After enduring an injury plagued 9-7 season the previous year, and missing the playoffs for the first time since 1971, the Steelers had hoped that the 1980 season was just a small hiatus from contending for championships. However, while the Steelers had flashes of their former glory years after starting the season with 2 unimpressive losses, the 1981 season would end in a 8-8 record and eventually prove to be the beginning of the end of the Steelers great dynasty of the 1970s.
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 pm EDTGame weather:Game attendance: 53,305Referee: Jim TunneyTV announcers: (NBC) Bob Costas (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – Swann 18 pass from Bradshaw (kick failed)Kansas City – Marshall 48 pass from Kenney (Lowery kick)Kansas City – FG Lowery 35Pittsburgh – Harris 7 run (kick failed)Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run (Trout kick)Kansas City – FG Lowery 40Kansas City – Carson 53 pass from Kenney (Lowery kick)Pittsburgh – Hawthorne 1 run (Trout kick)Kansas City – FG Lowery 42Kansas City – McKnight 3 run (Lowery kick)Pittsburgh – Smith 41 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)Kansas City – Howard 65 fumble return (Lowery kick)at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Game time: 8:30 pm EDTGame weather:Game attendance: 74,190Referee: Red CashionTV announcers: (ABC) Frank Gifford (play by play), Fran Tarkenton & Howard Cosell (color commentators)Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – FG Trout 23Miami – Woodley 1 run (kick failed)Miami – Franklin 1 run (von Schamann kick)Pittsburgh – Smith 32 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)Miami – Nathan 13 pass from Woodley (von Schamann kick)Miami – Vigorito 87 punt return (von Schamann kick)Miami – FG von Schamann 32at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 pm EDTGame weather:Game attendance: 52,973Referee: Gordon McCarterTV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – Davis 9 run (Trout kick)Pittsburgh – FG Trout 25Pittsburgh – Pollard 23 run (Trout kick)New York Jets – FG Leahy 47Pittsburgh – Bradshaw 1 run (Trout kick)Pittsburgh – Pollard 1 run (Trout kick)Pittsburgh – Thornton 1 run (Trout kick)New York Jets – McNeil 17 pass from Ryan (Leahy kick)Week 4 (Sunday September 27, 1981): vs. New England Patriots
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 pm EDTGame weather:Game attendance: 53,344Referee: Gene BarthTV announcers: (NBC) Bob Costas (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run (Trout kick)Pittsburgh – Cunningham 1 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)New England – Cavanaugh 1 run (Smith kick)Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run (Trout kick)New England – Collins 10 run (Smith kick)New England – Morgan 12 pass from Cavanaugh (Smith kick)Pittsburgh – Swann 24 pass from Bradshawat Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Game time: 2:00 pm EDTGame weather: DomeGame attendance: 64,578Referee: Jerry SeemanTV announcers: (NBC) Sam Nover (play by play), Harmon Wages (color commentator)Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – Swann 16 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)Pittsburgh – FG Trout 25New Orleans – FG Ricardo 26Pittsburgh – FG Trout 43New Orleans – FG Ricardo 33Pittsburgh – Stallworth 47 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)Week 6 (Sunday October 11, 1981): vs. Cleveland Browns
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 pm EDTGame weather:Game attendance: 53,255Referee: Ben DreithTV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – Stallworth 9 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)Pittsburgh – FG Trout 19Cleveland – Newsome 29 pass from Sipe (Bahr kick)Pittsburgh – FG Trout 23at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Game time: 1:00 pm EDTGame weather:Game attendance: 57,090Referee: Jerry MarkbreitTV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)Scoring Drives:
Cincinnati – FG Breech 27Cincinnati – Johnson 3 run (Breech kick)Cincinnati – FG Breech 23Cincinnati – Verser 73 pass from Ken Anderson (Breech kick)Cincinnati – Alexander 3 run (Breech kick)Cincinnati – Johnson 5 pass from Ken Anderson (Breech kick)Pittsburgh – Smith 17 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 9:00 pm ESTGame weather:Game attendance: 52,732Referee: Fred SilvaTV announcers: (ABC) Frank Gifford (play by play), Don Meredith (color commentator)Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – FG Trout 19Pittsburgh – Smith 46 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)Houston – FG Fritsch 34Pittsburgh – FG Trout 19Houston – Casper 52 pass from Stabler (Fritsch kick)Houston – FG Fritsch 44Pittsburgh – Stallworth 6 pass from Bradshaw (kick failed)Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run (Trout kick)at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 pm ESTGame weather:Game attendance: 52,878Referee: Bob FredericTV announcers: (CBS) Vin Scully (play by play), Hank Stram (color commentator)Scoring Drives:
