The Pittsburgh Steelers have been on the good end of some supposed supernatural situations in the past. Some have even said that their dynasty in the 1970s was partially due to Bobby Layne's curse of the Detroit Lions. While there are plenty of ghost stories that are likely made up, the Steelers have one particular story that has become well-known. Many teams have failed to head Steeler Nation's warning in the past, and another team ignored them. Their season has ended, and their long-term future is in jeopardy.
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Diontae Johnson (#18) makes a move against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 preseason.
The Jacksonville Jaguars went to Pittsburgh in Week 8 and left with a 20-10 win. Mitch Trubisky had a rough game in relief of Kenny Pickett, throwing two interceptions in the fourth quarter to contribute to the loss. Even though the Jaguars went home with a 6-2 record and complete control of the AFC South, they made one crucial mistake that prematurely ended their season.
Trubisky's first interception was caught by Andrew Wingard early in the fourth quarter. As part of the team's celebration, Wingard and some teammates ran to the stands, took a couple of Terrible Towels, dropped them, mockingly waved them, and even tossed one as they ran to their sideline. What seemed like a perfectly harmless celebration ended up being the end of their season.
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Andrew Wingard leads the Jaguars' charge of disrespecting the Terrible Towel after intercepting Mitch Trubisky in Week 8, 2023, at Acrisure Stadium
Since that game, the Jaguars went 3-7 to end the year at 9-8. They went from total control of the AFC South to missing the playoffs entirely via wild card tiebreaker. The Houston Texans leapfrogged them in the last week of the season to win the division at 10-7. Not only that, but the Texans are a much younger team. With their success with rookies as some of their top contributors, it is expected that they will only get better, while the Jaguars are still searching for a way to reach their peak.
In the cruelest twist of irony, the Jaguars lose their wild card spot to the 10-7 Steelers. The same team that cursed the Jaguars managed to backdoor their way into January football thanks to that same curse. The same team that was dead in the water after a horrible losing streak managed to make a last-minute push to kick the Jaguars to the couch. All they can do now is try to break the curse quicker than some other teams did.
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Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh was seen wiping his dirty cleats with a Terrible Towel, the towel got it's revenge.
Steelers Cursed Other Teams In The Past
In the 1994/1995 AFC Championship game, a player for the San Diego Chargers disrespected the towel as they defeated the Steelers. They lost that Super Bowl, and they haven't made it back since. Not even moving out of San Diego could break the curse, as they have been a laughingstock in the league for over a decade now for constantly failing with some of the best talent on paper over the course of many years.
Two different Cincinnati Bengals players have disrespected the towel, including TJ Houshmandzadeh and Jeremy Hill. Houshmandzadeh wiped his cleats with the towel in a win in 2005. The Steelers would later defeat them in the Wild Card round that same year and win the Super Bowl. Hill did it during a 2016 loss, which was early on in their 11-game losing streak to the Steelers. The Bengals were not even a playoff threat until 2021, when they made the Super Bowl.
NFL On NBC Super Bowl XLIII
Steelers James Harrison anticipates Kurt Warner pass for longest play in Super Bowl history
Near the end of the 2008 season, the Tennessee Titans blew out the Steelers to secure the top seed in the playoffs. They celebrated by stomping on some towels. They were one-and-done in the playoffs while the Steelers went on to win their sixth Super Bowl. The Titans would not even make the playoffs again for another decade.
Speaking of Super Bowl XLIII, part of the reason that they won was because of the Mayor of Phoenix disrespecting the towel before the game. The Arizona Cardinals' mascot wiped his armpits with the towel as the mayor blew his nose, using the towel as a tissue. You can thank them for James Harrison's legendary pick six, as well as Santonio Holmes' game-winning touchdown. Both plays are considered some of the best in the history of the NFL.
The moral of the story is simple: do not disrespect the Terrible Towel. The Jaguars missing the playoffs is just the beginning. Who knows what could happen to them over the next two years, five years, decade, or any length of time? Andrew Wingard might think twice about his celebration next time his team plays the Steelers.
What do you think about Wingard's celebration, as well as the Curse of the Towel? Let us know in the comments.
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