The 1975Pittsburgh Steelersseason was the franchise's 43rd in the National Football League. The Steelers were defending champions for the first time in their forty-year history and repeated as league champions. The team was led by a dominating defense and a quick offense, and won Super Bowl X over the Dallas Cowboys, 21–17. The 1975 Steelers had one of the greatest defensive teams of all time. The team posted their best defensive numbers since 1946, and scored more points than any other Steelers team up to that point. The Super Bowl XIV-winning 1979 team would break that record by scoring 416 points, 43 more than the 1975 team.
In 2007, the 1975 Steelers were ranked as the seventh greatest Super Bowl champions on the NFL Network's documentary series America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions, with team commentary from Lynn Swann, Dwight White, and Mike Wagner, and narrated by Bruce Willis. The Steelers had a +211 point differential, a franchise record still standing today. Half of the Steelers' twelve wins were by three touchdowns. The biggest of them was when they shut out San Diego by a gory 37–0 scoreline in the opener on September 21.[1][2]
During the preseason, the Steelers acquired undrafted free-agent, John Banaszak. The Defensive tackle from Eastern Michigan played in three games and later became the 1975 Team ROY (Rookie of the Year).
In Week 2, the Steelers, coming off a crushing defeat of the Chargers in Week 1, came to play revenge eager Buffalo in Pittsburgh. The Bills had been beaten the previous year by the Steelers in the playoffs, 32-14. Chuck Noll had warned the team the previous week that the team did not play very well, however, the players ignored him and were beaten by a 227-yard-rushing day by RB O.J. Simpson, 30-21. (1-1)
In this Week 3 matchup, the Steelers would be hosted by the Cleveland Browns. These two teams had already been established as one of the league's best rivalries by this time, and Joe Greene's infamous kicking of the Browns lineman Bob McKay only fueled the rivalry. The fight that broke out afterwards caught it on fire. Greene was later fined $500 while the Steelers beat the Browns, 42-6. (2-1) This was the first of eleven consecutive victories for the Steelers.
Week 4
1
2
3
4
Total
Broncos
3
6
0
0
9
• Steelers
7
10
0
3
20
Date: October 12
Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
In Week 5, the Steelers crushed Chicago, 34-3. Three weeks after the Steelers were beaten by Buffalo, the team was 4-1, and had allowed only 18 points during the last three weeks while scoring 99. (4-1)
John Stallworth 21-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
Steelers 24–17
In this heated Week 8 battle, the Steelers would play host to the Houston Oilers. Pittsburgh sealed the win with a 4th quarter touchdown pass from #12 Terry Bradshaw to #82 John Stallworth that placed them at the top of the division. (7-1)
Week 9
1
2
3
4
Total
Chiefs
0
3
0
0
3
• Steelers
0
7
14
7
28
Date: November 16
Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
^"Number three". Three Rivers top Greatest Play and Game. PittsburghSteelers.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2009. Retrieved August 7, 2008.