The Pittsburgh Steelers have three primary rivals, all within their division:
Cleveland Browns,
Baltimore Ravens, and
Cincinnati Bengals. They also have rivalries with other teams that arose from post-season battles in the past, most notably the
Las Vegas Raiders,
Dallas Cowboys,
Denver Broncos,
New England Patriots, and
Tennessee Titans. They also have an intrastate
rivalry with the
Philadelphia Eagles, but under the current scheduling the teams play each other only once every four years.
Divisional rivals Baltimore Ravens Pittsburgh's rivalry with the
Baltimore Ravens has had several memorable matchups and has escalated into a fierce competitive sports rivalry. The rivalry features the league's two longest tenure coaches Mike Tomlin and Raven's coach
John Harbaugh. Both teams handed the other their first losses at their current home stadiums. The Steelers won the inaugural game played at
Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium in , 20–13, and three years later the
Ravens handed the Steelers their first-ever loss at
Heinz Field, 13–10. Later that season () Pittsburgh won a
divisional playoff game 27–10 against Baltimore, who was the
defending Super Bowl champion. During their NFL championship season in
2000, the Ravens defeated the Steelers
in Pittsburgh, 16–0, in the season opener with the Steelers later exacting revenge, 9–6, in Baltimore (the Ravens' final loss of the season). During the Steelers 2008 Championship run, they beat the Ravens three times, including a win in the AFC Championship game. The two teams complement each other by consistently fielding strong defenses. The Steelers lead the all-time series (including playoffs), 32–24. The teams have met four times in the postseason, with the Steelers owning a 3–1 record.
Cleveland Browns The Steelers and
Cleveland Browns have been divisional rivals since the two cities' teams began playing against each other in 1950. After posting a 9–31 record in the first 40 games of the series between the two cities, the Steelers have gone 66–27–1 (including 42–6 in games played in Pittsburgh) since 1970 and currently lead the series 75–58–1; The Steelers have particularly dominated the Browns since their return to the NFL in 1999 and won twelve straight meetings between 2003 and 2009. Additionally, the Browns posted losing streaks of 16 (1970–85) and 15 (2004–present) games in Pittsburgh. Former Steelers head coach
Bill Cowher coached the Browns special teams and secondary before following
Marty Schottenheimer for a brief tenure as
Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator and then hired by Pittsburgh. This has only intensified the rivalry. The teams have met three times in the postseason (1994, 2002, and 2020) with the Steelers winning the first two meetings, but losing the most recent.
Cincinnati Bengals The Steelers' rivalry with the
Cincinnati Bengals dates from the
1970 season, when the
AFL–NFL merger was completed. In
1976, the Steelers kept their playoff hopes alive (they later won the division) with a late-season 7–3 win in snowy Cincinnati. One of the most memorable games was the
2005 AFC Wildcard playoff game, in which the Steelers, en route to a
Super Bowl title, won a 31–17 come-from-behind victory after
Bengals quarterback
Carson Palmer was forced to leave the game with a knee injury. The injury happened when nose tackle
Kimo von Oelhoffen contacted Palmer's knee during a passing play. The Bengals players called this a dirty play; the NFL ruled that it was accidental and did not fine von Oelhoffen for the hit. The incident led to an intensifying of the rivalry. The Bengals beat the Steelers in Week 13 of the
2005 season 38–31, and wide receiver
T. J. Houshmandzadeh used a
Terrible Towel to polish his cleats while walking up the tunnel after the game, fueling the rivalry. The Steelers and Bengals finished and with identical records (11–5 and 8–8 respectively), splitting both regular-season series, the Bengals winning the tiebreaker both years due to having a superior division record. The Steelers also are responsible for ending the Bengals' season in Cincinnati two years in a row, eliminating them from the playoffs in
2005 and taking them out of contention in
2006. The rivalry has become more intense again since the
2015 season. A central figure is Bengals linebacker
Vontaze Burfict, often inflicting brutal hits, resulting in serious injuries to several Steelers on multiple occasions. In the 2015 Wild Card playoff game in Cincinnati, Burfict was the culprit of a late penalty directly responsible for an extremely unlikely 18–16 Steelers comeback victory. The teams have met twice in the postseason, with the Steelers winning both times.
