsburgh – Bleier 1 run 14–0
- Pittsburgh – Kruczek 1 run 21–0
- Pittsburgh – Bleier 3 run 28–0
- Pittsburgh – Swann 35 pass from Bradshaw 35–0
- Pittsburgh – Swann 23 pass from Bradshaw 42–0
Week 14 (Saturday December 11, 1976): at [Houston Oilers]
- Game time: 4:00 pm EST
- Game weather: Dome
- Game attendance: 44,743
- Referee: Fred Silva
- TV announcers: Curt Gowdy & John Brodie
- Pittsburgh – Swann 21 pass from Bradshaw 7–0
- Pittsburgh – Harris 11 run 14–0
- Pittsburgh – Bradshaw 1 run 21–0
- With the win the Steelers record the most NFL shutouts in 50 years with their 5th & set a new NFL record forcing 71 punts in a season.
Standings
Postseason
Game summaries
AFC Divisional Playoff (Sunday December 19, 1976): at [Baltimore Colts]
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland- Game time: 2:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 36 F, wind 6 mph
- Game attendance: 59,296
- Referee: Pat Haggerty
- TV announcers: Jim Simpson & John Brodie
- Pittsburgh – Lewis 76 pass from Bradshaw 6–0
- Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 45 9–0
- Baltimore – Carr 17 pass from Jones 9–7
- Pittsburgh – Harrison 1 run 16–7
- Pittsburgh – Swann 29 pass from Bradshaw 23–7
- Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 25 26–7
- Pittsburgh – Swann 11 pass from Bradshaw 33–7
- Baltimore – Leaks 1 run 33–14
- Pittsburgh – Harrison 10 run 40–14
AFC Championship (Sunday December 26, 1976): at [Oakland Raiders]
at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California- Game time: 4:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 47 F, wind 7 mph
- Game attendance: 53,821
- Referee: Tommy Bell
- TV announcers: Curt Gowdy, Don Meredith