1982 Pittsburgh Steelers season

1982 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Head Coach	Chuck Noll
Home Field	Three Rivers Stadium
Results
Record	6–3
Place	4th AFC (unofficially 2nd AFC Central
Playoff Finish	Lost to the San Diego Chargers in the 1st Round of the Super Bowl Tournament
Pro Bowlers	TE Larry Brown LB Jack Lambert S Donnie Shell WR John Stallworth C Mike Webster
Team MVP	Dwayne Woodruff
Timeline
Previous season	Next season
1981	1983

Steelers 50th Anniversary Logo

The 1982 Pittsburgh Steelers saw the team return to the playoffs after a two-year hiatus. This was also the Steelers 50th Anniversary season. Although the season was shortened as a result of the 1982 strike, the Steelers finished a strong 6–3 record, good enough for fourth in the AFC as a whole. Although division standings were thrown out as a result of the strike, the Steelers unofficially finished second in the AFC Central, one game behind defending AFC Champion Cincinnati.

The 1982 season is best remembered as the final seasons for Hall of Famers Lynn Swann and Jack Ham and the "unofficial" final season of fellow Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw, who would miss much of the 1983 season due to injuries before retiring. On the flip side, it would also be the first year of future Hall of Fame placekicker Gary Anderson and the first year of the team using a 3-4 defense, a style still used by the team as of 2009.

The Steelers would lose in the first round of the playoffs to the San Diego Chargers, in what would be the last home playoff game for the Steelers for the next ten years.

Offseason

The 1982 offseason was the start of a slow transition period for the team, as the defensive line was hit with key retirements in "Mean Joe" Greene and L. C. Greenwood. Partially due to the team losing two key players and partially due to the need to go up against a more wide-open NFL, head coach Chuck Noll switched from the traditional 4–3 defensive alignment (four lineman & three linebackers) to the 3–4 (three lineman & four linebackers). The Steelers would more than make a good transition to the 3–4, as many teams have since tried to copy the Steelers success with the 3–4 alignment, especially since 2001, when the Steelers were the only team in the NFL with the alignment but led the league in defense.

1982 did see the Steelers sign a rookie placekicker from Syracuse named Gary Anderson, claiming him off waivers from Buffalo just before the start of the season. Anderson would stay in Pittsburgh for the next 13 season and play an additional 10 with four other teams to become the Steelers' all-time leading scorer. He retired after the 2004 season as the NFL's all-time leading scorer, a record since surpassed by Morten Andersen.

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Location	Time (ET)	TV	Result	Record
1	Monday September 13	at Dallas Cowboys	Texas Stadium	9:00 pm	ABC	W 36–28	1–0
2	Sunday September 19	Cincinnati Bengals	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 pm	NBC	W 26–20 (OT)	2–0
3	Sunday November 21	at Houston Oilers	Astrodome	1:00 pm	NBC	W 24–10	3–0
4	Sunday November 28	at Seattle Seahawks	Kingdome	4:00 pm	NBC	L 16–0	3–1
5	Sunday December 5	Kansas City Chiefs	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 pm	NBC	W 35–14	4–1
6	Sunday December 12	at Buffalo Bills	Rich Stadium	1:00 pm	NBC	L 13–0	4–2
7	Sunday December 19	at Cleveland Browns	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	1:00 pm	NBC	L 10–9	4–3
8	Sunday December 26	New England Patriots	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 pm	NBC	W 37–14	5–3
9	Sunday January 2	Cleveland Browns	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 pm	NBC	W 37–21	6–3

Game summaries

Week 1 (Monday September 13, 1982): at Dallas Cowboys

	1	2	3	4	OT
Steelers	6	7	17	6	36
Cowboys	7	7	0	14	28

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

• Game time: 9:00 pm EDT
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 63,431
• Referee: Pat Haggerty
• TV announcers: (ABC) Frank Gifford (play by play), Don Meredith & Howard Cosell (color commentators)

