The 1989 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 57th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. They were considered a rebuilding team filled with many young players, especially after the release of longtime

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

Mike Webster Michael Lewis Webster (March 18, 1952September 24, 2002) was an American professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) from 1974 to 1990 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. He is a membe ...

in the offseason. The young team showed its inexperience in the first game of the season, when they lost at home to the

archrival A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

51–0. The loss marked the Steelers worst defeat in franchise history. The following week wasn't much better, losing 41–10 to another division rival, the defending AFC Champion

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

. However, the Steelers clinched the final playoff spot in the last week in the season with a 9–7 record.

Chuck Noll Chuck is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to: People Arts and entertainment * Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet * Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV producer * ...

, in his 21st season as the team's head coach, was named the NFL's Coach of the Year for the only time in his coaching career. In the first round of the playoffs, the Steelers would have a memorable come-from-behind overtime victory over the division-rival

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...

26–23, which saw Gary Anderson kick a game-winning, 50-yard

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

in the extra period. The following week, the Steelers nearly pulled off a major upset against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

Mile High Stadium Mile High Stadium (originally Bears Stadium until 1968) was an outdoor multi-purpose stadium located in Denver, Colorado from 1948 to 2001. The stadium was built in 1948 to accommodate the Denver Bears baseball team, which was a member of the ...

before losing 24–23 on a Melvin Bratton one-yard touchdown run with 2:22 remaining in the game. Though the Steelers would not make the playoffs again under Chuck Noll (missing in

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

with an identical 9–7 record and again in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

at 7–9 despite a second-place finish that year), the season did set the tone for the team's return to prominence in the 1990s under his successor,

Bill Cowher William Laird Cowher (born May 8, 1957) is an American sports analyst, former football player and coach. Following a six-year playing career as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), he served as a head coach in the NFL for 15 seas ...

. Until 2015, it was the last season the Steelers made the playoffs in a season the

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

. Each of the next six such seasons (1991, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012) would see the team missing the playoffs.

Staff

Roster

Offseason

The offseason was marked with the team deciding not to renew the contract of longtime center

. Webster's release marked the end of the

-era players on the team. Although

Dwayne Woodruff Dwayne Donzell Woodruff (born February 18, 1957) is a judge and former professional American football player who played twelve seasons as a cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he accumulated 37 interceptions after being drafted in the si ...

was still with the Steelers and had won a Super Bowl ring during his rookie year, Webster had been the last member on the team that won all four Super Bowls. Webster would be succeeded at center with a young

Dermontti Dawson Dermontti Farra Dawson (born June 17, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was a center and long snapper in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football with the Kentucky Wildcats. He was drafted by th ...

, who was drafted the year before to be groomed as Webster's replacement, and like Webster would go on to an

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list th ...

career as one of the best at his position. Meanwhile, the team drafted

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

Carnell Lake Carnell Augustino Lake (born July 15, 1967) is an American former professional football player and coach who is the defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League (USFL). He was a safety and cornerback in the ...

in the second round of the 1989 draft. Lake would be a key member of the team's defense through the 1998 season, although his accomplishments would often be underlooked as opposed to his teammate,

Rod Woodson Roderick Kevin Woodson (born March 10, 1965) is an American former professional football defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. He is currently the Head Coach of the XFL's Vegas Vipers. Woodson was drafted in the ...

Preseason

Schedule

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1

The Steelers and

faced off against their divisional rival Browns and former defensive coordinator

Bud Carson Leon H. "Bud" Carson (April 28, 1930 – December 7, 2005) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the Georgia Institute of Technology from 1967 to 1971, compiling a record of 27–27. Carson then coa ...

in the season opener.

Week 2 (Sunday September 17, 1989): at
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

''at

Riverfront Stadium Riverfront Stadium, also known as Cinergy Field from 1996 to 2002, was a multi-purpose stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States that was the home of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball from 1970 through 2002 and the Cincinnati Bengals o ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

'' * Game time: 1:00 pm EDT * Game weather: * Game attendance: 53,885 * Referee:

Dick Jorgensen Richard M. Jorgensen (April 12, 1934 – October 10, 1990) was an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) for 22 years, through the 1989 season, the last 19 years as a referee. Jorgensen's officiating career was highligh ...

