1976 Pittsburgh Steelers

The 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers started the season looking to become the first team in the Super Bowl era to win three-straight league championships (and first since the 1929–1931 and 1965–1967 Green Bay Packers). 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.

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 1000 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.

However, injuries to both Bleier and Harris in the playoffs caught up to them resulting in losing to the Oakland Raiders for the AFC Championship. Even with the Black & Gold 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.

In 2007, ESPN.com named the 1976 Steelers the greatest defense in NFL history, noting, "the 1976 unit was the best (slightly better than the '75 squad). 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.... The '76 Steelers didn't have it easy -- their opponents had a .528 winning percentage. But they had these guys: 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."

Game summaries
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Week 1 (Sunday September 12, 1976): at Oakland Raiders
at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California


 * Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 51,371
 * Referee: Jim Tunney
 * TV announcers: (NBC) Curt Gowdy & Don Meredith

Scoring Drives:


 * Oakland – Casper 30 pass from Stabler (Steinfort kick)0–7
 * Pittsburgh – Bleier 2 run (Gerela kick)7–7
 * Pittsburgh – Stallworth 47 lateral from Harris after 25 run (Gerela kick)14–7
 * Pittsburgh – Bell 11 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)21–7
 * Oakland – Biletnikoff 21 pass from Stabler (Steinfort kick)21–14
 * Pittsburgh – Harris 3 run (Gerela kick)28–14
 * Oakland – Casper 10 pass from Stabler (Steinfort kick)28–21
 * Oakland – Stabler 2 run (Steinfort kick)28–28
 * Oakland – FG Steinfort 21 28–31

Week 2 (Sunday September 19, 1976): vs. Cleveland Browns
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 49,169
 * Referee: Tommy Bell
 * TV announcers: (NBC) Charlie Jones & Paul Maguire

Scoring Drives:


 * Cleveland – Rucker 14 pass from Sipe (Cockroft kick)0–7
 * Cleveland – Roan 17 pass from Sipe (Cockroft kick)0–14
 * Pittsburgh – Stallworth 14 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)7–14
 * Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 47 10–14
 * Pittsburgh – Harris 2 run (Gerela kick)17–14
 * Pittsburgh – Stallworth 5 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)24–14
 * Pittsburgh – Bradshaw 7 run (Gerela kick)31–14

Week 3 (Sunday September 26, 1976): vs. New England Patriots
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 47,379
 * Referee: Dick Jorgensen
 * TV announcers: (NBC)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh – Harris 3 run (Gerela kick)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 (Gerela kick)20–9
 * New England – Francis 38 pass from Grogan (Smith kick)20–16
 * New England – Stingley 58 pass from Grogan (Smith kick)20–23
 * New England – Grogan 6 run (Smith kick)20–30
 * Pittsburgh – Grossman 11 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)27–30

Week 4 (Monday October 4, 1976): at Minnesota Vikings
at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota


 * Game time: 9:00 pm EDT
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 47,809
 * Referee: Pat Haggerty
 * TV announcers: (ABC) Frank Gifford (play by play), Alex Karras & Howard Cosell (color commentators)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh – Cunningham 1 pass from Bradshaw (kick blocked)6–0
 * Minnesota – Foreman 8 run (Cox kick)6–7
 * Minnesota – Foreman 4 run (Cox kick)6–14
 * Minnesota – FG Cox 43 6–17

Week 5 (Sunday October 10, 1976): at Cleveland Browns
at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 76,411
 * Referee: Bernie Ulman
 * TV announcers: (NBC)

Scoring Drives:


 * Cleveland – FG Cockroft 43 0–3
 * Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run (Gerela kick)7–3
 * Cleveland – FG Cockroft 28 7–6
 * Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 30 10–6
 * Cleveland – C. Miller 1 run (kick failed)10–12
 * Cleveland – FG Cockroft 50 10–15
 * Cleveland – FG Cockroft 40 10–18
 * Pittsburgh – Kruczek 22 run (kick blocked)16–18

Week 6 (Sunday October 17, 1976): vs. Cincinnati Bengals
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 48,311
 * Referee: Cal Lepore
 * TV announcers: (NBC)

Scoring Drives:


 * Cincinnati – FG Bahr 22 0–3
 * Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 42 3–3
 * Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run (Gerela kick)10–3
 * Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 40 13–3
 * Cincinnati – FG Bahr 19 13–6
 * Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run (Gerela kick)20–6
 * Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 30 23–6

Week 7 (Sunday October 24, 1976): at New York Giants
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 69,783
 * Referee: Gordon McCarter
 * TV announcers: (NBC)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run (Gerela kick)7–0
 * Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 21 10–0
 * Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run (Gerela kick)17–0
 * Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 28 20–0
 * Pittsburgh – Lewis 16 run (Gerela kick)27–0
 * This was the first of 5 wins by shutout.