San Francisco – Young 5 pass from Montana (Wersching kick)San Francisco – FG Wersching 45Pittsburgh – Blount 50 interception return (Trout kick)Pittsburgh – Smith 22 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)San Francisco – Easley 1 run (Wersching kick)at The Kingdome, Seattle, Washington
Game time: 4:00 pm ESTGame weather: DomeGame attendance: 59,058Referee: Dick JorgensenTV announcers: (NBC) Marv Albert (play by play), Jim Turner (color commentator)Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – Harris 6 run (Trout kick)Seattle – FG Herrera 37Pittsburgh – Malone 90 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)Pittsburgh – Thornton 4 run (Trout kick)Seattle – Doornink 44 pass from Zorn (Herrera kick)Seattle – T. Brown 1 run (Herrera kick)Seattle – T. Brown 1 run (Herrera kick)at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Game time: 1:00 pm ESTGame weather:Game attendance: 57,485Referee: Pat HaggertyTV announcers: (NBC) Bob Costas (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – Cunningham 18 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)Pittsburgh – Stallworth 6 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)Atlanta – Jackson 35 pass from Bartkowski (Luckhurst kick)Pittsburgh – Stallworth 19 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)Atlanta – FG Luckhurst 43Pittsburgh – Grossman 14 pass from Bradshaw (kick blocked)Atlanta – Jenkins 30 pass from Bartkowski (Luckhurst kick)Pittsburgh – Swann 22 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)Atlanta – FG Luckhurst 22Week 12 (Sunday November 22, 1981): at Cleveland Browns
at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Game time: 1:00 pm ESTGame weather:Game attendance: 77,958Referee: Gene BarthTV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)Scoring Drives:
Cleveland – FG Bahr 33Pittsburgh – Hawthorne 1 run (kick failed)Pittsburgh – Thornton 3 run (kick failed)Cleveland – Logan 13 pass from Sipe (Bahr kick)Pittsburgh – Harris 2 run (kick failed)Pittsburgh – Pinney 1 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)Pittsburgh – Moser 5 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 pm ESTGame weather:Game attendance: 51,854Referee: Tom DooleyTV announcers: (CBS) Vin Scully (play by play), Hank Stram (color commentator)Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run (Trout kick)Pittsburgh – Swann 9 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)Pittsburgh – Bradshaw 1 run (Trout kick)Pittsburgh – FG Trout 21Week 14 (Monday December 7, 1981): at Oakland Raiders
at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
Game time: 9:00 pm ESTGame weather:Game attendance: 51,769Referee: Jim TunneyTV announcers: (ABC) Frank Gifford (play by play), Don Meredith & Howard Cosell (color commentators)Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – Cunningham 5 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)Oakland – Ramsey 25 pass from Wilson (Bahr kick)Pittsburgh – Smith 19 pass from Malone (Trout kick)Oakland – Whittington 17 pass from Wilson (Bahr kick)Pittsburgh – Malone 11 run (kick failed)Oakland – Chandler 36 pass from Wilson (kick failed)Oakland – Watts 53 punt return (Bahr kick)Oakland – FG Bahr 29Pittsburgh – Smith 17 pass from Malone (Trout kick)at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 pm ESTGame weather:Game attendance: 50,623Referee: Red CashionTV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – FG Trout 48Cincinnati – FG Breech 38Cincinnati – Curtis 2 pass from Ken Anderson (Breech kick)Cincinnati – Kreider 22 pass from Ken Anderson (Breech kick)Pittsburgh – Harris 2 pass from Malone (Trout kick)at Astrodome, Houston, Texas
Game time: 4:00 pm ESTGame weather: DomeGame attendance: 41,056Referee: Bob McElweeTV announcers: (NBC) Phil Stone (play by play), Gene Washington (color commentator)Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – FG Trout 40Houston – Casper 15 pass from Neilsen (Fritsch kick)Houston – Casper 23 pass from Neilsen (Fritsch kick)Pittsburgh – FG Trout 37Pittsburgh – Thornton 17 run (Trout kick)Pittsburgh – Malone 2 run (Trout kick)Houston – Casper 16 pass from Neilsen (Fritsch kick)