* TV announcers: (NBC)

Don Criqui Don Criqui (born October 1, 1940) is an American sportscaster. He holds the record for longest-tenured NFL broadcaster in U.S. TV history, calling NFL football for 47 seasons (1967-2013) on NBC and CBS. Criqui's final NFL broadcast came on Dec ...

(play by play),

Ahmad Rashad Ahmad Rashad (born Robert Earl Moore; November 19, 1949) is an American sportscaster and former professional football player. He was the fourth overall selection of the 1972 NFL Draft, taken by the St. Louis Cardinals. He was known as Bobby Moor ...

(color commentator) Scoring drives: * Cincinnati – FG Gallery 26 * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 38 * Cincinnati – Brown 27 pass from Esiason (Gallery kick) * Cincinnati – FG Gallery 47 * Cincinnati – Woods 1 run (Gallery kick) * Pittsburgh – Hill 7 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) * CIncinnati – Jennings 1 run (Gallery kick) * CIncinnati – Brooks 2 run (Gallery kick) * Cincinnati – Jennings 43 pass from Esiason (Gallery kick)

Week 3 (Sunday September 24, 1989): vs.
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

''at

Three Rivers Stadium Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Built ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

'' * Game time: 1:00 pm EDT * Game weather: 54 °F (Cloudy) * Game attendance: 50,744 * Referee:

Dick Hantak Dick Hantak (born October 3, 1938) is a former American football official in the National Football League (NFL). He was in the NFL for 25 years between 1978 and 2003. He began his NFL officiating career as a back judge and became a referee eight y ...

* TV announcers: (CBS) Steve Zabriskie (play by play),

Hank Stram Henry Louis Stram (; January 3, 1923 – July 4, 2005) was an American football coach. He is best known for his 15-year tenure with the Dallas Texans / Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (N ...

(color commentator) Scoring drives: * Pittsburgh – Mularkey 15 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) * Minnesota – Wilson 1 run (Garcia kick) * Pittsburgh – Worley 8 run (Anderson kick) * Minnesota – Thomas 27 fumble return (Garcia kick) * Pittsburgh – Hoge 2 run (Anderson kick) * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 38 * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 44

Week 4 (Sunday October 1, 1989): at
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

''at

Pontiac Silverdome The Pontiac Silverdome (also known simply as the Silverdome) was a stadium in Pontiac, Michigan. It opened in 1975 and sat on 199 acres (51 ha) of land. When the stadium opened, it featured a fiberglass fabric roof held up by air pressure, ...

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit. Founde ...

'' * Game time: 1:00 pm EDT * Game weather: Dome * Game attendance: 43,804 * Referee:

Ben Dreith Ben Dreith (February 1, 1925April 25, 2021) was an American professional football on-field official who worked from 1960 to 1969 in the American Football League (AFL) and from 1970 to 1990 in the NFL. Prior to his teaching and officiating career ...

* TV announcers: (NBC)

(play by play),

(color commentator) Scoring drives: * Detroit – FG Murray 37 * Pittsburgh – Lipps 48 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 20 * Pittsburgh – Carter 1 run (Anderson kick) * Pittsburgh – Wallace 2 run (pass failed)

Week 5 (Sunday October 8, 1989): vs.
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

''at

'' * Game time: 1:00 pm EDT * Game weather: 43 °F (Cloudy) * Game attendance: 52,785 * Referee: Howard Roe * TV announcers: (NBC)

Joel Meyers Joel Meyers is an American sportscaster who is the play-by-play announcer of the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also is the lead host of "Above the Rim", which airs weekdays from 10am-1pm ET on SiriusXM NB ...

(play by play),

Paul Maguire Paul Leo Maguire (born August 22, 1938) is a former American professional football player and television sportscaster. Early sports career Maguire attended Ursuline High School in Youngstown, Ohio where he was an All State wide receiver and ...

(color commentator) Scoring drives: * Pittsburgh – Carter 22 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) * Cincinnati – FG Breech 24 * Cincinnati – FG Breech 27 * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 24 * Cincinnati – Martin 7 pass from Esiason (Breech kick) * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 40 * Cincinnati – Brooks 13 run (kick failed) * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 34 * Cincinnati – Brooks 65 run (Breech kick)

Week 6 (Sunday October 15, 1989): at
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

''at

Cleveland Municipal Stadium Cleveland Stadium, commonly known as Municipal Stadium, Lakefront Stadium or Cleveland Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball an ...

