2004 Pittsburgh Steelers season

Pittsburgh Steelers 72nd US football season August 2023 March 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers 2004 15–1 1st AFC North Bill Cowher Kevin Colbert The Rooney family Heinz Field Won Divisional Playoffs(vs. Jets) 20–17 (OT Overtime)Lost AFC Championship(vs. Patriots) 27–41 border:none; padding:0; 9 G Alan Faneca ILB James Farrior C Jeff Hartings OLB Joey Porter DE Aaron Smith OT Marvel Smith WR Hines Ward RB Jerome Bettis SS Troy Polamalu border:none; padding:0; 6 Alan Faneca (1st team) James Farrior (1st team) Jeff Hartings (1st team) Troy Polamalu (2nd team) Joey Porter (2nd team) Hines Ward (2nd team) James Farrior Ben Roethlisberger Steelers seasons The 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 72nd season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League. It would be the first season the franchise would have under quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He would play 18 seasons as a Steeler, a franchise record. The team looked to come back after a disappointing 6–10 season the year before, which saw the team go through the entire season without winning consecutive games.Wexell Jim 2004-08-24 Steelers looking to bounce back in 2004 https://www.espn.com/nfl/preview04/news/story?page=pit/steelers 2022-07-18 ESPN.com en The team finished with a 15–1 record, topping the 14–2 team record from 1978 and joined the 1984 San Francisco 49ers, the 1985 Chicago Bears, and the 1998 Minnesota Vikings as the only teams in NFL history to that point since the league adopted a 16-game schedule in 1978 to finish with such a record. This also made the Steelers the first AFC team to achieve a 15–1 record, a conference-best at the time (the 2007 Patriots would surpass that by going a perfect 16–0); they are also the only AFC team to do so. Along the way, the Steelers ended the New England Patriots' NFL-record 21-game winning streak in Week 8, then defeated their cross-state rival Philadelphia Eagles the following week to hand the NFL's last two undefeated teams their first losses in back-to-back weeks, both at home. The season was highlighted by the surprising emergence of rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the team's top pick in that year's draft. Originally intended to sit behind veteran Tommy Maddox the entire season, plans abruptly changed when Maddox was hurt in the team's Week 2 loss to Baltimore. Surrounded by talent, "Big Ben" went an NFL-record 13–0 as a rookie starting quarterback before being rested for the final game of the season, shattering the old NFL record (and coincidentally, also the team record) of 6–0 to start an NFL career set by Mike Kruczek filling in for an injured Terry Bradshaw in 1976. The Steelers hosted the AFC Championship for the fifth time in eleven years. However, for the fourth time in that same span, the Steelers lost at home one game away from the Super Bowl, and, like in 2001, lost to the Patriots in a rematch from Week 8.Fleming Todd May 17, 2009 Reflections on the 2004 Steelers: The Year of the Quarterback https://bleacherreport.com/articles/177294-reflections-on-the-2004-steelers-the-year-of-the-quarterback 2022-07-18 Bleacher Report en The 2006 edition of Pro Football ProspectusPro Football Prospectus 2006 (0761142177), p. 73–75 listed the 2004 Steelers as one of their "Heartbreak Seasons", in which teams "dominated the entire regular season only to falter in the playoffs, unable to close the deal." Said Pro Football Prospectus, "In the playoffs, Roethlisberger hit an inconvenient slump, just like the Pittsburgh quarterbacks who came before him.The article mentions Neil O'Donnell, Mike Tomczak, Kordell Stewart, and Tommy Maddox. He threw two killer interceptions against the Jets, but the Steelers were bailed out when Jets kicker Doug Brien missed a game-winning field goal. The next week against New England, head coach Bill Cowher was clearly worried about Roethlisberger, letting him throw only once on first or second down in the first quarter. By the time the offense opened up, the Patriots were beating the Steelers by two touchdowns. A Roethlisberger interception was returned 87 yards for a touchdown by Rodney Harrison, and the game was effectively over. For the second time in seven years,1998 Minnesota Vikings a 15–1 team had failed to make it to the Super Bowl. This was the first of, through the 2024 season, 21 consecutive non-losing