Conference New England Patriots The
New England Patriots emerged as a prominent rival in league circles when the Patriots upset the Steelers in the 2001
AFC Championship Game at
Heinz Field, though the two teams had met in the postseason twice before; the Patriots defeated the Steelers in
1996 28–3 while the Steelers won 7–6 in
1997; both times, the Patriots fielded players with Pittsburgh-area roots in
Ty Law and
Curtis Martin. Martin's final game with the Patriots was in the 1997 playoffs before he departed to the rival
New York Jets. Following the 2001 AFC title upset, the Patriots defeated the Steelers 30–14 at the start of the 2002 season. Pittsburgh did not exact revenge for the two losses until ending the Patriots' record-setting 21-game winning streak in week 6 of the
2004 NFL season. Later that season, the Steelers lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Patriots in the AFC Championship game after a 15–1 regular season. The Patriots won six of seven meetings over a ten-year period (–) before the Steelers broke through with a 33–10 victory at
Foxborough in , after
Matt Cassel turned the ball over five times. The Patriots in
2013 then made history by becoming the first opponent to score 55 points on the Steelers, winning 55–31. The Patriots won again in 2015 (28–21) and 2016's regular season (27–16) and then won 36–17 in the 2016
AFC Championship Game. They also won in 2017 when a go-ahead touchdown reception by Steelers' tight end
Jesse James was controversially called back. Though they ultimately missed the playoffs, the Steelers defeated the Patriots by a score of 17–10 on December 16, 2018, in Pittsburgh. In the postseason, the Patriots have outscored the Steelers 135–75, with the Patriots maintaining a 4–1 record. The only other franchises with winning AFC playoff records against Steelers include the
Los Angeles Chargers (2–1), the
Jacksonville Jaguars (2–0), and the Denver Broncos (5–3). The Steelers have an all-time regular-season record of 16–15 against the Patriots. In their last matchup, on September 21, 2025, the Steelers beat the Patriots 21–14. In the
Bill Belichick era, the main period of the rivalry, the Patriots had a 12–4 record against the Steelers.
Tennessee Titans The Steelers have a rivalry with the
Tennessee Titans, formerly the
Houston/Tennessee Oilers. The Oilers were aligned into the
AFC Central with the Steelers in 1970 and were division rivals for 32 seasons. The Steelers dominated the rivalry during the Houston era and defeated the Oilers in all three of their playoff matchups. However, since the franchise moved to Tennessee in 1997, the rivalry shifted, with the Titans winning 13 of 22 meetings (including a bitter 34–31 playoff showdown in
2002); the Titans won seven in a row in the 1997–2001 period, the longest win streak by either team in the series. The Steelers have won 47 of 79 career meetings following their 27–24 win at
Nissan Stadium in 2020.