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – Stallworth 8 pass from Bradshaw (kick failed)6–0
• Dallas – Pearson 4 pass from D. White (Septien kick)7–6
• PIttsburgh – Smith 7 pass from Bradshaw (Anderson kick)13–7
• Dallas – Cosbie 12 pass from D. White (Septien kick)13–14
• Pittsburgh – Pollard 1 run (Anderson kick)20–14
• Pittsburgh – Smith 15 pass from Bradshaw (Anderson kick)27–14
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 26 30–14
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 43 33–14
• Dallas – T. Hill 45 pass from D. White (Septien kick)33–21
• Dallas – DuPree 5 pass from D. White (Septien kick)33–28
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 40 36–28

Week 2 (Sunday September 19, 1982): vs. Cincinnati Bengals

	1	2	3	4	OT
Bengals	0	3	7	10	20
Steelers	7	3	7	3	26

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 59,973
• Referee: Jim Tunney
• TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – Stallworth 15 pass from Bradshaw (Anderson kick)
• Cincinnati – FG Breech 50
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 25
• Cincinnati – Johnson 1 run (Breech kick)
• Pittsburgh – Cunningham 2 pass from Bradshaw (Anderson kick)
• Cincinnati – Johnson 9 run (Breech kick)
• Cincinnati – FG Breech 31
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 42
• Pittsburgh – Stallworth 2 pass from Bradshaw

Week 3 (Sunday November 21, 1982): at Houston Oilers

	1	2	3	4	OT
Steelers	3	7	7	7	24
Oilers	0	3	7	0	10

at Astrodome, Houston, Texas

• Game time: 1:00 pm EST
• Game weather: Dome
• Game attendance: 42,338
• Referee: Dick Jorgensen
• TV announcers: (NBC) Jay Randolph (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 48
• Pittsburgh – Hawthorne 17 pass from Bradshaw (Anderson kick)
• Houston – FG Kempf 31
• Houston – Casper 9 pass from Nielsen (Kempf kick)
• Pittsburgh – Cunningham 17 pass from Bradshaw (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – Smith 27 pass from Bradshaw (Anderson kick)

Week 4 (Sunday November 28, 1982): at Seattle Seahawks

	1	2	3	4	OT
Steelers	0	0	0	0	0
Seahawks	3	6	7	0	16

at The Kingdome, Seattle, Washington

• Game time: 4:00 pm EST
• Game weather: Dome
• Game attendance: 55,553
• Referee: Fred Silva
• TV announcers: (NBC) Charlie Jones (play by play), Len Dawson (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

• Seattle – FG N. Johnson 35
• Seattle – FG N. Johnson 48
• Seattle – FG N. Johnson 29
• Seattle – Johns 11 pass from Zorn (N. Johnson kick)

Week 5 (Sunday December 5, 1982): vs. Kansas City Chiefs

	1	2	3	4	OT
Chiefs	0	7	0	7	14
Steelers	14	14	0	7	35

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time: 1:00 pm EST
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 52,090
• Referee: Red Cashion
• TV announcers: (NBC) Jay Randolph (play by play), Bob Griese (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – Stallworth 3 pass from Bradshaw (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – Stallworth 74 pass from Bradshaw (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – Hawthorne 5 pass from Bradshaw (Anderson kick)
• Kansas City – B. Jackson 1 run (Lowery kick)
• Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run (Anderson kick)
• Kansas City – Scott 3 pass from Fuller (Lowery kick)
• Pittsburgh – Thornton 2 run (Anderson kick)

Week 6 (Sunday December 12, 1982): at Buffalo Bills

	1	2	3	4	OT
Steelers	0	0	0	0	0
Bills	0	10	3	0	13

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

• Game time: 1:00 pm EST
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 58,391
• Referee: Pat Haggerty
• TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

• Buffalo – Leaks 1 run (Herrera kick)
• Buffalo – FG Herrera 34
• Buffalo – FG Herrera 19

