The 1990 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 58th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The Steelers did not score an offensive touchdown until the 5th game of the season, but did rebound to a 9–7 record (the same they posted the previous season).
Unlike the previous season, 9–7 was not enough to gain a playoff berth. The Steelers continued to show improvement overcoming a 1-3 start to find themselves in a showdown with the Oilers in Houston for the AFC's final playoff spot in the final game of the season. However, the Steelers were never in the game as the Oilers beat the Steelers 34-14 ending their season without the playoffs.
Week 1 (Sunday September 9, 1990): at Cleveland Browns
at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
Game weather:
Game attendance: 78,298
Referee: Dick Hantak
TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)
Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 19
Cleveland – Blaylock 30 fumble return (Kauric kick)
Cleveland – FG Kauric 28
Cleveland – FG Kauric 47
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 8:00 pm EDT
Game weather: 56°F (Cloudy)
Game attendance: 54,814
Referee: Gene Barth
TV announcers: (TNT) Skip Caray (play by play), Pat Haden (color commentator)
Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – D. Johnson 26 interception return (Anderson kick)
Houston – White 1 run (Zendejas kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 31
Houston – Safety, Childress tackled Brister in end zone
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 27
Pittsburgh – Woodson 52 punt return (Anderson kick)
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
Game weather:
Game attendance: 50,657
Referee: Howard Roe
TV announcers: (NBC) Marv Albert (play by play), Paul Maguire (color commentator)
Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 31
Los Angeles Raiders – FG Jaeger 40
Los Angeles Raiders – FG Jaeger 45
Los Angeles Raiders – Allen 1 run (Jaeger kick)
Los Angeles Raiders – Fernandez 66 pass from Schroeder (Jaeger kick)
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
Game weather: 57°F (Cloudy)
Game attendance: 54,691
Referee: Gerald Austin
TV announcers: (NBC) Marv Albert (play by play), Paul Maguire (color commentator)
Scoring Drives:
Miami – S. Smith 1 run (Stoyanovich kick)
Miami – S. Smith 7 run (Stoyanovich kick)
Clayton 35 pass from Marino (Stoyanovich kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 46
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 35
Miami – Paige 1 run (Stoyanovich kick)
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
Game weather: 75°F (Mostly Cloudy)
Game attendance: 53,486
Referee: Tom White
TV announcers: (NBC) Joel Meyers (play by play), Ahmad Rashad (color commentator)
Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 45
San Diego – Plummer 2 pass from Tolliver (Reveiz kick)
Pittsburgh – Green 8 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
Pittsburgh – Green 1 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
Pittsburgh – W. Williams 2 run (Anderson kick)
San Diego – L. Miller fumble recovery in end zone (Reveiz kick)
Pittsburgh – Safety, Stone blocked punt out of end zone
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 45
Pittsburgh – Foster 2 run (Anderson kick)
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
Game weather:
Game attendance: 74,285
Referee: Jerry Markbreit
TV announcers: (NBC) Joel Meyers (play by play), Ahmad Rashad (color commentator)
Scoring Drives:
Denver – Winder 1 run (Treadwell kick)
Denver – FG Treadwell 24
Pittsburgh – Lipps 6 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
Denver – Sewell 2 run (Treadwell kick)
Pittsburgh – Green 3 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
Pittsburgh – Hoge 6 run (Anderson kick)
Pittsburgh – Green 10 pass from Brister (kick failed)
Pittsburgh – Green 3 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California
Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
Game weather:
Game attendance: 64,301
Referee: Jim Tunney
TV announcers: (NBC) Dick Enberg (play by play), Bill Walsh (color commentator)
Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – Bell 2 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
San Francisco – FG Cofer 39
San Francisco – Sherrard 5 pass from Montana (Cofer kick)
San Francisco – FG Cofer 20
San Francisco – Rathman 1 run (Cofer kick)
San Francisco – Rathman 1 run (Cofer kick)
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 9:00 pm EST
Game weather: 39°F (Clear)
Game attendance: 56,466
Referee: Dick Hantak
TV announcers: (ABC) Al Michaels (play by play), Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf (color commentators)
