Steelers Teams Starting 1-2 Making Playoffs? Historically, It Doesn’t Look Good

By Jeremy Hritz

It’s been a rough start to the Steelers season, especially following such a scintillating victory against the Buffalo Bills in the 2021 opener. As it currently stands, the Steelers are 1-2, facing an uphill battle in the uber-competitive AFC North, battling against the Bengals, Browns, and Ravens for an opportunity to make it into the postseason.

Out of curiosity, I wanted to see, dating back to 2000, how many Steelers teams started the year 1-2 and made the playoffs. Surprisingly, in this time frame, this only happened once in 2002 under Bill Cowher in the Tommy Maddox era when the team went 10-5-1, and lost to the Tennessee Titans in the postseason.

Under Mike Tomlin, in the two times he has began the year 1-2, neither of those teams made the playoffs. While a very small sample size, this statistic doesn’t exactly instill confidence in the Steelers moving forward in the 2021 season. Is there precedent for a 1-2 team to compete and win a Super Bowl? Look no further than the 1981 San Francisco 49ers who started 1-2, but finished 13-3 and won the Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Bottom line? The Steelers have to get moving, and get moving fast. History is already not on their side.

YearRecordPlayoffs?
20000-3No
20012-1Yes
20021-2Yes
20032-1No
20042-1Yes
20052-1Yes
20061-2No
20073-0Yes
20082-1Yes
20091-2No
20103-0Yes
20112-1Yes
20121-2No
20130-3No
20142-1Yes
20152-1Yes
20162-1Yes
20172-1Yes
20181-1-1No
20190-3No
20203-0Yes

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