The Pittsburgh Steelers improved to 9-3 with their 44-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, securing their 21st straight season without a losing record, tying the 1965-85 Cowboys for the longest streak in NFL history.
This is one of the gold standards for consistency in sports. The streak is so long that if you were born when it started in 2004 you are now approaching legal drinking age.
Antwaan Randle El’s touchdown pass in the Super Bowl, James Harrison’s pick six, Santonio Holmes‘ toe tap, Rashard Mendenhall’s fumble, Troy Polamalu jumping over the line, Big Ben’s tackle, Vontaze Burfict’s hit on Antonio Brown, Tomlin’s trip, and so many other unforgettable (even cringeworthy) moments involving the Steelers happened during the streak.
Here’s 21 facts on the record-tying 21-season streak.
1. The streak began in 2004 after Pittsburgh drafted Ben Roethlisberger 11th overall. Big Ben won his first 15 regular-season starts from 2004-05, the longest streak by a quarterback to begin a career, ever. Hall of Famer Bill Cowher was the Steelers coach in 2004 when they won a then-AFC record 15 regular-season games.
2. Cowher passed the baton to Mike Tomlin in 2007. Tomlin has 18 straight non-losing seasons, the longest streak to begin a coaching career in NFL history.
3. They have overcome plenty of challenges to keep the streak alive. They started 0-4 in 2013. They were 5-8 in both 2013 and 2022 before winning out. They have five seasons with exactly eight losses during the streak, tied with the Cardinals for the most in the NFL over that span. They won their final game to keep the streak going four times (2006, 2012, 2013, 2022).
4. All four wins to save the streak were against the Browns or Bengals, par for the course as the Steelers own the state of Ohio. They are 62-19-1 vs. the Browns and Bengals since 2004, including 49-12-1 in games started by Roethlisberger.
5. They’ve played 62 games where they entered with a losing record during the streak. But the only number that matters is zero, the number of times they ended a season below .500.
6. The streak is so long that the Steelers had three players who played during the streak already inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Troy Polamalu, Alan Faneca, Jerome Bettis) and don’t forget coach (Bill Cowher).
7. The Steelers have made three Super Bowl appearances (2005, 2008, 2010) during the streak and won two championships (2005, 2008). They have as many Super Bowl trips as losses by more than 30 points (three) since ’04.
8. They haven’t cashed in recently though. They never made a Super Bowl with the ‘Killer B’s’, Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. Their last playoff win was in the 2016 divisional round vs. the Chiefs. They’ve gone seven straight non-losing seasons without a playoff win, tied for the longest streak in the Super Bowl era (1987-93 Saints and 1973-79 Washington).
9. They’ve also overcome some ineptitude along the way. They had a stretch of 58 straight games under 400 total yards which spanned four seasons (2020-23) and was the NFL’s longest drought in over a decade (2005-10 Raiders).
10. They drafted Kenny Pickett in the first round to replace Roethlisberger. Pickett has the lowest touchdown pass percentage in NFL history (1.8%, min. 500 attempts) but still went 14-10 with the Steelers.
11. The 2023 team takes the cake. They were the only team ever with a winning record through eight games despite being outgained in every game. Only the Jets had fewer touchdown passes than Pittsburgh last year.
12. The Steelers have consistently overachieved. They are the only team with a winning record as an underdog since 2004. They are 58-47, good for a win percentage of .552. The next best in that span is the Packers at .404.
13. Pittsburgh has hit the over 14 out of 20 times on its preseason Over-Under win total since 2004. No other team has gone over their win total as often as the Steelers.
14. A father (Joey Porter) and his son (Joey Porter Jr.) have both played for the Steelers during this streak (although not in the same game!)
15. There is not a single active NFL player who played in 2004 when the streak began (Aaron Rodgers is the longest tenured player in the NFL and he was drafted in 2005).
16. Sidney Crosby had not yet been drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins (2005) when this run started in 2004.
17. Winning isn’t easy. Just ask another team in town. The Pirates have had 17 losing seasons since the Steelers last had one.
18. The Steelers have the best record in games decided by one score since the streak began.
19. Pittsburgh has the best scoring defense, best total defense and most sacks during this run. The “Steel Curtain” produced three different Defensive Player of the Year winners in the last two decades between Troy Polamalu, James Harrison and T.J. Watt.
20. Their longest losing streak since 2004 is five games in 2009. They are tied with the Seahawks for the fewest losing streaks of that length during the historic streak (one). They could lose 100 straight games and still not have a losing record since 2004.
21. And, it takes a village. Over 450 different players have played a game for the Steelers during the streak, all the way from Ben Roethlisberger (249) to Roy Lewis (one), not to be confused with Ray Lewis!
What a run!