Over the years, where do the Steelers rank? Some unbiased numbers.

Rush2seven · Dec 7, 2021

RedHawk79 said: ↑

I certainly can appreciate your perspective and agree with it. To me, knowing the past serves two purposes - bragging rights, and a realization that (historically) this team is not down for long. There will certainly be some bad years at some points in the future, but, at least to date (going back 50 years), the team has never descended into years of Browns-like incompetence. Past performance never guarantees future results, but I'd rather bet on the success of the Steelers than a team like the Lions.

And of course, the bragging rights are nice when one lived for 35 years outside Cincinnati!
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I can appreciate that

Wardismvp · Dec 7, 2021

Greatest franchise in the WORLD by far.

jeh1856 · Dec 7, 2021

SDOT said: ↑

Thanks Steelers PR. Still doesn’t make me feel better.
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Another bonus

jeh1856 · Dec 7, 2021

RedHawk79 said: ↑

My first post after lurking for years. Quick background: I've been a Steeler fan since 1965. My ideal season is 16-0, every game a blowout by halftime, and of course ending in a Super Bowl win. I think most of us would agree, though, Steeler fans have had it pretty good over the years, say compared to Bengals fans. I got to wondering "How good, compared to other perennial winners?".

Being a bit of a computer nerd and a stats and numbers geek, I decided to find out.

I downloaded into Excel the NFL standings and playoff results for every year since 1970. Using pivot tables, a little VBA, and some manual tweaking, I churned out a bunch of stats. I would often calculate actual counts (like total wins) and then also calculate percent won over games played. This gave a more accurate view of expansion teams' success. Each stat was then sorted from best to worst.

How do the Steelers compare? Even I was surprised by what I uncovered for the past 51 years since the merger.

Let's start with the obvious: Super Bowl wins: 6, tied with New England for the most, though New England has been there 11 times to the Steelers 8, which ties Dallas for second-most appearances).

Now for some other numbers along with where the Steelers rank:
Regular season wins:
1 - Steelers (486)
2 - Cowboys (459) yes 27 games back!
3 - Patriots (456)

1st place finishes:
1 - Steelers (24)
2 - Patriots (21)
3 - Cowboys (20)

Fewest last-place finishes:
1 - Steelers (1) - this is incredible over 51 years
2 - Vikings (4) (note: Ravens only have 3 but in just 25 years)
3 - Packers (5)

Number of playoff appearances:
1 - Steelers (31)
2 - Cowboys (29)
3 - Vikings (28)

Non-losing seasons (.500 and above)
1 - Steelers (42) - that's out of 51!
2 - Vikings, Dolphins, Cowboys (38)
3 - Patriots, Broncos (37)

I have several other categories in my spreadsheet and am continuing to add more as I think of them (open to suggestions). The above trend continues:

Steelers rank 1st in:

Average wins per season (9.6)

Number of divisional playoff games played (25)

Number of divisional playoff games won (16)

Number of Conference Championship games (16) [they are 2nd in Conf Champs won at 8]

Best worst season (5 wins) - this is the number of wins in their worst season. Every other team is at 4 or lower

Average standing (1.86) - this is on average what position in the division they finish. They are the only team under 2.

If anyone is wondering whether the Noll years account for the majority of good scores, I have broken down wins for every team based on each Steeler coachs' term. If interested, I can post what I have so far, but just be warned, depending on your feelings toward Tomlin, you may be disappointed.

Personally, I was surprised at just how well the Steelers have performed over the years. (I do have breakdowns by decade but am still analyzing them - however, the Steelers are near the top). The one last-place finish in 51 years was perhaps the most surprising, especially considering that they played in a 4-team division from 1970-1994 when most divisions had 5 teams. (For context, Tampa has finished last 22 times in the 45 years)

Sorry if this got long but I hope some found it interesting. I did this purely out of curiosity and hope these numbers don't start any fights!!
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Welcome

Steel Hog · Dec 8, 2021

Great job and analysis. I don't think anyone with half a brain doesn't realize the stability and success this team has had over the decades. However, Steeler fans, just like all others I would think, are a "what have you done for me lately" type of group and mostly concerned with post season achievement. Your info makes me feel so much better knowing the Stains won't see Jack for at least a couple more decades or so JMO>

Thigpen82 · Dec 8, 2021

SteelReal said: ↑

As a person who is a numbers guy (mainly because they're hard to argue against) this is one of the best posts I've seen on here.
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The hardest number to argue against is zero, because it just keeps going round and round in circles.

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Over the years, where do the Steelers rank? Some unbiased numbers.

Rush2seven Well-Known Member

Wardismvp Well-Known Member

jeh1856 Im a happy camper TSF Supporter

jeh1856 Im a happy camper TSF Supporter

Steel Hog Well-Known Member

Thigpen82 Bitter optimist TSF Supporter

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