Denver Broncos The
Denver Broncos in 2011 broke a tie with the
Oakland Raiders for the most playoff meetings versus the Steelers and added yet another meeting in 2015 (the Broncos have met Pittsburgh eight times to Oakland's six). The Steelers' rivalry with the Broncos dates from
1970, but the first notable contest came in
1973, when Denver dealt Pittsburgh its first regular-season defeat at
Three Rivers Stadium, 23–13. The following year, they met in the NFL's first regular-season overtime game, which ended in a 35–35 tie. Denver's first playoff game had them hosting the Steelers in the 1977 divisional round; the Broncos won 34–21. The following year, the Steelers hosted and defeated Denver 33–10 in the divisional round. Their next playoff matchup was the 1984 divisional round in
Mile High Stadium; the Steelers pulled the upset 24–17. They nearly pulled the upset again 5 years later in Denver, but the Broncos prevailed in the divisional playoff, 24–23. In 1997, the two teams met in
Pittsburgh for the
AFC Championship Game, where Denver squeaked out at 24–21 win. Eight years later, the Steelers advanced to
Super Bowl XL by beating Denver 34–17 in Colorado. In 2011, after appearing in
Super Bowl XLV, the Steelers had their campaign to repeat as
AFC Champions dashed in Denver after a stunning overtime upset by the
Tim Tebow-led Broncos in January 2012, in what would become known as the "316 game". The following September the Steelers were defeated in Denver 31–19 in
Peyton Manning's
debut as Broncos quarterback. The two clubs met twice in
2015, as the Steelers defeated the Broncos in the regular season but fell in the Divisional Round of the AFC playoffs; through the 2021 season, Denver leads the series 20–13–1, including 5–3 in the playoffs. Neither team has beaten the other more than three times in a row. In their last matchup, the Steelers beat the Broncos on October 10, 2021, in Pittsburgh by the score of 27–19.
Las Vegas Raiders The Steelers have a rivalry with the
Las Vegas Raiders, formerly the
Oakland/
Los Angeles Raiders. Games between the Steelers and the Raiders were some of the most heated battles of the 1970s and early to mid-1980s. The Steelers' first playoff victory in franchise history came against the Raiders, which occurred on December 23, 1972, in a 13–7 victory over the Raiders; the victory occurred when
Terry Bradshaw threw a pass intended for
John Fuqua that was deflected into the hands of
Franco Harris, who scooped the ball from nearly hitting the ground and carried the ball in for a touchdown, which was later referred to as the
Immaculate Reception, while attracting controversy from Raiders players and coaches, who alleged that the ball had bounced off Fuqua, which would have made it an illegal play per the rules of the time. The victory sent Pittsburgh to their first-ever AFC Championship Game. The following year, the two teams met in the Divisional Round again, and the Raiders responded with a 33–14 victory to advance to the AFC title game. However, Pittsburgh fired back with two straight AFC Championship victories over the Raiders in (24–13) and (16–10) to reach the
Super Bowl. The Raiders responded with a victory over Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship game 24–7 (the third consecutive AFC title game between the two teams), but not before
Chuck Noll referred to Raider
George Atkinson as part of the NFL's "criminal element" after his alleged cheap-shot on
Lynn Swann during a regular-season matchup. Atkinson and the Raiders later filed a
defamation of character lawsuit against Noll, but lost. Following the 1983 regular season, the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Steelers 38–10 in the AFC Divisional round, which turned out to be the last NFL game for Steeler Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback
Terry Bradshaw, who did not play due to injury. While the rivalry has dissipated over the years (mostly due to the Raiders decline after
2002), the teams have had notable games against each other, including an upset Steelers victory towards the end of the
2000 season to prevent the Raiders from obtaining homefield advantage in the playoffs, and an upset Raiders victory in week 8 of the
2006 NFL season (20–13), which helped cost the Steelers a playoff berth. In Week 13 of the 2009 season, another Raiders upset victory happened; the game lead changed five times on five touchdowns in the fourth quarter until Raiders QB
Bruce Gradkowski's third touchdown of the quarter won it with nine seconds to go. The 27–24 loss cost the Steelers another playoff run. The teams met at
Pittsburgh in
2010, where the Steelers blew out the Raiders 35–3, and ended their 3-game winning streak; the game was further notable for a punch thrown by
Richard Seymour of the Raiders against Steelers quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger. The Raiders then hosted the Steelers in
2012 and erased a 31–21 gap to win 34–31. The two clubs met again in
2013 and the Raiders won again, 21–18. In 2015, the Steelers defeated the Raiders 38–35 at Heinz Field. On December 9, 2018, in Oakland, the Raiders defeated the Steelers 24–21, which, ironically, would cost Pittsburgh another playoff berth. The Raiders won at Pittsburgh on September 19, 2021, 26–17, then fell on
Christmas Eve 2022 at Pittsburgh 13–10 on a last-minute touchdown by rookie Steelers quarterback
Kenny Pickett. A lifeless performance in a 23–18 loss at Vegas on September 23, 2023, contributed to the later firing of Raiders coach
Josh McDaniels and GM
Dave Ziegler. As of the 2024 season, the Raiders lead the all-time series 17–16.