seasons for the Steelers. The Steelers led the NFL in rushing attempts for the second time in four years, running the ball 618 times. Offseason Free agent-wise, the Steelers would sign former Philadelphia Eagles running back Duce Staley. Many thought this signing was the team preparing for a future without Jerome Bettis. However, Staley's injury-prone history from Philly would continue with the Steelers. On the undrafted front, the team signed North Carolina running back Willie Parker. Although Parker would play sparingly his rookie season, he would become a major component of the offense in the future. The team also signed veteran punter Chris Gardocki (releasing longtime punter Josh Miller in the process), who up to that point was best remembered by Steelers fans for flipping head coach Bill Cowher the finger twice on live TV after being leveled by Joey Porter while Gardocki was with the Cleveland Browns. (Porter would be penalized for roughing the punter.) Gardocki was fined $5,000 for the incident, and his signing by the team made him the only player to have played for Cowher and give him an expletive in public. The most notable releases made in the offseason included releasing veteran defensive players Jason Gildon and Dewayne Washington, who both would subsequently sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars and would both play against the Steelers in Week 13. In the personnel department, the Steelers went back to the future with the return of "Mean Joe" Greene and Dick LeBeau to the organization. Greene, who along with the entire Arizona Cardinals coaching staff was fired after the dismissal of head coach Dave McGinnis, retired from coaching and returned to the Black & Gold as the "special assistant of player personnel" for the team. Meanwhile, LeBeau, who popularized the zone blitz defensive schemes as the team's defensive coordinator in the mid-1990s (referred to as "Blitzburgh" by fans), returned to the team in that same capacity after a brief stint with the Buffalo Bills, replacing the fired Tim Lewis. This would also be the final season for longtime Steelers radio color commentator Myron Cope, who missed several games this year due to poor health. It was one of only two times in 35 years that Cope would miss time broadcasting for the Steelers, the other being the 1994 season after the death of his wife. Though Cope would later recover, he felt that it was best to retire, and did so at the end of the season. Additions Subtractions RB Duce Staley (Eagles) TE Mark Bruener (Texans) P Chris Gardocki (Browns) P Josh Miller (Patriots) CB Willie Williams (Seahawks) S Brent Alexander (Giants) DE Travis Kirschke (49ers) CB Dewayne Washington (Jaguars) T Todd Fordham (Panthers) LB Jason Gildon (Bills) NFL draft The Steelers went into the NFL draft with the eleventh overall pick, their highest selection since selecting Plaxico Burress eighth overall in 2000. Although the team was ready to select Miami University quarterback Ben Roethlisberger if he were to still be available, the team was ready to select other players at "need" positions. However, with Roethlisberger still available, the team snatched him up, making him the third quarterback selected. Alongside Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, and J. P. Losman, Roethlisberger was part of the "Class of 2004" quarterbacks. In addition, "Big Ben" became the first quarterback the Steelers selected with their first-round pick since they selected Mark Malone in 1980. 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers 1 11 Ben Roethlisberger Quarterback Miami (OH) yes yes 2 38 Ricardo Colclough Cornerback Tusculum yes 3 75 Max Starks Offensive tackle Florida yes 5 145 Nathaniel Adibi Defensive end Virginia Tech 6 177 Bo Lacy Offensive tackle Arkansas 6 194 Matt Kranchick Tight end Penn State yes 6 197 Drew Caylor Center Stanford 7 212 Eric Taylor Defensive tackle Memphis Football Database. Retrieved 2014-May-11. Undrafted free agents + 2004 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeAllen AugustinLineabckerFlorida StateRobert BlizzardTight endNorth CarolinaZamir CobbWide receiverTempleDarryl KennedyFullbackSyracuseGlenn MartinezWide receiverSaginaw Valley StateNick McNeilLinebackerWestern CarolinaWillie ParkerRunning backNorth CarolinaJanssen PattonSafetyBowling GreenDedrick RoperLinebackerNorthwoodYaacov YisraelSafetyPenn State Personnel Staff / coaches 