The 1993 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 61st season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The Steelers looked to continue the progress made under second year head coach Bill Cowher. However, the team would take a slight step backwards, finishing 9âÂÂ7 (three games behind the eventual AFC Central champion Houston Oilers). Despite that, the Steelers clinched a wild card spot, making the playoffs for the second consecutive year. The team would lose to the Kansas City Chiefs 27âÂÂ24 in overtime in the AFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs, in what is considered one of the best playoff games in NFL history even though the Steelers were on the losing end.
In the second week of the season, the Steelers suffered a shutout loss to the Los Angeles Rams 27âÂÂ0, in the team's penultimate visit to the Los Angeles area until 2019. The day was highlighted by the emergence of Rams rookie Jerome Bettis running over the Steelers defense. Though no one knew it at the time, it would foreshadow what was to come with Bettis' careerâÂÂas a member of the Steelers, who would acquire Bettis in a draft day trade with the Rams three years later.
1993 was also the season in which the Steelers began their policy of "blacking out" regular season contract negotiations. Early in the season the Steelers had reached contract extensions with Rod Woodson and Barry Foster and continued negotiations with other players. However, this led to discord in the locker room, and management felt that contract talk was taking the team's focus off of winning. At mid-season the Steelers broke off all contract negotiations and have refused to negotiate contracts during the regular season since.
Offseason
NFL draft
Undrafted free agents
Personnel
Coaches / Staff
Notable additions include Chad Brown, Kevin Greene and Willie Williams
Final roster
Preseason
Schedule
Regular season
Schedule
Standings
Game summaries
Week 1 (Sunday September 5, 1993): vs. San Francisco 49ers
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: (Mostly Sunny)
- Game attendance: 57,502
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers: (CBS) Dick Stockton (play by play), Dan Fouts (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
- San Francisco â FG Cofer 37
- San Francisco â Rice 5 pass from Young (Cofer kick)
- San Francisco â Rice 6 pass from Young (Cofer kick)
- Pittsburgh â FG Anderson 29
- Pittsburgh â Foster 5 run (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh â FG Anderson 39
- San Francisco â B. Jones 5 pass from Young (Cofer kick)
Week 2 (Sunday September 12, 1993): at Los Angeles Rams
at Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California
- Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: (Cloudy)
- Game attendance: 50,588
- Referee: Dick Hantak
- TV announcers: (NBC) Dan Hicks (play by play), Joe Gibbs (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
- Los Angeles Rams â Drayton 22 pass from Everett (Zendejas kick)
- Los Angeles Rams â Gary 6 run (Zendejas kick)
- Los Angeles Rams â FG Zendejas 54
- Los Angeles Rams â FG Zendejas 50
- Los Angeles Rams â Bettis 29 run (Zendejas kick)
Week 3 (Sunday September 19, 1993): vs. Cincinnati Bengals
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
Week 4 (Monday September 27, 1993): at Atlanta Falcons
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta
Scoring drives:
- Pittsburgh â Foster 30 run (Anderson kick)
- Atlanta â T. Smith 97 kickoff return (N. Johnson kick)
- Atlanta â Clark 46 fumble return (N. Johnson kick)
- Pittsburgh â FG Anderson 21
- Atlanta â FG N. Johnson 49
- Pittsburgh â Foster 7 run (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh â Stone 4 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh â Thigpen 7 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh â Foster 1 run (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh â Davidson 18 fumble return (Anderson kick)
Week 5 (Sunday October 3, 1993): Bye Week
Week 6 (Sunday October 10, 1993): vs. San Diego Chargers
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: (Partly Sunny)
- Game attendance: 55,264
- Referee: Gary Lane
- TV announcers: (NBC) Dan Hicks (play by play), Dan Hampton (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
Week 7 (Sunday October 17, 1993): vs. New Orleans Saints
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: (Light Rain)
- Game attendance: 56,056
- Referee: Howard Roe
- TV announcers: (CBS) Tim Ryan (play by play), Matt Millen (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
Week 8 (Sunday October 24, 1993): at Cleveland Browns
