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The 1993 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 61st season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
| 1993 Pittsburgh Steelers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | The Rooney Family |
| General manager | Tom Donahoe |
| Head coach | Bill Cowher |
| Home field | Three Rivers Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Chiefs) 24–27 (OT) |
| Pro Bowlers | 6
|
| AP All-Pros | 3
|
| Team MVP | Rod Woodson |
| Team ROY | Chad Brown |
The Steelers looked to continue the progress made under second year head coach Bill Cowher. However, the team would take a slight step backwards, finishing 9–7 (three games behind the eventual AFC Central champion Houston Oilers). Despite that, the Steelers clinched a wild card spot, making the playoffs for the second consecutive year. The team would lose to the Kansas City Chiefs 27–24 in overtime in the AFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs, in what is considered one of the best playoff games in NFL history even though the Steelers were on the losing end.
In the second week of the season, the Steelers suffered a shutout loss to the Los Angeles Rams 27–0, in the team's penultimate visit to the Los Angeles area until 2019. The day was highlighted by the emergence of Rams rookie Jerome Bettis running over the Steelers defense. Though no one knew it at the time, it would foreshadow what was to come with Bettis' career—as a member of the Steelers, who would acquire Bettis in a draft day trade with the Rams three years later.
1993 was also the season in which the Steelers began their policy of "blacking out" regular season contract negotiations. Early in the season the Steelers had reached contract extensions with Rod Woodson and Barry Foster and continued negotiations with other players. However, this led to discord in the locker room, and management felt that contract talk was taking the team's focus off of winning. At mid-season the Steelers broke off all contract negotiations and have refused to negotiate contracts during the regular season since.[1]
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| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| QB Mike Tomczak (Browns) | QB Bubby Brister (Eagles) |
| LB Kevin Greene (Rams) | LB Jerrol Williams (Chargers) |
| OL David Viaene (Packers) | LB Hardy Nickerson (Buccaneers) |
| T Tunch Ilkin (Packers) |
NFL draft
| 1993 Pittsburgh Steelers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | Deon Figures | Cornerback | Colorado | |
| 2 | 44 | Chad Brown * | Linebacker | Colorado | |
| 3 | 76 | Andre Hastings | Wide receiver | Georgia | |
| 4 | 108 | Kevin Henry | Defensive end | Mississippi State | |
| 5 | 135 | Lonnie Palelei | Guard | UNLV | |
| 5 | 140 | Marc Woodard | Linebacker | Mississippi State | from Dallas |
| 6 | 162 | Willie Williams | Cornerback | Western Carolina | |
| 7 | 185 | Jeff Zgonina | Defensive tackle | Purdue | from Washington |
| 7 | 189 | Craig Keith | Tight end | Lenoir–Rhyne | |
| 8 | 216 | Alex Van Pelt | Quarterback | Pittsburgh | |
| Made roster | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Reggie Barnes | Linebacker | Oklahoma |
| Randy Cuthbert | Running back | Duke |
| Boris Graham | Linebacker | West Virginia |
| Martin Houston | Fullback | Alabama |
| Toby Lawrence | Guard | Kansas State |
| Gary Reid | Defensive linemen | Cincinnati |
| Tim Samec | Center | Virginia |
| Ricky Sutton | Defensive linemen | Auburn |
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|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Notable additions include Chad Brown, Kevin Greene and Willie Williams
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Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Game site | Kickoff (ET) | TV | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun. Aug. 1 | vs. San Francisco 49ers | Estadi Olímpic (Barcelona, Spain) | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | L 21–14 | 0–1 |
| 2 | Sat. Aug. 7 | New York Jets | Three Rivers Stadium | 6:00 p.m. | WPXI | W 17–13 | 1–1 |
| 3 | Sat. Aug. 14 | at New York Giants | Giants Stadium | 8:00 p.m. | WPXI | W 23–17 | 2–1 |
| 4 | Sun. Aug. 22 | Washington Redskins | Three Rivers Stadium | 8:00 p.m. | TNT | L 10–3 | 2–2 |
| 5 | Thu. Aug. 26 | at Minnesota Vikings | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 8:00 p.m. | ESPN | L 30–13 | 2–3 |
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Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Game site | Kickoff (ET) | TV | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun. Sep. 5 | San Francisco 49ers | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | CBS | L 24–13 | 0–1 |
| 2 | Sun. Sep. 12 | at Los Angeles Rams | Anaheim Stadium | 4:00 p.m. | NBC | L 27–0 | 0–2 |
| 3 | Sun. Sep. 19 | Cincinnati Bengals | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 34–7 | 1–2 |
| 4 | Mon. Sep. 27 | at Atlanta Falcons | Georgia Dome | 9:00 p.m. | ABC | W 45–17 | 2–2 |
| 5 | Sun. Oct. 3 | Bye | |||||
| 6 | Sun. Oct. 10 | San Diego Chargers | Three Rivers Stadium | 4:00 p.m. | NBC | W 16–3 | 3–2 |
| 7 | Sun. Oct. 17 | New Orleans Saints | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | CBS | W 37–14 | 4–2 |
| 8 | Sun. Oct. 24 | at Cleveland Browns | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 4:00 p.m. | NBC | L 28–23 | 4–3 |
| 9 | Sun. Oct. 31 | Bye | |||||
| 10 | Sun. Nov. 7 | at Cincinnati Bengals | Riverfront Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 24–16 | 5–3 |
| 11 | Mon. Nov. 15 | Buffalo Bills | Three Rivers Stadium | 9:00 p.m. | ABC | W 23–0 | 6–3 |
| 12 | Sun. Nov. 21 | at Denver Broncos | Mile High Stadium | 4:00 p.m. | NBC | L 37–13 | 6–4 |
| 13 | Sun. Nov. 28 | at Houston Oilers | Astrodome | 8:00 p.m. | ESPN | L 23–3 | 6–5 |
| 14 | Sun. Dec. 5 | New England Patriots | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 17–14 | 7–5 |
| 15 | Mon. Dec. 13 | at Miami Dolphins | Joe Robbie Stadium | 9:00 p.m. | ABC | W 21–20 | 8–5 |
