Yesterday, we provided a handful of Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 scheduling quirks to spotlight the official slate of video games for the upcoming season. However after Thursday’s dialogue with Dave Bryan on the Horrible Podcast, we brainstormed one other thought and “stat of the bizarre” to dig into.
Over the primary 5 weeks, the Steelers play only one “true” residence sport at Acrisure Stadium, Week Two towards the Seattle Seahawks. The opposite residence sport takes place in Eire. Pittsburgh is the “residence” group for the Dublin contest towards the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4. With a Week 5 bye, the Steelers received’t play their subsequent sport in Pittsburgh till Week Six when the group hosts the Cleveland Browns.
So, it begged the query: When was the final time Pittsburgh went the primary 5 weeks of an NFL season with only one precise residence sport? It’s occurred earlier than, however it’s been some time. The final instance wasn’t created from a scheduling quirk, however nationwide tragedy.
The final such instance got here in 2001. From Weeks 1-5, the Steelers performed only one residence sport, a 16-7 Week 4 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Pittsburgh was on the street in Weeks One, Three and 5, beating the Buffalo Payments and Kansas Metropolis Chiefs whereas shedding the season opener to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
When the 2001 schedule launched, Pittsburgh was slated to host the Cleveland Browns in Week 2, Sept. 16. That sport by no means came about as supposed. The Sept. eleventh assaults induced the NFL to cancel its total slate of Week Two video games, tacking them onto the tip of the 12 months in Week 17. The choice and backstory was outlined by ESPN.
“Gamers have been distracted. They didn’t wish to fly. Some mentioned they wouldn’t have performed even when the remainder of the league did.
“‘It actually got here all the way down to the lack of life and the power of gamers to soak up what we’ve all been via,’” commissioner Paul Tagliabue mentioned Thursday after calling off Week 2. ‘We felt it was proper to take per week to mirror and to assist or pals, households and folks locally who want our assist.’”
For the Steelers, they performed the ninth and never once more till Sept. 30. With out checking year-by-year sport logs, it needs to be the longest stretch of time the Steelers have ever gone with out a sport as soon as a season had begun.
All instructed, Pittsburgh’s first residence sport at Heinz Discipline wouldn’t happen till Oct. 7, Week 4. They wouldn’t return there till Oct. 29, Week Seven, a 34-7 routing of the Tennessee Titans. The Steelers completed the 12 months 13-3 and the AFC’s high seed, shedding only one residence sport within the common season. The New England Patriots dashed their Tremendous Bowl hopes within the AFC Championship Sport, starting the Patriots’ dynasty.
The final supposed schedule that noticed the Steelers have such a begin to the season occurred in 1992. That 12 months, Pittsburgh performed on the street in Week One, Week Three, Week 4 and Week Six. Their solely residence sport got here in Week Two, a win over the New York Jets, and the group had a Week 5 bye. They wouldn’t return residence till Week Seven, a shutout victory towards the Cincinnati Bengals.
Clearly, the Steelers’ 2001 schedule quirk isn’t for a similar causes in 2025. Nevertheless it highlights one other uncommon a part of its construction and look-back at historical past throughout one of the crucial somber years.