Interconference Dallas Cowboys The Steelers once took part in a historic rivalry with the
Dallas Cowboys started with the Cowboys' first game as a franchise in (against the Steelers) at the
Cotton Bowl with the Steelers coming away with a 35–28 victory. These teams hold a record for the most times (three) that two teams have met in a
Super Bowl. The first two times the favored Steelers and Cowboys met came with Pittsburgh victories in the Orange Bowl
Super Bowl X 21–17 and
Super Bowl XIII 35–31. The Cowboys never won a regular-season game in the Orange Bowl and lost three Super Bowl games (once to the Baltimore Colts and twice to the Steelers). Between the Cowboys and Steelers, Super Bowl XIII had the greatest number of future Pro Football Hall of Fame players participating, which as of 2021 numbered 25 – 16 players and nine coaches/front office, including
Ernie Stautner,
defensive coordinator for the Cowboys who was a HoF
defensive tackle for the Steelers. The teams featured an all-star matchup at quarterback between the Steelers'
Terry Bradshaw and the Cowboys'
Roger Staubach, both of whom are in the
Hall of Fame. In , Staubach and the Cowboys won
Super Bowl XII, their second and last loss of their season being inflicted by Bradshaw and the Steelers, 28–13 at Three Rivers Stadium in November. In , Staubach's final season, the two defending conference champs met again at Three Rivers, the Steelers winning 14–3 en route to winning their
fourth Super Bowl title. The Steelers won six of eight meetings during the 1970s and 80s, before the Cowboys won all four meetings during the 1990s, including the teams' record third Super Bowl meeting in
1996, as this time the heavily favored Cowboys beat the Steelers 27–17. Dallas cornerback
Larry Brown intercepted Pittsburgh quarterback
Neil O'Donnell twice and was named the game's MVP. The teams' first two meetings of the 21st century ( and ) were won by the Steelers, including a come from behind victory on December 7, 2008, in Pittsburgh, when the Steelers drove the length of the field to tie the game 13–13, then
cornerback Deshea Townsend returned an intercepted pass from
Tony Romo for the game's final score, Steelers 20, Cowboys 13. The Cowboys won on December 16, 2012, at Cowboys Stadium by a 27–24 margin in overtime and won 35–30 at
Heinz Field on November 13, 2016. The all-time series is led by the Dallas Cowboys, 17–16. The Pittsburgh/Dallas rivalry served as a backdrop to the 1977 film
Black Sunday, parts of which were filmed during Super Bowl X. Most recently, the Steelers beat the Cowboys by a 24–19 margin.
Philadelphia Eagles The
Philadelphia Eagles and Steelers are both located in
Pennsylvania and began play in 1933. From that season through 1966, this was a major rivalry for both teams, as both were part of the same division. In 1967, they were placed in separate divisions, but remained in the same conference for three years. In 1970 the Steelers (along with the
Cleveland Browns and
Baltimore Colts) moved to the
American Football Conference, while the Eagles stayed with the rest of the old-line NFL teams in the
National Football Conference. As a result, the Eagles and Steelers no longer played each other every year; instead, they are scheduled to meet once every four years in the regular season. The most recent meeting was in 2024 at Lincoln Financial Field, a game in which the Eagles won 27–13. The Steelers have lost 11 straight games on the road against the Eagles dating back to 1966, which was also the start of the
Super Bowl era. The Eagles lead the all-time series 50–29–3. == Culture ==