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers #08214A white #EEC607 Chairman – Daniel M. Rooney President – Arthur J. Rooney II Vice president – John R. McGinley Vice president – Arthur J. Rooney, Jr. Administration advisor – Chuck Noll Director of business – Mark Hart Business accounting coordinator – Jim Ellenberger Human relations/office coordinator – Geraldine Glenn Business operations coordinator – Omar Khan Accounting manager – Jodie Spagnolli Communications coordinator – Ron Wahl Public relations/media manager – David Lockett Information technology administrator – Scott Phelps Football operations Director of football operations – Kevin Colbert College scouting coordinator – Ron Hughes Pro scouting coordinator – Doug Whaley Special assistant/pro and college personnel – Joe Greene Pro/college scout – Phil Kreidler College scout – Mark Gorscak College scout – Bob Lane College scout – Bruce McNorton College scout – Dan Rooney College scout – Bill Nunn BLESTO scout – Kelvin Fisher Marketing Director of marketing – Tony Quatrini Marketing coordinator – Rick Giugliano Client services administrator – Amy Regan Marketing manager – John Wodarek Producer/broadcasting manager – Rick Fairbend Broadcasting assistant – Pete Gergely Marketing/community relations manager – Lynne Molyneaux Marketing assistant – John Simpson Marketing assistant – Mike Marchinsky Ticket operations Ticket manager – Ben Lentz Season ticket assistant – Libby Patcher Head coach – Bill Cowher Assistant head coach/offensive line – Russ Grimm Offensive coordinator – Ken Whisenhunt Quarterbacks – Mark Whipple Running backs – Dick Hoak Wide receivers – Bruce Arians Tight ends – James Daniel Offensive assistant – Matt Raich Defensive coordinator – Dick LeBeau Defensive line – John Mitchell Linebackers – Keith Butler Defensive backs – Darren Perry Assistant defensive backs – Ray Horton Defensive assistant – Lou Spanos Special teams – Kevin Spencer Conditioning coach – Chet Fuhrman Medical staff Physician, orthopedic – Dr. James P. Bradley Ophthalmologist – Dr. Francis Mah Neurological surgery consultant – Dr. Joseph Maroon Physician, M.D. – Dr. Richard Rydze Physician, consultant – Dr. Abraham J. Twerski Physician, M.D. – Dr. Anthony P. Yates Training staff Head athletic trainer – John Norwig Assistant athletic trainer – Ryan Grove Assistant athletic trainer – Ariko Iso Football staff Player development – Raymond Jackson Equipment manager - Rodgers Freyvogel Field manager – Rich Baker Field/equipment assistant – Kalvin Jones Video coordinator – Bob McCartney Video assistant – Andy Lizanich Video assistant – Rob Brakel Photographer – Mike Fabus 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide Notable additions include Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker. Roster 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers 53 7 8  8 Tommy Maddox  7 Ben Roethlisberger y  2 Brian St. Pierre 36 Jerome Bettis 34 Verron Haynes 35 Dan Kreider FB 39 Willie Parker y 22 Duce Staley 80 Plaxico Burress 89 Lee Mays 81 Sean Morey American football 82 Antwaan Randle El PR/KR 86 Hines Ward 48 Matt Cushing 88 Matt Kranchick y 87 Walter Rasby 84 Jerame Tuman 72 Barrett Brooks G/T 66 Alan Faneca G 64 Jeff Hartings C 74 Jim Jones offensive guard G 56 Chukky Okobi C/G 79 Oliver Ross offensive lineman T 77 Marvel Smith T 78 Max Starks y T 68 Keydrick Vincent G 96 Kendrick Clancy NT 76 Chris Hoke NT 99 Brett Keisel DE 90 Travis Kirschke DE 91 Aaron Smith American football DE 67 Kimo von Oelhoffen DE 97 Kendrell Bell ILB 51 James Farrior ILB 50 Larry Foote ILB 53 Clark Haggans OLB 92 James Harrison American football OLB 95 Alonzo Jackson OLB 57 Clint Kriewaldt ILB 55 Joey Porter OLB 23 Tyrone Carter CB/S 21 Ricardo Colclough y CB 28 Chris Hope American football FS 29 Chidi Iwuoma CB 43 Troy Polamalu SS 30 Chad Scott CB 33 Russell Stuvaints FS 24 Ike Taylor CB 26 Deshea Townsend CB 27 Willie Williams cornerback, born 1970 CB 17 Chris Gardocki P  3 Jeff Reed American football K 54 Mike Schneck LS 16 Charlie Batch QB IR 37 Ainsley Battles S IR 19 Zamir Cobb y WR IR 98 Casey Hampton NT IR 31 Mike Logan American football S IR 85 Jay Riemersma TE IR 73 Kendall Simmons G IR 74 Grant Bowman American football y NT 15 Chris Collins American football y WR 25 Vontez Duff y CB 44 Dedrick Roper y LB 69 Eric Taylor gridiron football y NT 65 Lenny Vandermade y C/G 49 J. T. Wall FB 18 Walter Young American football WR 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/pit/2004_roster.