Pittsburgh Steelers fans have been treated to some pretty impressive offensive seasons throughout the years, despite a reputation for greatness on the defensive side of the ball. We recently ranked the top five best individual seasons, with the help of Pro Football Reference's Approximate Value (AV) statistic and have done the same for the offensive players.
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Franco Harris rumbled his way to the game-winning score in the Steelers' AFC Divisional win over the Oakland Raiders.
The Steelers offense hasn't had much to write home about under Offensive Coordinator, Matt Canada including posting some historically bad numbers in 2022. When he took over the play-calling duties in 2021, rookie Najee Harris scored highest on the AV with 10. In 2022, the unit was led by the much-maligned Dan Moore's score of 8. Here are the greatest individual years in team history.
Steelers' Top 5 Best Individual Offensive Seasons Of All-Time
The list begins with Steelers legend, Franco Harris who clocked 262 rushes for 1,246 yards and 10 touchdowns in his third season in the league as the team compiled a 12-2 record. Perhaps the greatest offensive player the team has ever had totaled 1,460 yards from scrimmage and claimed Second Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl nominations. This was good for an AV score of 17. In the playoffs that year, Harris added three games with an average of 104.7 yards as the Steelers defended their Super Bowl title with a 21-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
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Steelers Yancey Thigpen keeps the ball away from an oncoming Cincinnati Bengals defender.
The next entry on our list is amongst a four-way tie for first place with a season of 17 AV and it's Yancey Thigpen's 1997 season. In his sixth season with the team, the veteran receiver earned his first All-Pro nod being named to the Second Team and also received his second Pro Bowl nomination.
Thigpen soaked up the majority of targets from quarterback, Kordell Stewart with 149 )while no other receiver topped 100) and enjoyed a career-high 1398 receiving yards to go with 7 touchdowns. He left Pittsburgh for the then-Tennessee Oilers on a deal that made him the richest receiver in the league at the time, but was never able to regain his form.
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Steelers Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell helped Pittsburgh's offense terrorize opponents for a stretch of years during the 2010s.
It should be no surprise to see Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell taking the next two spots on the list. Bell had a season for the ages in 2014 with 2215 yards from scrimmage, 11 total touchdowns, and no fumbles. For his efforts, he was named a First Team All-Pro, nominated to the Pro Bowl, and finished fourth in Offensive Player of The Year voting behind Brown, Aaron Rodgers, and winner DeMarco Murray.
In 2015, Brown stole the top AV spot with Bell's prolonged absence and led the league in receptions for the second straight year with 136 adding 1834 yards and 10 touchdowns. He earned First Team All-Pro honors and finished second to Cam Newton in OPOY voting. Brown also had a season of 16 AV in 2014.
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Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger trying to calm things down.
The final spot on the list rounds out the Killer B's in the top five with Ben Roethlisberger's 2014 season. He posted an AV of 16 and led the league in passing yards with 4,952. He had a two-game stretch against the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens where he posted historic numbers with 12 touchdowns. The team's career leader in AV with 208 sneaks into the top five.
Two Honorable Mentions
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Steelers Alan Faneca was a dominant force on the line for a long time.
We start the honorable mentions with an offensive lineman because they just never get the credit they deserve. Alan Faneca put together a very impressive career for the black and gold. It included a stretch where he finished with AV values of 15 in 2004, 16 in 2005 and 15 again in 2006.
Last but certainly not least, a list of Steelers' top offensive players just wouldn't feel right without Terry Bradshaw. The only Steelers player to ever have taken home the NFL MVP award had an AV value of 16 in his sensational 1978 year that culminated in a Super Bowl victory. He also had an AV season of 15 in 1977.
Is this list in line with what you think the best offensive seasons in team history have been? What seasons from players not on the list do you best remember? Which of the seasons on the list are memorable for you? Comment below!
All statistical information and awards per Pro Football Reference.
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