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

'' * Game time: 4:00 pm EDT * Game weather: * Game attendance: 78,840 * Referee:

Gene Barth Gene Barth (February 1, 1930 – October 11, 1991) was an American football official in the National Football League (NFL). He was the referee in Super Bowl XVIII, played January 22, 1984."Gene F. Barth Dies; Was NFL Official For 20 Years", St. ...

* TV announcers: (NBC)

(play by play),

(color commentator) Scoring drives: * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 49 * Pittsburgh – Carter 14 pass from Blackledge (Anderson kick) * Cleveland – Metcalf 2 run (Bahr kick) * Pittsburgh – Williams 1 run (Anderson kick)

Week 7 (Sunday October 22, 1989): at
Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...

''at

Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Houston ...

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

'' * Game time: 1:00 pm EDT * Game weather: Dome * Game attendance: 59,091 * Referee:

Jerry Markbreit Jerry Markbreit (born March 23, 1935) is a former American football referee in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons and became one of the most recognizable referees in the game. Markbreit officiated football games for 43 seasons. F ...

* TV announcers: (NBC)

Tom Hammond Thomas Taylor Hammond (born May 10, 1944) is an American sportscaster. Hammond is primarily known for his work with NBC Sports from 1984 to the present. Hammond is one of the network's staple on-air presenters, along with Bob Costas and Dan Hic ...

(play by play),

Joe Namath Joseph William Namath (; ; born May 31, 1943) is a former American football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He played college foot ...

(color commentator) Scoring drives: * Houston – Highsmith 3 pass from Moon (Zendejas kick) * Houston – FG Zendejas 41 * Houston – Duncan 51 pass from Moon (Zendejas kick) * Houston – Highsmith 5 pass from Moon (Zendejas kick) * Houston – FG Zendejas 51

Week 8 (Sunday October 29, 1989): vs.
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

''at

'' * Game time: 1:00 pm EST * Game weather: 72 °F (Mostly Cloudy) * Game attendance: 54,194 * Referee: Tom Dooley * TV announcers: (NBC)

(play by play),

(color commentator) Scoring drives: * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 41 * Pittsburgh – Lipps 16 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 47 * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 29 * Kansas City – FG Lowery 50 * Kansas City – Mandley 8 pass from DeBerg (Lowery kick) * Kansas City – Maas 4 fumble return (Lowery kick) * Pittsburgh – Lipps 64 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)

Week 9 (Sunday November 5, 1989): at
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

''at

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

'' * Game time: 4:00 pm EST * Game weather: * Game attendance: 74,739 * Referee:

Red Cashion Mason Lee "Red" Cashion (November 10, 1931February 10, 2019) was an American football official for 25 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), where he was the referee for two Super Bowls. Biography Cashion started officiating in 1952 whil ...

* TV announcers: (NBC)

Marv Albert Marv Albert (born Marvin Philip Aufrichtig; June 12, 1941) is an American retired sportscaster. Honored for his work as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, he was commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball". From 1967 to 2004, he ...

(play by play),

Bob Trumpy Robert Theodore Trumpy Jr. (born March 6, 1945) is a former professional American football tight end who played for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1968 through 1977. He was a two-time National Football League Pro Bowler and a two-time American Footb ...

(color commentator) Scoring drives: * Denver – Humphrey 22 run (Treadwell kick) * Denver – FG Treadwell 26 * Pittsburgh – Carter 15 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) * Denver – FG Treadwell 26 * Denver – Johnson 44 pass from Elway (Treadwell kick) * Denver – Elway 2 run (Treadwell kick) * Denver – Humphrey 12 run (Treadwell kick)

Week 10 (Sunday November 12, 1989): vs.
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

''at

'' * Game time: 1:00 pm EST * Game weather: 47 °F (Partly Cloudy) * Game attendance: 56,505 * Referee:

Gordon McCarter Gordon McCarter (May 26, 1931 − December 20, 2002) was an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) from 1967 to 1995. He joined the NFL as a line judge and back judge (now known as the field judge) in 1967 before being pro ...