Week 8 (Sunday October 31, 1976): vs. San Diego Chargers
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EST
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 45,484
 * Referee: Tommy Bell
 * TV announcers: (NBC)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 36 3–0
 * Pittsburgh – Bradshaw 1 run (Gerela kick)10–0
 * Pittsburgh – Pough 11 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)17–0
 * Pittsburgh – Fuqua 3 run (kick failed)23–0

Week 9 (Sunday November 7, 1976): at Kansas City Chiefs
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EST
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 71,516
 * Referee: Fred Silva
 * TV announcers: (NBC)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh – Harrison 4 run (Gerela kick)7–0
 * Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 28 10–0
 * Pittsburgh – Harris 25 run (Gerela kick)17–0
 * Pittsburgh – Harris 5 run (Gerela kick)24–0
 * Pittsburgh – Lewis 19 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)31–0( Pittsburgh – Deloplaine 15 run (Gerela kick)38–0
 * Pittsburgh – Deloplaine 7 run (Gerela kick)45–0

Week 10 (Sunday November 14, 1976): vs. Miami Dolphins
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EST
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 48,945
 * Referee: Bob Frederic
 * TV announcers: (NBC)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh – Harris 21 run (Gerela kick)7–0
 * Miami – FG Yepremian 45 7–3
 * Pittsburgh – Harrison 1 run (Gerela kick)14–3

Week 11 (Sunday November 21, 1976): vs. Houston Oilers
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EST
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 47,947
 * Referee: Ben Dreith
 * TV announcers: (NBC)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh – Bleier 10 run (Gerela kick)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 (Butler kick)12–7
 * Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 35 15–7
 * Houston – FG Butler 43 15–10
 * Pittsburgh – Harrison 1 run (Gerela kick) 22–10
 * Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 18 25–10
 * Pittsburgh – Harrison 1 run (Gerela kick)32–10
 * Houston – Sawyer 2 pass from Hadl (kick failed)32–16

Week 12 (Sunday November 28, 1976): at Cincinnati Bengals
at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EST
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 55,142
 * Referee: Jim Tunney
 * TV announcers: (NBC)

Scoring Drives:


 * Cincinnati – FG Bahr 40 0–3
 * Pittsburgh – Harris 4 run (Gerela kick)7–3

Week 13 (Sunday December 5, 1976): vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EST
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 43,385
 * Referee: Cal Lepore
 * TV announcers: (NBC)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh – Bleier 7 run (Gerela kick)7–0
 * Pittsburgh – Bleier 1 run (Gerela kick)14–0
 * Pittsburgh – Kruczek 1 run (Gerela kick)21–0
 * Pittsburgh – Bleier 3 run (Gerela kick)28–0
 * Pittsburgh – Swann 35 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)35–0
 * Pittsburgh – Swann 23 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)42–0

Week 14 (Saturday December 11, 1976): at Houston Oilers
at Astrodome, Houston, Texas


 * Game time: 12:30 pm EST
 * Game weather: Dome
 * Game attendance: 44,743
 * Referee: Fred Silva
 * TV announcers: (NBC)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh – Swann 21 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)7–0
 * Pittsburgh – Harris 11 run (Gerela kick) 14–0
 * Pittsburgh – Bradshaw 1 run (Gerela kick) 21–0
 * }

AFC Divisional Playoff (Sunday December 19, 1976): at Baltimore Colts
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland


 * Game time:
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 59,296
 * Referee: Pat Haggerty
 * TV announcers: (NBC)

Scoring Drives:
 * Pittsburgh – Lewis 76 pass from Bradshaw (kick failed)6–0
 * Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 45 9–0
 * Baltimore – Carr 17 pass from Jones (Linhart kick)9–7
 * Pittsburgh – Harrison 1 run (Gerela kick)16–7
 * Pittsburgh – Swann 29 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)23–7
 * Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 25 26–7
 * Pittsburgh – Swann 11 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)33–7
 * Baltimore – Leaks 1 run (Linhart kick)33–14
 * Pittsburgh – Harrison 10 run (Mansfield kick)40–14

Notes: Pittsburgh gained an NFL record 524 total yards, Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier were lost to injuries.

AFC Championship (Sunday December 26, 1976): at Oakland Raiders
at Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California


 * Game time: 4:00 pm EST
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 53,821
 * Referee: Tommy Bell
 * TV announcers: (NBC) Curt Gowdy (play by play), Don Meredith (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:


 * Oakland – FG Mann 39 0–3
 * Oakland – Davis 1 run (Mann kick)0–10
 * Pittsburgh – Harrison 3 run (Mansfield kick)7–10
 * Oakland – Bankston 4 pass from Stabler (Mann kick)7–17
 * Oakland – Banaszak 5 pass from Stabler (Mann kick)7–24