Scoring Drives:
Los Angeles Rams – Greens 100 kickoff return (Lansford kick)
Pittsburgh – Hoge 6 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
Pittsburgh – Green 17 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
Los Angeles Rams – FG Lansford 32
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 42
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 30
Pittsburgh – Hoge 1 run (Anderson kick)
Pittsburgh – Stone 8 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
Pittsburgh – Hoge 2 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 pm EST
Game weather: 67°F (Mostly Cloudy)
Game attendance: 57,093
Referee: Johnny Grier
TV announcers: (CBS) Brad Nessler (play by play), Dan Jiggetts (color commentator)
Scoring Drives:
Atlanta – FG Davis 41
Atlanta – FG Davis 43
Atlanta – FG Davis 38
Pittsburgh – Lipps 11 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
Pittsburgh – Mularkey 19 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
Pittsburgh – Williams 70 run (Anderson kick)
at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Game time: 8:00 pm EST
Game weather:
Game attendance: 60,064
Referee: Tom Dooley
TV announcers: (ESPN) Mike Patrick (play by play), Joe Theismann (color commentator)
Scoring Drives:
Cincinnati – Woods 5 run (Breech kick)
Cincinnati – FG Breech 21
Cincinnati – Taylor 1 run (Breech kick)
CIncinnati – Bussey 70 fumble return (Breech kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 31
Cincinnati – FG Breech 33
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Game time: 4:00 pm EST
Game weather:
Game attendance: 57,806
Referee: Bob McElwee
TV announcers: (NBC) Marv Albert (play by play), Paul Maguire (color commentator)
Scoring Drives:
New York Jets – Moore 53 pass from O'Brien (Leahy kick)
Pittsburgh – W. Williams 5 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 33
Pittsburgh – Hoge 1 run (Anderson kick)
Pittsburgh – Lipps 3 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 pm EST
Game weather: 45°F (Mostly Cloudy)
Game attendance: 58,200
Referee: Jerry Markbreit
TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)
Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 32
Cincinnati – Brown 50 pass from Esiason (Breech kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 36
Cincinnati – Safety, Francis tackled Brister in end zone
Cincinnati – Brooks 7 run (Breech kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 29
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 48
Week 14 (Sunday December 9, 1990): vs. New England Patriots
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 pm EST
Game weather: 43°F (Partly Cloudy)
Game attendance: 48,354
Referee: Dale Hamer
TV announcers: (NBC) Tom Hammond (play by play), Joe Namath (color commentator)
Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 42
Pittsburgh – Hoge 8 run (Anderson kick)
New England – FG Staurovsky 49
Pittsburgh – Green 14 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
Pittsburgh – Hoge 41 run (Anderson kick)
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Game time: 1:00 pm EST
Game weather: Dome
Game attendance: 68,582
Referee: Howard Roe
TV announcers: (NBC) Marv Albert (play by play), Paul Maguire (color commentator)
Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 29
New Orleans – FG Andersen 50
New Orleans – FG Andersen 43
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 42
Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 43
Week 16 (Sunday December 23, 1990): vs. Cleveland Browns
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 pm EST
Game weather: 36°F (Fog)
Game attendance: 51,665
Referee: Johnny Grier
TV announcers: (NBC) Joel Meyers (play by play), Ahmad Rashad (color commentator)
Scoring Drives:
Pittsburgh – Mularkey 20 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
Pittsburgh – Calloway 20 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
Pittsburgh – Mularkey 2 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
Pittsburgh – Hoge 20 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
Pittsburgh – W. Williams 1 run (Anderson kick)
at Astrodome, Houston, Texas
Game time: 8:00 pm EST
Game weather: Dome
Game attendance: 56,906
Referee: Gerald Austin
TV announcers: (ESPN) Mike Patrick (play by play), Joe Theismann (color commentator)
Scoring Drives:
Houston – White 1 run (Garcia kick)
Houston – Givins 14 pass from Carlson (Garcia kick)
Houston – Hill 3 pass from Carlson (Garcia kick)
Houston – FG Garcia 47
Pittsburgh – Hoge 4 run (Anderson kick)
Houston – Jeffires 53 pass from Carlson (Garcia kick)
Pittsburgh – Hoge 3 run (Anderson kick)
Houston – FG Garcia 45