* TV announcers: (CBS)

Jim Nantz James William Nantz III (born May 17, 1959) is an American sportscaster who has worked on telecasts of the National Football League (NFL), NCAA Division I men's basketball, the NBA and the PGA Tour for CBS Sports since the 1980s. He has anchor ...

(play by play),

Pat Haden Patrick Capper Haden (born January 23, 1953) is the former athletic director at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles from August 2010 to June 2016. He played quarterback for the USC Trojans before playing professionally in ...

(color commentator) Scoring drives: * Chicago – N. Anderson 2 run (Butler kick) * Chicago – FG Butler 39 * Chicago – Muster 20 pass from Harbaugh (Butler kick) * Chicago – FG Butler 35

Week 11 (Sunday November 19, 1989): vs.
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

''at

'' * Game time: 1:00 pm EST * Game weather: 31 °F (Cloudy) * Game attendance: 44,203 * Referee:

Bob McElwee Robert T. "Bob" McElwee (born August 20, 1935 in Camden, New Jersey) is a former American football official, who served for 42 years, with 27 of those years in the National Football League (NFL) from 1976 to 2003. In the NFL, he wore the uniform ...

* TV announcers: (NBC)

(play by play),

(color commentator) Scoring drives: * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 49 * San Diego – A. Miller 20 pass from McMahon (Bahr kick) * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 28 * San Diego – FG Bahr 27 * Pittsburgh – Woodson 84 kickoff return (Anderson kick) * San Diego – A. Miller 18 pass from McMahon (Bahr kick) * Pittsburgh – Hoge 1 run (Anderson kick)

Week 12 (Sunday November 26, 1989): at
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

''at

Joe Robbie Stadium Hard Rock Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Miami Gardens, Florida. The stadium is the home field for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) and the Miami Hurricanes, the University of Miami's NCAA Division I college ...

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

'' * Game time: 1:00 pm EST * Game weather: * Game attendance: 59,936 * Referee:

* TV announcers: (NBC)

(play by play),

(color commentator) Steelers get first ever win against the Dolphins in Miami. This game was played in a driving rain storm. Scoring drives: * Miami – Smith 1 run (Stoyanovich kick) * Miami – Clayton 66 pass from Marino (Stoyanovich kick) * Pittsburgh – Hoge 1 run (Anderson kick) * Pittsburgh – Woodruff 21 with lateral after Lake 2 fumble return (Anderson kick) * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 27 * Pittsburgh – Hoge 5 run (Anderson kick) * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 42 * Pittsburgh – Hoge 1 run (Anderson kick)

Week 13 (Sunday December 3, 1989): vs.
Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...

''at

'' * Game time: 1:00 pm EST * Game weather: 22 °F (Light Snow Showers) * Game attendance: 40,541 * Referee:

* TV announcers: (NBC) Jim Donovan (play by play),

(color commentator) Scoring drives: * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 18 * Pittsburgh – Hoge 4 run (Anderson kick) * Houston – Duncan 18 pass from Moon (Zendejas kick) * Houston – Hill 27 pass from Moon (Zendejas kick) * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 37 * Houston – Safety, McDowell tackled Newsome in end zone * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 18 * Houston – White 1 run (Zendejas kick)

Week 14 (Sunday December 10, 1989): at
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

''at

Giants Stadium Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands or The Swamp) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and it primarily hosted sp ...

East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 10,022, reflecting an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 8,913 counted in the 2010 census.

'' * Game time: 1:00 pm EST * Game weather: * Game attendance: 41,037 * Referee:

Johnny Grier Johnny Grier (April 16, 1947 – March 8, 2022) was an American football official for 23 years in the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 to 2004. He began in the NFL as a field judge before becoming the first African-American referee in th ...

* TV announcers: (NBC)

(play by play),

(color commentator) Scoring drives: * Pittsburgh – Worley 35 run (Anderson kick) * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 42 * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 45

Week 15 (Sunday December 17, 1989): vs.
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

''at

'' * Game time: 1:00 pm EST * Game weather: 5 °F (Cloudy) * Game attendance: 26,594 * Referee: Tom Dooley * TV announcers: (NBC) Jim Donovan (play by play),

Jimmy Cefalo James Carmen Cefalo (born October 6, 1956) is an American journalist, news broadcaster and sports broadcaster, radio talk show host, Voice of the Miami Dolphins, businessman, wine enthusiast and former professional American football wide receiver ...

