1976 Pittsburgh Steelers season The 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers started the season looking to become the first team in the Super Bowl era to win three - straight league championships ( and first since the 1929 – 1931 and 1965 – 1967 Green Bay Packers ) . However , many thought that would be in doubt after the team started 1 – 4 and saw quarterback Terry Bradshaw injured in the week 5 loss to the Cleveland Browns after a vicious sack by Joe " Turkey " Jones that has since become immortalized in NFL Films as part of the Browns - Steelers rivalry . Despite the setbacks , the Steelers would turn it around behind the strength of the Steel Curtain and its dual threat at running back in Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier , who each rushed for over 1000 yards , finishing 10 – 4 and posting five shutouts . Rookie quarterback Mike Kruczek wound up going 6 – 0 starting in place of Bradshaw , largely due to the strength of the ground game . This would also stand as an NFL record for best start for a rookie quarterback until 2004 — when the Steelers own Ben Roethlisberger more than doubled that record and went 13 – 0 as a starter his rookie season . However , injuries to both Bleier and Harris in the playoffs caught up to them resulting in losing to the Oakland Raiders for the AFC Championship . Even with the Black & Gold coming up short , many Steelers fans — including the Rooney family themselves — consider the 1976 Steelers the best team in franchise history , even better than all six world championship teams . Regular season . Game summaries . Week 1 ( Sunday September 12 , 1976 ) : at Oakland Raiders . " at Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum , Oakland , California " Scoring Drives : Week 2 ( Sunday September 19 , 1976 ) : vs . Cleveland Browns . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 3 ( Sunday September 26 , 1976 ) : vs . New England Patriots . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 4 ( Monday October 4 , 1976 ) : at Minnesota Vikings . " at Metropolitan Stadium , Bloomington , Minnesota " Scoring Drives : Week 5 ( Sunday October 10 , 1976 ) : at Cleveland Browns . " at Cleveland Municipal Stadium , Cleveland , Ohio " Scoring Drives : Week 6 ( Sunday October 17 , 1976 ) : vs . Cincinnati Bengals . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 7 ( Sunday October 24 , 1976 ) : at New York Giants . " at Giants Stadium , East Rutherford , New Jersey " Scoring Drives : Week 8 ( Sunday October 31 , 1976 ) : vs . San Diego Chargers . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 9 ( Sunday November 7 , 1976 ) : at Kansas City Chiefs . " at Arrowhead Stadium , Kansas City , Missouri " Scoring Drives : Week 10 ( Sunday November 14 , 1976 ) : vs . Miami Dolphins . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 11 ( Sunday November 21 , 1976 ) : vs . Houston Oilers . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 12 ( Sunday November 28 , 1976 ) : at Cincinnati Bengals . " at Riverfront Stadium , Cincinnati , Ohio " Scoring Drives : Week 13 ( Sunday December 5 , 1976 ) : vs . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . " at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " Scoring Drives : Week 14 ( Saturday December 11 , 1976 ) : at Houston Oilers . " at Astrodome , Houston , Texas " Scoring Drives : Postseason . Game summaries . AFC Divisional Playoff ( Sunday December 19 , 1976 ) : at Baltimore Colts . " at Memorial Stadium , Baltimore , Maryland " Scoring Drives : " Notes : Pittsburgh gained an NFL record 524 total yards , Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier were lost to injuries . " AFC Championship ( Sunday December 26 , 1976 ) : at Oakland Raiders . " at Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum , Oakland , California " Scoring Drives :