| 16 | Sun. Dec. 19 | Houston Oilers | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | L 26–17 | 8–6 |
| 17 | Sun. Dec. 26 | at Seattle Seahawks | Kingdome | 4:00 p.m. | NBC | L 16–6 | 8–7 |
| 18 | Sun. Jan. 2 | Cleveland Browns | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 16–9 | 9–7 |
Standings
| AFC Central | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| (2) Houston Oilers | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 368 | 238 | W11 |
| (6) Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 308 | 281 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 304 | 307 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 187 | 319 | L1 |
Game summaries
Week 1 (Sunday September 5, 1993): vs. San Francisco 49ers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49ers | 10 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Steelers | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 13 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C) (Mostly Sunny)
- Game attendance: 57,502
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers: (CBS) Dick Stockton (play by play), Dan Fouts (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
Week 2 (Sunday September 12, 1993): at Los Angeles Rams
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rams | 0 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 27 |
at Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California
- Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C) (Cloudy)
- Game attendance: 50,588
- Referee: Dick Hantak
- TV announcers: (NBC) Dan Hicks (play by play), Joe Gibbs (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
Week 3 (Sunday September 19, 1993): vs. Cincinnati Bengals
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Steelers | 7 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 34 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C) (Mostly Sunny)
- Game attendance: 53,682
- Referee: Gerald Austin
- TV announcers: (NBC) Tom Hammond (play by play), Cris Collinsworth (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
- PIttsburgh – Mills 3 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 33
- Cincinnati – Pickens 15 pass from Klingler (Pelfrey kick)
- Pittsburgh – Thigpen 18 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 34
- Pittsburgh – Stone 9 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- PIttsburgh – Stone 38 run (Anderson kick)
Week 4 (Monday September 27, 1993): at Atlanta Falcons
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 7 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 45 |
| Falcons | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta
- Game time: 9:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: Dome
- Game attendance: 65,477
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV announcers: (ABC) Al Michaels (play by play), Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf (color commentators)
Scoring drives:
- Pittsburgh – Foster 30 run (Anderson kick)
- Atlanta – T. Smith 97 kickoff return (N. Johnson kick)
- Atlanta – Clark 46 fumble return (N. Johnson kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 21
- Atlanta – FG N. Johnson 49
- Pittsburgh – Foster 7 run (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh – Stone 4 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh – Thigpen 7 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh – Foster 1 run (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh – Davidson 18 fumble return (Anderson kick)
Week 5 (Sunday October 3, 1993): Bye Week
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Week 6 (Sunday October 10, 1993): vs. San Diego Chargers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Steelers | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C) (Partly Sunny)
- Game attendance: 55,264
- Referee: Gary Lane
- TV announcers: (NBC) Dan Hicks (play by play), Dan Hampton (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
Week 7 (Sunday October 17, 1993): vs. New Orleans Saints
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saints | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Steelers | 14 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 37 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C) (Light Rain)
- Game attendance: 56,056
- Referee: Howard Roe
- TV announcers: (CBS) Tim Ryan (play by play), Matt Millen (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
- Pittsburgh – Woodson 63 interception return (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh – Foster 20 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 40
- Pittsburgh – Foster 1 run (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 22
- Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 29
- Pittsburgh – Green 26 pass from Tomczak (Anderson kick)
- New Orleans – Small 3 pass from Buck (Anderson kick)
- New Orleans – Early 63 pass from Buck (Anderson kick)
Week 8 (Sunday October 24, 1993): at Cleveland Browns
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 23 |
| Browns | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 78,118
- Referee: Tom White
- TV announcers: (NBC) Tom Hammond (play by play), Cris Collinsworth (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
- Cleveland – Jackson 62 pass from Testaverde (Stover kick)
- Cleveland – Metcalf 91 punt return (Stover kick)
- Pittsburgh – Foster 4 run (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh – Foster 1 run (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 30
- Cleveland – Wolfey 4 pass from Testaverde (Stover kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 46
- Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 30
- Cleveland – Metcalf 75 punt return (Stover kick)
Week 9 (Sunday October 31, 1993): Bye Week
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Week 10 (Sunday November 7, 1993): at Cincinnati Bengals
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 24 |
| Bengals | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati
- Game time: 1:00 pm EST
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 51,202
- Referee: Johnny Grier
