1988 Pittsburgh Steelers season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers 1988 5–11 4th AFC Central Chuck Noll Tom Moore Tony Dungy Dick Haley The Rooney Family Three Rivers Stadium Did not qualify OT Tunch Ilkin None David LittleRod Woodson Warren Williams Steelers seasons The 1988 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 56th in the National Football League. Hall of Fame team founder and owner Art Rooney died at age 87 less than two weeks before the start of the season on August 25. The team wore AJR patches on the left shoulder the entire season in memory of "The Chief". The team finished the season at 5–11 failing to improve on their 8–7 record from 1987, and had their worst record since finishing an NFL-worst 1–13 in 1969. As of 2024, the 5–11 mark remains the team's worst record since 1969, and they have only finished with ten losses twice since, in 1999 and 2003. The Steelers got off to a disappointing start. After winning their home opener against the Dallas Cowboys, the team lost six straight, their first six-game losing streak since 1969. The team never recovered after the skid, and at one point had a 2–10 record after a 27–7 loss to the Cleveland Browns. It was the Steelers worst start to a season since the merger. The Steelers did, however, finish the season on a positive note, winning 3 of their last 4 games to finish the season 5–11. To date, this represents the only time since the AFL-NFL merger the Steelers have finished the season last place in their division. Their poor win-loss record was primarily attributable to their defense, as the Steelers finished last in the NFL in both points allowed and yards allowed. Chuck Noll controversy During the season, due to the team's struggles there were calls from the media and fans for longtime head coach Chuck Noll to step down, particularly after an embarrassing loss to the eventual AFC champions Cincinnati Bengals 42–7. Following that game, Noll said that everyone "should go out and get law degrees", in reference to cornerback Dwayne Woodruff having recently passed the bar exam in preparation for his law career after he retired as well as Woodruff's bad game against the Bengals.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k8CqYwtEu0 Chuck Noll's WORST Moment The Day The Steelers Turned on Chuck Noll 2020-02-23 Official JaguarGator9 2024-08-20 YouTube Following the season, Noll intended to resign until defensive line coach Joe Greene got word and informed Dan Rooney (who had considered firing Noll),https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/04/sports/sports-people-football-noll-retained.html SPORTS PEOPLE: FOOTBALL; Noll Retained The New York Times 4 January 1989 leading to Rooney and Noll to make some compromises. In exchange for lifetime employment with the team (Noll would be listed in media guides as an administrative advisor from his retirement from coaching until his death in 2014), Noll agreed to part ways with several members of his coaching staff.http://steelcurtainrising.com/2017/04/dan-rooney-decisions-shape-pittsburgh-steelers-obituary-death-legacy.html/ 10 Critical Dan Rooney Decisions that Shaped the Pittsburgh Steelers 17 April 2017 One negative side effect to Noll making changes to his coaching staff was the loss of defensive coordinator Tony Dungy. Rooney wanted Dungy demoted to defensive backs coach, but Dungy opted to leave for the Kansas City Chiefs, taking the same position with that team and working under their defensive coordinator—and Noll's eventual replacement--Bill Cowher. While Dungy would go on to have a Hall of Fame career as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts, the loss of Dungy likely delayed his eventual ascension to head coach in the NFL.https://www.steelers.com/news/labriola-on-rod-rust-s-impact-on-the-steelers Labriola on Rod Rust's impact on the Steelers Bob Labriola October 26, 2018 Steelers.com Offseason The Steelers saw two of its last three remaining