1982 Pittsburgh Steelers season < br > The 1982 Pittsburgh Steelers saw the team return to the playoffs after a two - year hiatus . This was also the Steelers 50th Anniversary season . Although the season was shortened as a result of the 1982 strike , the Steelers finished a strong 6 – 3 record , good enough for fourth in the AFC as a whole . Although division standings were thrown out as a result of the strike , the Steelers unofficially finished second in the AFC Central , one game behind defending AFC Champion Cincinnati . The 1982 season is best remembered as the final seasons for Hall of Famers Lynn Swann and Jack Ham and the " unofficial " final season of fellow Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw , who would miss much of the 1983 season due to injuries before retiring . On the flip side , it would also be the first year of future Hall of Fame placekicker Gary Anderson and the first year of the team using a 3 - 4 defense , a style still used by the team as of 2009 . The Steelers would lose in the first round of the playoffs to the San Diego Chargers , in what would be the last home playoff game for the Steelers for the next ten years . Offseason . The 1982 offseason was the start of a slow transition period for the team , as the defensive line was hit with key retirements in " Mean Joe " Greene and L . C . Greenwood . Partially due to the team losing two key players and partially due to the need to go up against a more wide - open NFL , head coach Chuck Noll switched from the traditional 4 – 3 defensive alignment ( four lineman & three linebackers ) to the 3 – 4 ( three lineman & four linebackers ) . The Steelers would more than make a good transition to the 3 – 4 , as many teams have since tried to copy the Steelers success with the 3 – 4 alignment , especially since 2001 , when the Steelers were the only team in the NFL with the alignment but led the league in defense . 1982 did see the Steelers sign a rookie placekicker from Syracuse named Gary Anderson , claiming him off waivers from Buffalo just before the start of the season . Anderson would stay in Pittsburgh for the next 13 season and play an additional 10 with four other teams to become the Steelers ' all - time leading scorer . He retired after the 2004 season as the NFL ' s all - time leading scorer , a record since surpassed by Morten Andersen . Regular season . Game summaries . Week 1 ( Monday September 13 , 1982 ) : at Dallas Cowboys . " at Texas Stadium , Irving , Texas " Scoring Drives : Week 2 ( Sunday September 19 , 1982 ) : vs . Cincinnati Bengals . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 3 ( Sunday November 21 , 1982 ) : at Houston Oilers . " at Astrodome , Houston , Texas " Scoring Drives : Week 4 ( Sunday November 28 , 1982 ) : at Seattle Seahawks . " at The Kingdome , Seattle , Washington " Scoring Drives : Week 5 ( Sunday December 5 , 1982 ) : vs . Kansas City Chiefs . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 6 ( Sunday December 12 , 1982 ) : at Buffalo Bills . " at Rich Stadium , Orchard Park , New York " Scoring Drives : Week 7 ( Sunday December 19 , 1982 ) : at Cleveland Browns . " at Cleveland Municipal Stadium , Cleveland , Ohio " Scoring Drives : Week 8 ( Sunday December 26 , 1982 ) : vs . New England Patriots . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 9 ( Sunday January 2 , 1983 ) : vs . Cleveland Browns . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Postseason . Game summary . Super Bowl Tournament : Round 1 ( Sunday January 9 , 1983 ) : vs . San Diego Chargers . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives :