The Pittsburgh Steelers are two wins away from breaking the NFL record for most consecutive non-losing seasons, a mark they currently share with the Dallas Cowboys. Their streak, which began in 2004, has seen sustained success under coaches Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin, including multiple Super Bowl victories. However, former coach Bruce Arians recently noted that the current 2025 team does not resemble the Steelers football he knew.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' remarkable run of non-losing seasons dates back to 2004, when they posted a franchise-record 15 regular-season wins. That year, rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger won his first 13 career starts, an NFL record. As former safety Troy Polamalu reflected, "It legitimized the fact that we can play with the big boys." Midway through the season, Pittsburgh defeated unbeaten teams like Philadelphia and New England, though they fell to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
The following year, the Steelers made history as the first No. 6 seed to win the Super Bowl, defeating the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in Super Bowl XL. This capped Bill Cowher's 15-year tenure, during which he led the team to the playoffs in his first six seasons, tying Paul Brown's record. Mike Tomlin took over in 2007 and has since guided Pittsburgh to two more Super Bowl titles, including a 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
Pittsburgh reached the Super Bowl again in 2010 but lost 31-25 to the Green Bay Packers. The 2011 wild-card loss to Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos stands out as a shocking upset. From 2014 to 2017, an explosive offense fueled three AFC North titles and four straight playoff appearances, culminating in a 2016 AFC Championship Game berth. In 2017, they finished 13-3 before a playoff defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The 2020s have brought four playoff trips in five years from 2020 to 2024, but no postseason wins since beating the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016. At 7-6 in the 2025 season, the Steelers lead the AFC North by one game over the Baltimore Ravens and eye their first division title since 2020.
Two wins from surpassing the Cowboys' 20-year streak (1965-1985), Tomlin nears tying Bill Belichick for second-most consecutive non-losing seasons by a coach. Yet, former offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, who helped win two Super Bowls from 2004-2011, critiqued the current squad on December 11, 2025: "It’s a totally different team than when I was there... To watch them play now, it’s not Steeler football that I know." Arians pointed to a diminished defense compared to Ben Roethlisberger's prime and the Killer B's era, which produced three playoff wins but no Super Bowl.
Despite weaknesses in defense and rushing, Pittsburgh remains competitive in a dysfunctional division, with hopes of ending their playoff drought.