players who won all four Super Bowls retire in wide receiver John Stallworth and strong safety Donnie Shell, who were both from the team's famous Class of 1974 that saw four players go on to the Pro Football Hall of Fame (although Shell was undrafted, he was still from the same rookie class), and in the case of Stallworth, retired as the team's all-time leading receiver. (Stallworth's record was surpassed by Hines Ward in 2005.) Mike Webster, who was also from the Class of 1974, entered the season as the sole remaining member of all four Super Bowl teams. However, change appeared to be imminent when the team drafted Kentucky guard Dermontti Dawson in the second round of the 1988 draft. Although Dawson would be playing guard his rookie season alongside Webster, it was apparent that Dawson was drafted to be groomed as Webster's eventual replacement at center. Webster would be released by the Steelers in the following offseason, officially ending the team's link to all four Super Bowl clubs. To the delight of Steelers fans, and even most of the players, the Mark Malone era officially ended in the offseason as well. Malone, who had lost the starting quarterback job to Bubby Brister the previous year, was traded to the San Diego Chargers during the offseason. Malone had also become hugely unpopular with fans and teammates for blaming his mistakes on other players and acting as if he were the "heir" to the QB position after the retirement of Terry Bradshaw. At one point, a locker room fight between Malone and the rest of the team ensued before being broken up by veteran offensive tackle Tunch Ilkin. NFL draft 1988 NFL draft 1988 Pittsburgh Steelers 1 17 Aaron Jones Defensive end Eastern Kentucky yes 2 44 Dermontti Dawson Center Kentucky yes yes yes 3 70 Chuck Lanza Center Notre Dame yes 5 121 Darin Jordan Linebacker Northeastern yes 5 128 Jerry Reese Defensive end Kentucky yes 6 155 Warren Williams Running back Miami (FL) yes 7 182 Marc Zeno Wide receiver Tulane no 8 209 Mark Nichols Nose tackle Michigan State no 8 211 Mike Hinnant Tight end Temple yes 9 236 Gordon Lockbaum Running back Holy Cross no 10 252 John Jackson Offensive tackle Eastern Kentucky yes 11 295 Bobby Dawson Defensive back Illinois no 12 322 James Earle Linebacker Clemson no yes yes Undrafted free agents + 1988 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeTolbert BainSafetyMiami (FL)Tim CalcagnoOffensive tackleSouthwestern LouisianaBrian CobbWide receiverRutgersJohn DominicNose tackleSyracuseHerb GainerWide receiverFlorida StateAndy GarczynskiWide receiverTemplePete GiftopoulosLinebackerPenn StateJonathan GreenRunning backWaynesburgEarnest JonesRunning backVirginia TechGreg LeeDefensive backArkansas StateJeff MarklandTight endIllinoisKeith MattioliWide receiverVirginiaCassius OsbornWide receiverGeorgiaMark SindlingerCenterIowaDwight SistrunkSafetyIowa Personnel Staff / Coaches 1988 Pittsburgh Steelers #08214A white #EEC607 Chairman of the board – Arthur J. Rooney President – Daniel M. Rooney Vice president – John R. McGinley Vice president – Arthur J. Rooney, Jr. Business manager – Joe Gordon Controller – Ralph Meacham Chief negotiator – James A. Boston Office manager - stadium – Dan Ferens Publicity director – Dan Edwards Assistant publicity director – Pat Hanlon Director of ticket sales – Geraldine Glenn Computer director - accounting – Jim Ellenberger Director of player personnel – Dick Haley Director of pro scouting – Tom Modrak Talent scout – East – Tom Donahoe Talent scout – Midwest – Jesse Kaye Talent scout – West Coast – Bob Schmitz Head coach – Chuck Noll Offensive coordinator – Tom Moore Offensive line: tackles/tight ends – Ron Blackledge Offensive backfield – Dick Hoak Offensive line: centers/guards – Hal Hunter Special teams/ offensive assistant – Jon Kolb Receivers – Dwain Painter Defensive coordinator – Tony Dungy Special teams/defensive assistant – Dennis Fitzgerald Defensive line – Joe Greene Linebackers – Jed Hughes Conditioning & training coach – Walt Evans Dentist – Dr. George P. Boucek Ophthalmologist – Dr. Phillip Buzzelli Physician, orthopedic – Dr. Thomas W. Cowan Physician, M.D. – Dr. David S. Huber Neurological surgery consultant – Dr. Joseph C. Maroon Physician, M.D. – Dr. Richard Rydze Physician, consultant – Dr. Abraham J.Twerski Physician, M.D. – Dr. Anthony P. Yates Trainer – Ralph Berlin Trainer – Fran Feld Equipment manager – Anthony Parisi Field manager – Rodgers Freyvogel Video & film director – Bob McCartney Photographers – Mike Fabus, Bill Amatucci 1988 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide Roster 1988 Pittsburgh Steelers 47 5 14 Todd Blackledge 13 Steve Bono  6 Bubby Brister 24 Rodney Carter 33 Merril Hoge FB 43 Earnest Jackson 30 Frank Pollard 20 Dwight Stone American football KR 42 Warren Williams American football y 85 Troy Johnson wide receiver 83 Louis Lipps 89 Charles Lockett 87 Weegie Thompson 86 Preston Gothard 81 Mike Hinnant y 88 Jeff Markland y 60 Brian Blankenship G 63 Dermontti Dawson y G 62 Tunch Ilkin T 65 John Jackson offensive tackle y T 51 Chuck Lanza y C 74 Terry Long American football G 52 Mike Webster C 73 Craig Wolfley T 68 Lorenzo Freeman NT 92 Keith Gary DE 78 Tim Johnson defensive lineman DE 76 Rollin Putzier y NT 64 Jerry Reese defensive lineman y DE 98 Gerald Williams American football NT 91 Gregg Carr ILB 96 Anthony Henton OLB 55 Darin Jordan y OLB 50 David Little linebacker ILB 95 Greg Lloyd OLB 54 Hardy Nickerson ILB 90 Tyronne Stowe ILB 27 Thomas Everett FS 29 Cornell Gowdy SS 22 Larry Griffin American football SS 35 Delton Hall CB/S 21 Greg Lee defensive back y CB 28 Lupe Sanchez FS 49 Dwayne Woodruff CB 26 Rod Woodson CB  1 Gary Anderson placekicker K 18 Harry Newsome P 72 Buddy Aydelette T IR 53 Bryan Hinkle LB IR 97 Aaron Jones defensive end y LB/DE IR 79 John Rienstra G IR 93 Keith Willis DE IR Preseason Schedule Week Date Opponent Game site Kickoff (ET) TV Result Record 1 Fri. Aug. 5 at Washington Redskins RFK Stadium 8:00 p.m. WTAE W 44–31 1–0 2 Sun. Aug. 14 Philadelphia Eagles Three Rivers Stadium 8:00 p.m. WTAE W 21–16 2–0 3 Sat. Aug. 20 at New York Giants Giants Stadium 8:00 p.m. WTAE L 28–17 2–1 4 Sat. Aug. 27 at New Orleans Saints Louisiana Superdome 12:30 p.m. ABC W 31–28 3–1 Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Game site Kickoff (ET) TV Result Record 1 Sun. Sep. 4 Dallas Cowboys Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. CBS W 24–21 1–0 2 Sun. Sep. 11 at Washington Redskins RFK Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC L 30–29 1–1 3 Sun. Sep. 18 Cincinnati Bengals Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC L 17–12 1–2 4 Sun. Sep. 25 at Buffalo Bills Rich Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC L 36–28 1–3 5 Sun. Oct. 2 Cleveland Browns Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC L 23–9 1–4 6 Sun. Oct. 9 at Phoenix Cardinals Sun Devil Stadium 4:00 p.m. NBC L 31–14 1–5 7 Sun. Oct. 16 Houston Oilers Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC L 34–14 1–6 8 Sun. Oct. 23 Denver Broncos Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC W 39–21 2–6 9 Sun. Oct. 30 at New York Jets Giants Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC L 24–20 2–7 10 Sun. Nov. 6 at Cincinnati Bengals Riverfront Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC L 42–7 2–8 11 Sun. Nov. 13 Philadelphia Eagles Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. CBS L 27–26 2–9 12 Sun. Nov. 20 at Cleveland Browns Cleveland Municipal Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC L 27–7 2–10 13 Sun. Nov. 27 Kansas City Chiefs Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC W 16–10 3–10 14 Sun. Dec. 4 at Houston Oilers Astrodome 8:00 p.m. ESPN W 37–34 4–10 15 Sun. Dec. 11 at San Diego Chargers Jack Murphy Stadium 4:00 p.m. NBC L 20–14 4–11 16 Sun. Dec. 18 Miami Dolphins Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC W 40–24 5–11 Game summaries Week 1 Cowboys 7 0 7 7 Steelers 