Week 7 (Sunday December 19, 1982): at Cleveland Browns

	1	2	3	4	OT
Steelers	0	7	0	2	9
Browns	3	0	7	0	10

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

• Game time: 1:00 pm EST
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 67,139
• Referee: Jerry Markbreit
• TV announcers: (NBC) Dick Enberg (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

• Cleveland – FG Bahr 44
• Pittsburgh – Stallworth 6 pass from Bradshaw (Anderson kick)
• Cleveland – Davis 1 run (Bahr kick)
• Pittsburgh – Safety, Cox ran out of end zone

Week 8 (Sunday December 26, 1982): vs. New England Patriots

	1	2	3	4	OT
Patriots	0	0	7	7	14
Steelers	10	10	0	17	37

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time: 1:00 pm EST
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 50,515
• Referee: Tom Dooley
• TV announcers: (NBC) Bob Costas (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 21
• Pittsburgh – Pollard 1 run (Anderson kick)
• PIttsburgh – Stallworth 9 pass from Bradshaw (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 25
• New England – Dawson 23 pass from Cavanaugh (J. Smith kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 44
• New England – Morgan 75 pass from Cavanaugh (J. Smith kick)
• Pittsburgh – Hawthorne 46 pass from Bradshaw (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – Abercrombie 1 run (Anderson kick)

Week 9 (Sunday January 2, 1983): vs. Cleveland Browns

	1	2	3	4	OT
Browns	0	7	0	14	21
Steelers	7	6	7	17	37

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time: 1:00 pm EST
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 53,312
• Referee: Ben Dreith
• TV announcers: (NBC) Bob Costas (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – Pinney 3 pass from Bradshaw (Anderson kick)
• Cleveland – Feacher 1 pass from McDonald (Bahr kick)
• Pittsburgh – Rodgers 18 blocked punt return (run failed)
• Pittsburgh – Harris 6 run (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – Smith 38 pass from Bradshaw (Anderson kick)
• Cleveland – Logan 8 pass from McDonald (Bahr kick)
• Cleveland – Feacher 12 pass from McDonald (Bahr kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 34
• Pittsburgh – Abercrombie 1 run (Anderson kick)

Standings

AFC
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
Los Angeles Raiders	8	1	0	.889	260	200
Miami Dolphins	7	2	0	.778	198	131
Cincinnati Bengals	7	2	0	.778	232	177
Pittsburgh Steelers	6	3	0	.667	204	146
San Diego Chargers	6	3	0	.667	288	221
New York Jets	6	3	0	.667	245	166
New England Patriots	5	4	0	.556	143	157
Cleveland Browns	4	5	0	.444	140	182
Buffalo Bills	4	5	0	.444	150	154
Seattle Seahawks	4	5	0	.444	127	147
Kansas City Chiefs	3	6	0	.333	176	184
Denver Broncos	2	7	0	.222	148	226
Houston Oilers	1	8	0	.111	136	245
Baltimore Colts	0	8	1	.056	113	236

Qualified for playoffs

Postseason

Game summary

Super Bowl Tournament: Round 1 (Sunday January 9, 1983): vs. San Diego Chargers

	1	2	3	4	OT
Chargers	3	14	0	14	31
Steelers	14	0	7	7	28

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time: 12:30 pm EST
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 53,546
• Referee: Bob Frederic
• TV announcers: (NBC) Dick Enberg (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – Ruff fumble recovery in end zone (Anderson kick)
• San Diego – FG Benirschke 25
• Pittsburgh – Bradshaw 1 run (Anderson kick)
• San Diego – Brooks 18 run (Benirschke kick)
• San Diego – Sievers 10 pass from Fouts (Benirschke kick)
• Pittsburgh – Cunningham 2 pass from Bradshaw (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – Stallworth 14 pass from Bradshaw (Anderson kick)
• San Diego – Winslow 8 pass from Fouts (Benirschke kick)
• San Diego – Winslow 12 pass from Fouts (Benirschke kick)