Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most successful franchises in NFL History, but despite all their success, there is one thing they have never been able to accomplish: The Steelers have NEVER won a Thursday night road game against a division opponent.
The Steelers had a chance to end that streak in Week 7, but instead were defeated by the Cincinnati Bengals at Pacore Stadium, 33-31. In franchise history, the Steelers have played a total of nine Thursday division games on the road, and they have gone 0-9 in those games, including an 0-7 record under Mike Tomlin.
In Cincinnati, the Steelers had no answer for Joe Flacco, who threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Ja'Marr Chase also had a franchise-high 16 catches to help the Bengals advance.
It was another disappointment for the Steelers on Thursday.
Thursday's losing streak began in 1980 with a loss to the Houston Oilers and has continued for 45 years.
|
Oilers (AFC Central) |
Oilers 6-0 |
December 4, 1980 |
|
Jaguars (AFK Central) |
Jaguars 20-6 |
December 2, 1999 |
|
Browns (AFC North) |
Browns 13- |
December 10, 2009 |
|
Crows (AFK North) |
Crows 22-20 |
November 28, 2013 |
|
Ravens (AFC North) |
Ravens 26-6 |
September 11, 2014 |
|
Browns (AFC North) |
Browns 21-7 |
November 14, 2019 |
|
Browns (AFC North) |
Browns 29–17 |
September 22, 2022 |
|
Browns (AFC North) |
Browns 24–19 |
November 21, 2024 |
This streak has gone on so long that the Steelers have played two division games against opponents that aren't even in their division anymore (Jaguars and Oilers/Titans).
It's not just about division games, however, as Thursday nights are usually a nightmare for the Steelers. Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the Steelers are now 3-16 in Thursday road games, the worst winning percentage of all. NFL team in this interval.
Here's a look at the three teams with the worst records in Thursday road games since 1970 (according to CBS Sports Research):
1. Steelers: 3–16 (0.158)
2. Browns: 2–8 (0.200)
3. Jets: 3–11 (0.214)
The fact that the Browns and Jets are on this list is no surprise to anyone, but the Steelers' appearance on it is definitely shocking. Overall, the Steelers are 12-19 on Thursdays in franchise history.
If you only look at the games played since Tomlin was hired, the numbers don't get any better. The Steelers coach is 2-10 on the road in Thursday games, including 0-7 against division opponents. Since the start of the 2019 season, the Steelers are 1-6 on Thursday nights.
Considering the Steelers are facing Flacco, perhaps we should have known that Pittsburgh just wasn't going to win. The Bengals' win gives Flacco 12 career wins over the Steelers, tied with Tom Brady for the most wins over Pittsburgh in NFL history.
Flacco and Rogers gave us a historic duel on Thursday night: match became the second pairing of two quarterbacks in history. over 40 years old. The only time this happened was in 2020, when Brady and Drew Brees played each other three times while playing for pirates And Saints.
Rodgers threw for 249 yards and four touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions in the loss.