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com 2014-12-27 Preseason Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL recap 1 August 14 at Detroit Lions L 21–27 0–1 Ford Field 2 August 21 Houston Texans W 38–3 1–1 Heinz Field 3 August 26 at Philadelphia Eagles W 27–21 2–1 Lincoln Financial Field 4 September 2 Carolina Panthers L 13–16 2–2 Heinz Field Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL recap 1 September 12 Oakland Raiders W 24–21 1–0 Heinz Field Summary 2 September 19 at Baltimore Ravens L 13–30 1–1 M&T Bank Stadium Summary 3 September 26 at Miami Dolphins W 13–3 2–1 Pro Player Stadium Summary 4 October 3 Cincinnati Bengals W 28–17 3–1 Heinz Field Summary 5 October 10 Cleveland Browns W 34–23 4–1 Heinz Field Summary 6 October 17 at Dallas Cowboys W 24–20 5–1 Texas Stadium Summary 7 Bye 8 October 31 New England Patriots W 34–20 6–1 Heinz Field Summary 9 November 7 Philadelphia Eagles W 27–3 7–1 Heinz Field Summary 10 November 14 at Cleveland Browns W 24–10 8–1 Cleveland Browns Stadium Summary 11 November 21 at Cincinnati Bengals W 19–14 9–1 Paul Brown Stadium Summary 12 November 28 Washington Redskins W 16–7 10–1 Heinz Field Summary 13 December 5 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 17–16 11–1 Alltel Stadium Summary 14 December 12 New York Jets W 17–6 12–1 Heinz Field Summary 15 December 18 at New York Giants W 33–30 13–1 Giants Stadium Summary 16 December 26 Baltimore Ravens W 20–7 14–1 Heinz Field Summary 17 January 2, 2005 at Buffalo Bills W 29–24 15–1 Ralph Wilson Stadium Summary Note: Intra-divisional opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1: vs. Oakland Raiders Oakland Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers Raiders 0 7 3 11 Steelers 7 7 7 3 Sunday, September 12 Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1:00 p.m. EST 60,147 78 F (sunny) Walt Anderson Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, and Bonnie Bernstein CBS It was the 22nd lifetime meeting between the two clubs. The Raiders erased a 21-13 Steelers lead in the fourth quarter but Jeff Reed connected on the winning field goal with seven seconds left. With the win, the Steelers started their season 1–0 for the 2nd straight year. Jerome Bettis scored 18 points (3 Touchdowns) on 5 carries, yet gained only 1 yard total for an average of 0.2 yards per carry. Week 2: at Baltimore Ravens Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens Steelers 0 0 0 13 Ravens 7 6 7 10 Sunday, September 19 M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland 1:00 p.m. EST 69,895 Walt Coleman Kevin Harlan and Randy Cross CBS With the loss, the Steelers fell to 1–1 for the 2nd straight year. 0–1 in division games and 1–1 in conference games. Week 3: at Miami Dolphins Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins Steelers 3 0 3 7 Dolphins 0 0 0 3 Sunday, September 26 Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida 8:30 p.m. EST 72,225 79 F (Rain) Bill Leavy Gus Johnson and Brent Jones CBS - Local The game was originally to be played at 1:00 pm, but was delayed until evening due to Hurricane Jeanne. The game was not broadcast on CBS nationally, it was only shown on local stations in the primary and secondary markets of the two teams as well as on NFL Sunday Ticket. The halftime and in-game updates were produced by ESPN. With the win, the Steelers improved to 2–1. The contest marked Ben Roethlisberger's first NFL start and victory. Week 4: vs. Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers Bengals 7 3 7 0 Steelers 7 7 0 14 Sunday, October 3 Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1:00 p.m. EST 62,402 63 F (sunny) Terry McAulay Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots CBS With the win the Steelers improved to 3–1. 1–1 in division games. Week 5: vs. Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers Browns 10 3 3 7 Steelers 14 13 7 0 Sunday, October 10 Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1:00 p.m. EST 63,609 54 F (cloudy) Gerald Austin Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker CBS With their 2nd straight win over the Browns, the Steelers improved to 4–1. Week 6: at Dallas Cowboys Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys Steelers 7 3 0 14 Cowboys 7 3 10 0 Sunday, October 17 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 4:15 p.m. EST 64,162 Mike Carey Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, and Bonnie Bernstein CBS Source: https://archive.today/20130124233437/http://espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=241017006 ESPN yes 1 9:14 Cowboys Richie Anderson 21-yard run (Billy Cundiff kick) Cowboys 7–0 1 5:22 Steelers Plaxico Burress 5-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Jeff Reed kick) Tie 7–7 2 4:27 Steelers Jeff Reed 51-yard field goal Steelers 10–7 2 :15 Cowboys Billy Cundiff 47-yard field goal Tie 10–10 3 5:38 Cowboys Billy Cundiff 39-yard field goal Cowboys 13–10 3 2:57 Cowboys Keyshawn Johnson 22-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (Billy Cundiff kick) Cowboys 20–10 4 11:48 Steelers Jerame Tuman 7-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Jeff Reed kick) Cowboys 20–17 4 :30 Steelers Jerome Bettis 2-yard run (Jeff Reed kick) Steelers 24–20 yes It was the 29th meeting between the two clubs. The Cowboys jumped to a 20–10 lead following a Keyshawn Johnson touchdown catch in the third, but Ben Roethlisberger led two touchdown drives, the last a Jerome Bettis run with thirty seconds to go. The Cowboys raced to the Steelers 30 but a last-second touchdown attempt was swatted away by Russell Stuvaints. With the win, the Steelers went on their bye week 5–1. Week 8: vs. New England Patriots New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers Patriots 3 7 3 7 Steelers 21 3 10 0 Sunday, October 31 Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 4:15 p.m. EST 64,737 63 F (sunny) Walt Coleman Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, and Bonnie Bernstein CBS This was the game that ended New England's NFL-record 21-game winning streak. Following an Adam Vinatieri field goal in the first quarter, the Steelers erupted, as Ben Roethlisberger twice hit Plaxico Burress for touchdowns and a Tom Brady interception was run back by Deshea Townsend for a touchdown and a 21–3 Steelers lead after one quarter. Brady was picked off twice and Roethlisberger made no mistakes in throwing for 196 yards and amassing a quarterback rating of 126.4. The Steelers routed the Patriots 34–20 and wound up winning the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs as a result. With the win, the Steelers improved to 6–1. Week 9: vs. Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers Eagles 0 3 0 0 Steelers 14 7 3 3 Sunday, November 7 Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1:00 p.m. EST 64,975 66 F (sunny) Bill Carollo Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Cris Collinsworth, and Pam Oliver Fox Source: https://archive.today/20130124051929/http://espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=241107023 ESPN yes 1 8:56 Steelers Hines Ward 16-yard run (Jeff Reed kick) Steelers 7–0 1 2:27 Steelers Hines Ward 20-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Jeff Reed kick) Steelers 14–0 2 10:51 Steelers Jay Riemersma 2-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Jeff Reed kick) Steelers 21–0 2 6:14 Eagles David Akers 33-yard field goal Steelers 21–3 3 2:36 Steelers Jeff Reed 42-yard field goal Steelers 24–3 4 7:58 Steelers Jeff Reed 31-yard field goal Steelers 27–3 yes The Steelers for the 2nd week in a row face an undefeated team, the 7–0 Eagles. With the win, the Steelers improved to 7–1 while the Eagles dropped to 7–1. The game gained wider notoriety in subsequent days following broadcast of footage from the Eagles sideline where Terrell Owens was angrily barking at Donovan McNabb with McNabb striving to ignore him. Week 10: at Cleveland Browns Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns Steelers 7 7 0 10 Browns 3 0 0 7 Sunday, November 14 Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio 1:00 p.m. EST 73,703 Jeff Triplette Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, and Armen Keteyian CBS With their 3rd straight win over the Browns, the Steelers improved to 8–1. Week 11: at Cincinnati Bengals Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals Steelers 3 7 7 2 Bengals 7 7 0 0 Sunday, November 21 Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio 1:00 p.m. EST 65,780 Larry Nemmers Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots CBS The Bengals clawed to a 14–10 lead on two Carson Palmer touchdowns, but Roethlisberger, despite being sacked seven times, tossed a touchdown late in the third quarter to Dan Kreider, then late in the fourth Palmer dropped back to his own endzone