10 0 7 7 September 4 Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1:00 p.m. EDT 56,813 70 F (Cloudy) Gordon McCarter Tim Brant and Hank Stram CBS Scoring drives: Dallas – Newsome 3 run (Zendejas kick) Pittsburgh – Jackson 15 run (Anderson kick) Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 32 Pittsburgh – Brister 1 run (Anderson kick) Dallas – Irvin 35 pass from Pelluer (Zendejas kick) Pittsburgh – Jackson 29 run (Anderson kick) Dallas – Alexander 8 pass from Pelluer (Zendejas kick) Week 2 Steelers 3 10 6 10 Redskins 7 3 7 13 September 11 RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. 1:00 p.m. EDT 54,083 Gene Barth Curt Gowdy and Merlin Olsen NBC Scoring drives: Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 33 Washington – Clark 55 pass from Williams (Lohmiller kick) Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 24 Washington – FG Lohmiller 37 Pittsburgh – Lipps 80 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) Pittsburgh – Brister 6 run (kick failed) Washington – Morris 1 run (Lohmiller kick) Washington – FG Lohmiller 46 Pittsburgh – Stone 72 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 43 Washington – Bryant 7 pass from Williams (Lohmiller kick) Washington – FG Lohmiller 19 Week 3 1988 Cincinnati Bengals season Bengals–Steelers rivalry Pittsburgh Steelers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Cincinnati Bengals (2–0) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1–1) September 18 1:00 p.m. EDT Bengals 0 7 3 7 Steelers 2 0 7 3 Three Rivers Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA 56,647 Mostly cloudy; 73 F Tom Dooley NBC Jim Donovan and Reggie Rucker The Football Database Bengals Boomer Esiason15/27, 223 Yds, 2 TD, INT James Brooks19 Rush, 88 Yds Tim McGee5 Rec, 73 Yds Steelers Bubby Brister15/30, 235 Yds, TD, 2 INT Dwight Stone14 Rush, 50 Yds4 Rec, 76 Yds CIN PIT collapsed 1 13:27 Steelers SafetyOther Safety, holding penalty on Montoya in end zone 0 2 2 9:22 Bengals RecTD Wilson Esiason 13 good Breech run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 2 3 6:55 Steelers RecTD Lipps Brister 9 good Anderson run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 9 3 3:18 Bengals FG 32 Breech 10 9 4 11:48 Steelers FG 19 Anderson 10 12 4 10:01 Bengals RecTD Brown Esiason 65 good Breech run/pass good/failed/incomplete 17 12 17 12 Week 4 Steelers 0 14 0 14 Bills 10 6 14 6 September 25 Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York 1:00 p.m. EDT 78,735 Ben Dreith Curt Gowdy and Al DeRogatis NBC Scoring drives: Buffalo – FG Norwood 38 Buffalo – Burkett 26 pass from Kelly (Norwood kick) PIttsburgh – Brister 1 run (Anderson kick) Buffalo – FG Norwood 39 Pittsburgh – W. Williams 5 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) Buffalo – FG Norwood 39 Buffalo – Riddick 1 run (Norwood kick) Buffalo – Riddick 5 blocked punt return (Norwood kick) Buffalo – FG Norwood 48 Buffalo – FG Norwood 49 Pittsburgh – Brister 1 run (Anderson kick) Pittsburgh – Thompson 42 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) Week 5 Browns 0 7 6 10 Steelers 6 3 0 0 October 2 Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1:00 p.m. EDT 56,410 67 F (Overcast) Dick Hantak Jim Donovan and Reggie Rucker NBC Scoring drives: Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 49 Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 35 Cleveland – Manoa 1 run (Bahr kick) Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 45 Cleveland – FG Bahr 22 Cleveland – FG Bahr 21 Cleveland – Washington 75 interception return (Bahr kick) Cleveland – FG Bahr 40 Week 6 Steelers 7 0 0 7 Cardinals 7 17 7 0 October 9 Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona 4:00 p.m. EDT 53,278 94 F (Sunny) Johnny Grier Gary Gerould and Jon Morris NBC Scoring drives: Phoenix – Awalt 32 pass from Lomax (Del Greco kick) Pittsburgh – Woodson 92 kickoff return (Anderson kick) Phoenix – FG Del Greco 19 Phoenix – Jordan 1 run (Del Greco kick) Phoenix – J. T. Smith 13 pass from Lomax (Del Greco kick) Phoenix – J. T. Smith 3 pass from Lomax (Del Greco kick) Pittsburgh – Hoge 12 pass from Bono (Anderson kick) Week 7 Oilers 6 12 7 9 Steelers 0 7 0 7 October 16 Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1:00 p.m. EDT 52,229 69 F (Mostly Cloudy) Jerry Markbreit Jay Randolph and Reggie Rucker NBC Scoring drives: Houston – Rozier 2 run (pass failed) Houston – FG Zendejas 50 Houston – Safety, Seale blocked punt out of end zone Houston – Givins 43 pass from Moon (Zendejas kick) Pittsburgh – Lockett 9 pass from Blackledge (Anderson kick) Houston – Pinkett 1 run (Zendejas kick) Houston – FG Zendejas 27 Houston – Hill 24 pass from Moon (kick failed) Pittsburgh – Hoge 1 run (Anderson kick) Week 8 Broncos 0 0 7 14 Steelers 14 13 3 9 October 23 Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1:00 p.m. EDT 49,811 50 F (Mostly Cloudy) Gene Barth Sam Nover and Dave Lapham NBC Scoring drives: Pittsburgh – Carter 64 run (Anderson kick) Pittsburgh – Blackledge 1 run (Anderson kick) Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 30 Pittsburgh – Carter 10 pass from Blackledge (Anderson kick) Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 32 Denver – Kay 17 pass from Kubiak (Karlis kick) Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 21 Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 37 Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 22 Denver – Kay 14 pass from Kubiak (Karlis kick) Denver – Nattiel 74 pass from Karcher (Karlis kick) Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 30 Week 9 Steelers 10 0 0 10 Jets 0 10 7 7 October 30 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 1:00 p.m. EST 64,862 Tom Dooley Marv Albert and Paul Maguire NBC Scoring drives: Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 25 Pittsburgh – Carter 24 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) New York Jets – FG Leahy 41 New York Jets – Shuler 2 pass from O'Brien (Leahy kick) New York Jets – Hector 2 run (Leahy kick) Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 21 New York Jets – McNeil 5 run (Leahy kick) PIttsburgh – Jackson 17 run (Anderson kick) Week 10 Pittsburgh Steelers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Pittsburgh Steelers (2–7) at Cincinnati Bengals (7–2) November 6 1:00 p.m. Steelers 7 0 0 0 Bengals 14 7 14 7 Riverfront Stadium • Cincinnati, Ohio 56,403 Red Cashion NBC Jim Donovan and Joe Namath The Football Database Steelers Bubby Brister11/29, 147 Yds Merril Hoge15 Rush, 46 Yds Weegie Thompson3 Rec, 57 Yds Bengals Boomer Esiason16/23, 318 Yds, 3 TD, 2 INT Ickey Woods10 Rush, 110 Yds Eddie Brown7 Rec, 216 Yds, 2 TD PIT CIN collapsed 1 12:13 Bengals RecTD Brown Esiason 86 good Breech run/pass good/failed/incomplete 0 7 1 6:25 Steelers RushTD Brister 9 good Anderson run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 7 1 1:16 Bengals RecTD McGee Esiason 5 good Breech run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 14 2 4:19 Bengals RushTD Brooks 3 good Breech run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 21 3 12:28 Bengals RushTD Brooks 2 good Breech run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 28 3 9:42 Bengals RecTD Brown Esiason 6 good Breech run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 35 4 10:52 Bengals RushTD Brooks 9 good Breech run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 42 7 42 Week 11 Eagles 0 14 3 10 Steelers 10 6 7 3 November 13 Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1:00 p.m. EST 46,026 47 F (Overcast) Fred Wyant Tim Ryan and Dan Jiggetts CBS Scoring drives: Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 52 Pittsburgh – Hoge 13 pass from Lipps (Anderson kick) Philadelphia – Byars 1 run (Zendejas kick) Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 21 Philadelphia – Cunningham 7 run (Zendejas kick) Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 29 Philadelphia – FG Zendejas 34 Pittsburgh – Lipps 