at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Scoring drives:
- Cleveland â Jackson 62 pass from Testaverde (Stover kick)
- Cleveland â Metcalf 91 punt return (Stover kick)
- Pittsburgh â Foster 4 run (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh â Foster 1 run (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh â FG Anderson 30
- Cleveland â Wolfey 4 pass from Testaverde (Stover kick)
- Pittsburgh â FG Anderson 46
- Pittsburgh â FG Anderson 30
- Cleveland â Metcalf 75 punt return (Stover kick)
Week 9 (Sunday October 31, 1993): Bye Week
Week 10 (Sunday November 7, 1993): at Cincinnati Bengals
at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati
Scoring drives:
- Cincinnati â FG Pelfrey 32
- Cincinnati â Williams 97 interception return (kick failed)
- Cincinnati â Query 7 pass from Schroeder (Pelfrey kick)
- Pittsburgh â Green 71 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh â Hoge 9 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh â Foster 1 run (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh â FG Anderson 23
Week 11 (Monday November 15, 1993): vs. Buffalo Bills
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
Week 12 (Sunday November 21, 1993): at Denver Broncos
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
Scoring drives:
- Denver â FG Elam 48
- Denver â Delpino 1 run (Elam kick)
- Denver â Russell fumble recovery in end zone (Elam kick)
- Denver â FG Elam 27
- Pittsburgh â FG Anderson 37
- Denver â Delpino 1 run (Elam kick)
- Denver â V. Johnson 13 pass from Elway (Elam kick)
- Pittsburgh â FG Anderson 38
- Denver â FG Elam 28
- Pittsburgh â Thigpen 39 pass from Tomczak (Anderson kick)
Week 13 (Sunday November 28, 1993): at Houston Oilers
at Astrodome, Houston, Texas
Scoring drives:
- Houston â FG Del Greco 43
- Pittsburgh â FG Anderson 42
- Houston â Brown 3 run (Del Greco kick)
- Houston â Jeffires 66 pass from Moon (Del Greco kick)
- Houston â FG Del Greco 21
- Houston â FG Del Greco 28
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time: 1:00 pm EST
- Game weather: (Cloudy)
- Game attendance: 51,358
- Referee: Ron Blum
- TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), Paul Maguire (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
- New England â Coates 3 pass from Bledsoe (Sisson kick)
- New England â Russell 3 run (Sisson kick)
- Pittsburgh â Hoge 5 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh â FG Anderson 35
- Pittsburgh â Hoge 1 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
Week 15 (Monday December 13, 1993): at Miami Dolphins
at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida
Scoring drives:
- Miami â FG Stoyanovich 22
- Pittsburgh â Thompson 3 run (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh â Hoge 2 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Miami â K. Jackson 3 pass from DeBerg (Stoyanovich kick)
- Miami â McDuffie 72 punt return (Stoyanovich kick)
Week 16 (Sunday December 19, 1993): vs. Houston Oilers
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
- Houston â G. Brown 38 pass from Moon (Del Greco kick)
- Houston â Orlando 38 interception return (Del Greco kick)
- Houston â FG Del Greco 34
- Houston â FG Del Greco 22
- Pittsburgh â FG Anderson 26
- Houston â FG Del Greco 33
- Pittsburgh â Green 36 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Houston â FG Del Greco 21
- Pittsburgh â Hoge 5 run (Anderson kick)
Week 17 (Sunday December 26, 1993): at Seattle Seahawks
at Kingdome, Seattle, Washington
Scoring drives:
- Seattle â Green 2 pass from Mirer (Kasay kick)
- Seattle â FG Kasay 32
- Pittsburgh â FG Anderson 42
- Seattle â FG Kasay 48
- Pittsburgh â FG Anderson 43
- Seattle â FG Kasay 35
Week 18 (Sunday January 2, 1994): vs. Cleveland Browns
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time: 1:00 pm EST
- Game weather: (Cloudy)
- Game attendance: 49,208
- Referee: Dick Hantak
- TV announcers: (NBC) Marv Albert (play by play), Paul Maguire (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
Playoffs
Game summary
AFC Wild Card Playoff (Saturday January 8, 1994): at Kansas City Chiefs
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Scoring drives:
- Pittsburgh â Cooper 10 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Kansas City â Birden 23 pass from Krieg (Lowery kick)
- Pittsburgh â FG Anderson 30
- Pittsburgh â Mills 26 pass form O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Kansas City â FG Lowery 23
- Kansas City â Allen 2 run (Lowery kick)
- Pittsburgh â Green 22 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Kansas City â Barnett 7 pass from Montana (Lowery kick)
- Kansas City â FG Lowery 32
References
External links