and threw an incompletion; it was ruled intentional grounding and the resulting Pittsburgh safety finished off the game. Week 12: vs. Washington Redskins Washington Redskins at Pittsburgh Steelers Redskins 0 0 7 0 Steelers 3 10 0 3 Sunday, November 28 Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1:00 p.m. EST 63,707 39 F (cloudy) Bernie Kukar Sam Rosen and Bill Maas Fox With the win the Steelers improved to 10–1 and went 3–0 against the NFC East. Week 13: at Jacksonville Jaguars Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars Steelers 7 7 0 3 Jaguars 7 0 6 3 Sunday, December 5 Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida 8:30 p.m. EST 76,877 Bill Vinovich Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire, and Suzy Kolber ESPN For the first time, Jerome Bettis was not the all-time active rushing leader in the NFL upon kickoff, as he and Curtis Martin dueled throughout the season for the title. Bettis would retake the title by game's end. Week 14: vs. New York Jets New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers Jets 0 0 3 3 Steelers 3 0 0 14 Sunday, December 12 Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 4:05 p.m. EST 63,581 38 F (cloudy) Walt Anderson Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, and Bonnie Bernstein CBS In an NFL first, both running backs came into the game ready to break the 13,000 career yards mark, Jerome Bettis having a 6-yard lead over native Curtis Martin. After the game, Martin would lead Bettis by 9 yards. Week 15: at New York Giants Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants Steelers 10 10 3 10 Giants 14 0 10 6 Saturday, December 18 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 1:30 p.m. EST 78,836 Gerald Austin Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, and Bonnie Bernstein CBS Source: ESPN yes 1 14:45 Giants Willie Ponder 91-yard kickoff return (Steve Christie kick) Giants 7–0 1 7:26 Steelers Verron Haynes 10-yard pass from Antwaan Randle El (Jeff Reed kick) Tie 7–7 1 4:02 Giants Jeremy Shockey 2-yard pass from Eli Manning (Steve Christie kick) Giants 14–7 1 :19 Steelers Jeff Reed 33-yard field goal Giants 14–10 2 5:36 Steelers Antwan Randle El 35-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Jeff Reed kick) Steelers 17–14 2 :14 Steelers Jeff Reed 21-yard field goal Steelers 20–14 3 8:35 Giants Steve Christie 22-yard field goal Steelers 20–17 3 4:24 Steelers Jeff Reed 36-yard field goal Steelers 23–17 3 :29 Giants Marcellus Rivers 1-yard pass from Eli Manning (Steve Christie kick) Giants 24–23 4 11:35 Steelers Jeff Reed 28-yard field goal Steelers 26–24 4 8:15 Giants Tiki Barber 1-yard run (pass failed) Giants 30–26 4 4:57 Steelers Jerome Bettis 1-yard run (Jeff Reed kick) Steelers 33–30 yes This was the first meeting between rookie quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning and was part of a rare NFL Saturday triple-header. The game lead tied or changed seven times as Manning and Roethlisberger combined for 498 passing yards; Antwaan Randle El also got into the act with a ten-yard touchdown throw to Verron Haynes, this atop 149 receiving yards. Jerome Bettis rushed 36 times for 140 yards and the winning touchdown in the final five minutes. With 3:31 to go Eli was intercepted by Willie J. Williams. Giants coach Tom Coughlin challenged the ruling but after review it was upheld, and the Steelers ran out the clock for the 33–30 win. Week 16: vs. Baltimore Ravens Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers Ravens 7 0 0 0 Steelers 7 3 7 3 Sunday, December 26 Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1:00 p.m. EST 64,227 27 F (cloudy) Jeff Triplette Gus Johnson and Brent Jones CBS Jerome Bettis retook the all-time active rushing record from his season-long duel with native Curtis Martin by a margin of 81 yards, and also pass Eric Dickerson for fourth all-time. The win also helped the team improve to 14–1. This would tie the team's franchise record in number of wins in a season. Week 17: at Buffalo Bills Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills Steelers 10 6 0 13 Bills 7 3 7 7 Sunday, January 2 Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York 1:00 p.m. EST 73,414 52° (cloudy) Terry McAulay Kevin Harlan and Randy Cross CBS With the win, the Steelers finished with a league-best 15–1 record.Westhead Rick 2005-01-03 Reality of Steelers Puts a Quick End to the Bills' Dream