89 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) Philadelphia – Cunningham 12 run (Zendejas kick) Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 41 Philadelphia – FG Zendejas 18 With the loss, the Steelers fell to 2-9 and they finished 1-3 against the NFC East. Week 12 Steelers 0 7 0 0 Browns 3 14 7 3 November 20 Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio 1:00 p.m. EST 77,131 Ben Dreith Sam Nover and Jon Morris NBC Scoring drives: Cleveland – FG Bahr 32 Cleveland – Tennell 2 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick) Cleveland – Minnifield 11 blocked punt return (Bahr kick) Pittsburgh – Carter 1 run (Anderson kick) Cleveland – Langhorne 77 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick) Cleveland – FG Bahr 34 With the loss, the Steelers fell to 2-10 and they were eliminated from playoff contention. As of 2025, this remains the last time the Steelers were swept by the Browns. Week 13 Chiefs 0 7 0 3 Steelers 6 7 3 0 November 27 Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1:00 p.m. EST 42,057 63 F (Mostly Cloudy) Dick Jorgensen Gary Gerould and Reggie Rucker NBC Scoring drives: PIttsburgh – FG Anderson 23 PIttsburgh – FG Anderson 20 Kansas City – Paige 4 pass from DeBerg (Lowery kick) Pittsburgh – Hoge 10 run (Anderson kick) Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 22 Kansas City – FG Lowery 26 Week 14 Steelers 3 14 7 13 Oilers 0 13 14 7 December 4 Astrodome, Houston, Texas 8:00 p.m. EST 47,791 Indoors (Dome) Bob McElwee Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann ESPN Scoring drives: Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 45 Houston – FG Zendejas 36 Pittsburgh – Stone 92 kickoff return (Anderson kick) Houston – Rozier 6 pass from Moon (Zendejas kick) Houston – FG Zendejas 41 Pittsburgh – Lipps 80 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) Pittsburgh – 65 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) Houston – White 90 kickoff return (Zendejas kick) Houston – Moon 2 run (Zendejas kick) Pittsburgh – Hoge 2 run (Anderson kick) Houston – Moon 3 run (Zendejas kick) PIttsburgh – Hoge 16 pass from Brister (kick failed) With the win, the Steelers improved to 4-10 and finished 1-5 against the AFC Central. Week 15 Steelers 0 0 0 14 Chargers 0 14 0 6 December 11 Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California 4:00 p.m. EST 33,816 70° Fred Silva Jay Randolph and Reggie Rucker NBC Scoring drives: San Diego – Flutie 6 pass from Malone (DeLine kick) San Diego – Malone 1 run (DeLine kick) San Diego – FG DeLine 24 Pittsburgh – Gothard 3 pass from Brister (Anderson kick) Pittsburgh – Brister 3 run (Anderson kick) San Diego – FG DeLine 42 Week 16 Dolphins 10 7 0 7 Steelers 7 13 7 13 December 18 Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1:00 p.m. EST 36,051 21 F (Snow) Fred Wyant Tom Hammond and Joe Namath NBC Scoring drives: Pittsburgh – Woodruff 78 interception return (Anderson kick) Miami – Hampton 4 run (Reveiz kick) Miami – FG Reveiz 20 Pittsburgh – Lipps 39 run (Anderson kick) Miami – Hampton 1 run (Reveiz kick) Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 34 Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 43 Pittsburgh – Carter 1 run (Anderson kick) Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 34 Pittsburgh – Jordan 28 interception return (Anderson kick) Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 22 Miami – Clayton 13 pass from Jaworski (Reveiz kick) With the win, the Steelers finished their season at 5-11. As of 2025, this marks the last time the Steelers finished with less than 6 wins or dead last in their division. Standings Further reading Sam Toperoff, Lost Sundays : A Season in the Life of Pittsburgh and the Steelers. New York: Random House, 1989. References External links 1988 Pittsburgh Steelers season at Profootballreference.com 1988 Pittsburgh Steelers season statistics at jt-sw.com Category:Pittsburgh Steelers seasons Pittsburgh Steelers Pitts