- TV announcers: (NBC) Drew Goodman (play by play), Dan Hampton (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
- Cincinnati – FG Pelfrey 32
- Cincinnati – Williams 97 interception return (kick failed)
- Cincinnati – Query 7 pass from Schroeder (Pelfrey kick)
- Pittsburgh – Green 71 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh – Hoge 9 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh – Foster 1 run (Anderson kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 23
Week 11 (Monday November 15, 1993): vs. Buffalo Bills
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steelers | 7 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time: 9:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C) (Cloudy)
- Game attendance: 60,265
- Referee: Ed Hochuli
- TV announcers: (ABC) Al Michaels (play by play), Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf (color commentators)
Scoring drives:
Week 12 (Sunday November 21, 1993): at Denver Broncos
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| Broncos | 10 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 37 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
- Game time: 4:00 pm EST
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 74,840
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers: (NBC) Bob Costas (play by play), Joe Gibbs (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
- Denver – FG Elam 48
- Denver – Delpino 1 run (Elam kick)
- Denver – Russell fumble recovery in end zone (Elam kick)
- Denver – FG Elam 27
- Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 37
- Denver – Delpino 1 run (Elam kick)
- Denver – V. Johnson 13 pass from Elway (Elam kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 38
- Denver – FG Elam 28
- Pittsburgh – Thigpen 39 pass from Tomczak (Anderson kick)
Week 13 (Sunday November 28, 1993): at Houston Oilers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Oilers | 0 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
- Game time: 8:00 pm EST
- Game weather: Dome
- Game attendance: 61,238
- Referee: Gerald Austin
- TV announcers: (ESPN) Mike Patrick (play by play), Joe Theismann (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
Week 14 (Sunday December 5, 1993): vs. New England Patriots
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Steelers | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time: 1:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 42 °F (6 °C) (Cloudy)
- Game attendance: 51,358
- Referee: Ron Blum
- TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), Paul Maguire (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
Week 15 (Monday December 13, 1993): at Miami Dolphins
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Dolphins | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 20 |
at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida
- Game time: 9:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) (Partly cloudy)
- Game attendance: 70,232
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers: (ABC) Al Michaels (play by play), Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf (color commentators)
Scoring drives:
Week 16 (Sunday December 19, 1993): vs. Houston Oilers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oilers | 14 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 26 |
| Steelers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time: 1:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 37 °F (3 °C) (Cloudy)
- Game attendance: 57,592
- Referee: Bernie Kukar
- TV announcers: (NBC) Tom Hammond (play by play), Cris Collinsworth (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
- Houston – G. Brown 38 pass from Moon (Del Greco kick)
- Houston – Orlando 38 interception return (Del Greco kick)
- Houston – FG Del Greco 34
- Houston – FG Del Greco 22
- Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 26
- Houston – FG Del Greco 33
- Pittsburgh – Green 36 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Houston – FG Del Greco 21
- Pittsburgh – Hoge 5 run (Anderson kick)
Week 17 (Sunday December 26, 1993): at Seattle Seahawks
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Seahawks | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
at Kingdome, Seattle, Washington
- Game time: 4:00 pm EST
- Game weather: Dome
- Game attendance: 51,814
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV announcers: (NBC) Charlie Jones (play by play), Todd Christensen (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
Week 18 (Sunday January 2, 1994): vs. Cleveland Browns
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Steelers | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 16 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time: 1:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 32 °F (0 °C) (Cloudy)
- Game attendance: 49,208
- Referee: Dick Hantak
- TV announcers: (NBC) Marv Albert (play by play), Paul Maguire (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
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Game summary
AFC Wild Card Playoff (Saturday January 8, 1994): at Kansas City Chiefs
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Chiefs | 7 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 27 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Game time: 12:30 pm EST
- Game weather: 34 °F (1 °C) (Sunny)
- Game attendance: 75,868
- Referee: Gary Lane
- TV announcers: (ABC) Al Michaels (play by play), Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf (color commentators)
Scoring drives:
- Pittsburgh – Cooper 10 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Kansas City – Birden 23 pass from Krieg (Lowery kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 30
- Pittsburgh – Mills 26 pass form O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Kansas City – FG Lowery 23
- Kansas City – Allen 2 run (Lowery kick)
- Pittsburgh – Green 22 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
- Kansas City – Barnett 7 pass from Montana (Lowery kick)
- Kansas City – FG Lowery 32
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