(color commentator) Scoring drives: * Pittsburgh – Worley 8 run (Anderson kick) * New England – FG Staurovsky 20 * Pittsburgh – Hoge 1 run (Anderson kick) * Pittsburgh – Lipps 58 run (Anderson kick) * Pittsburgh – Hoge 2 run (Anderson kick) * New England – C. Jones 12 pass from Wilson (Staurovsky kick)

Week 16 (Sunday December 24, 1989): at
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

* Game time: 1:00 pm EST * Game weather: * Game attendance: 29,690 * Referee:

Jerry Seeman Jerry T. Seeman (March 11, 1936 − November 24, 2013) was an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) from 1975 to 1990 and was the NFL's Senior Director of Officiating from 1991 to 2001, succeeding Art McNally. In his 16 ...

* TV announcers: (NBC)

(play by play),

(color commentator) Scoring drives: * Pittsburgh – Worley 1 run (Anderson kick) * Tampa Bay – Carrier 7 pass from Ferguson ( Igwebuike kick) * Pittsburgh – Lipps 79 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) * Tampa Bay – FG Igwebuike 45 * Pittsburgh – Lipps 12 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 32 * Tampa Bay – FG Igwebuike 24 * Pittsburgh – Worley 1 run (Anderson kick) * Tampa Bay – Safety Cocroft blocked punt out of end zone * Tampa Bay – Carrier 39 pass from Ferguson (Igwebuike kick)

Standings

Playoffs

Game summaries

AFC Wild Card Playoff (Sunday December 31, 1989): at
Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...

''at

'' * Game time: 4:00 pm EST * Game weather: Dome * Game attendance: 58,306 * Referee: Pat Haggerty * TV announcers: (NBC)

(play by play),

(color commentator) Scoring drives: * Pittsburgh – Worley 9 run (Anderson kick) * Houston – FG Zendejas 26 * Houston – FG Zendejas 35 * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 25 * Houston – FG Zendejas 26 * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 30 * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 48 * Houston – Givins 18 pass from Moon (Zendejas kick) * Houston – Givins 9 pass from Moon (Zendejas kick) * Pittsburgh – Hoge 2 run (Anderson kick) * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 50

AFC Divisional Playoff (Sunday January 7, 1990): at
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

''at

'' * Game time: 4:00 pm EST * Game weather: * Game attendance: 75,868 * Referee:

* TV announcers: (NBC)

Dick Enberg Richard Alan Enberg (January 9, 1935 – December 21, 2017) was an American sportscaster. Over the course of an approximately 60-year career, he provided play-by-play of various sports for several radio and television networks, including N ...

(play by play), Bill Walsh (color commentator) Scoring drives: * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 32 * Pittsburgh – Hoge 7 run (Anderson kick) * Denver – Bratton 1 run (Treadwell kick) * Pittsburgh – Lipps 9 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) * Denver – FG Treadwell 43 * Denver – Johnson 37 pass from Elway (Treadwell kick) * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 35 * Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 32 * Denver – Bratton 1 run (Treadwell kick)

Awards and honors

Tunch Ilkin Tunch Ilkin (born Tunç Ali İlkin; September 23, 1957 – September 4, 2021) was a Turkish-born player of American football and sports broadcaster. A two-time Pro Bowl selection as an offensive tackle with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was the f ...

, AFC Pro Bowl *

, Steelers Rookie of the Year *

, AFC Pro Bowl

References

External links

1989 Pittsburgh Steelers season
at Profootballreference.com
1989 Pittsburgh Steelers season
statistics at jt-sw.com {{1989 NFL season by team Pittsburgh Steelers seasons

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

Pitts

Staff

Roster

Offseason

Preseason

Schedule

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1

Week 4 (Sunday October 1, 1989): at Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

Week 7 (Sunday October 22, 1989): at Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...

Standings

Playoffs

Game summaries

Awards and honors

References

External links

Week 4 (Sunday October 1, 1989): at
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

Week 7 (Sunday October 22, 1989): at
Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...