en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/03/sports/football/reality-of-steelers-puts-a-quick-end-to-the-bills-dream.html 2022-07-18 0362-4331 Standings Division Conference PIT Playoffs Schedule Week Date Kickoff (ET) TV Opponent Result Game site NFL recap Divisional January 15 4:30 p.m. CBS New York Jets W 20–17 (OT) Heinz Field Summary Conference January 23 6:30 p.m. CBS New England Patriots L 27–41 Heinz Field Summary Game summaries AFC Divisional: vs. New York Jets AFC Divisional playoffNew York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers Jets 0 10 7 0 0 Steelers 10 0 0 7 3 Saturday, January 15 Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 4:30 p.m. EST 64,915 26 F (Clear) Bill Leavy Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, and Armen Keteyian CBS After a brilliant 15–1 regular season the Steelers pulled one out of the fire in the divisional playoffs against the Jets. Ben Roethlisberger was intercepted at the Jets 14-yard line and Reggie Tongue ran back an 86-yard touchdown in the third quarter. After tying the game at 17 in the fourth the Steelers had to sweat out a Jets drive in the final minutes of regulation. The Jets set up for a Doug Brien 47-yard field goal but the kick missed, hitting the crossbar. On the ensuing possession, Roethlisberger was intercepted again and another Brien field goal was set up, this one from 43 yards away – but it again missed, sailing wide left. In overtime, the Jets won the kick-off but failed to score on their first possession. The Steelers, then, drove down field and Jeff Reed's 33-yard field goal ended a 20–17 Pittsburgh win. AFC Championship: vs. New England Patriots AFC Championship gameNew England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers Patriots 10 14 7 10 Steelers 3 0 14 10 Sunday, January 23 Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 6:30 p.m. EST 65,242 12 F (Clear) Walt Anderson Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Bonnie Bernstein, and Armen Keteyian CBS Revenge for their Halloween loss drove the 14–2 Patriots back to Heinz Field and the conference championship. The shaky play of the Steelers against the Jets the week before was exploited by New England as Ben Roethlisberger was intercepted almost right away, then on their next possession the Steelers were stopped on downs. The Patriots raced to a 17–3 lead in the second quarter before Roethlisberger drove them down field and threw a back-breaking interception to Rodney Harrison at the Patriots 13-yard line; Harrison ran back the 87-yard touchdown and fans at Heinz began chanting for Tommy Maddox to come in to replace Roethlisberger. The Steelers managed a pair of third-quarter touchdowns (a 5-yard Jerome Bettis run and a 30-yard Roethlisberger pass to Hines Ward) but these only sandwiched another Patriots score (a 25-yard run by ex-Bengal Corey Dillon) and the Steelers simply could not overcome New England's offense as the Patriots finished off Pittsburgh 41–27, the third playoff win in four career tries by the Patriots over the Steelers. The game is also significant as the final game by the team's radio broadcaster, Myron Cope. Cope had served as the color commentator on the team's radio broadcast for 35 years. He would publicly announce his retirement five months later.Cope also created Terrible Towel https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=2091527 November 15, 2011 ESPN.com June 21, 2005 AP https://web.archive.org/web/20081010220457/http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2091527 October 10, 2008 live Honors and awards Ben Roethlisberger, AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Ben Roethlisberger, Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year Pro Bowl representatives See: 2005 Pro Bowl No. 36 Jerome Bettis – running back (alternate) No. 43 Troy Polamalu – strong safety No. 51 James Farrior – inside linebacker No. 55 Joey Porter – outside linebacker No. 64 Jeff Hartings – center No. 66 Alan Faneca – offensive guard No. 77 Marvel Smith – offensive tackle (alternate) No. 86 Hines Ward – wide receiver No. 91 Aaron Smith – defensive end (alternate) References External links 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers season at Pro Football Reference 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers season statistics at jt-sw.com Category:Pittsburgh Steelers seasons Pittsburgh Category:AFC North championship seasons Pitts