The2011 season was thePittsburgh Steelers' 79th in theNational Football League (NFL), their 12th under general managerKevin Colbert and their fifth under head coachMike Tomlin. The Steelers hoped to return to theSuper Bowl and defend their AFC Championship title from2010, but suffered a 29–23 overtime loss to theDenver Broncos in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. The Steelers played all of their home games atHeinz Field inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The Steelers' defense allowed the fewest points, passing yards, and total yards in the 2011 NFL season.

The Steelers opened up their regular season on the road against their old AFC North division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens scored quickly on their first drive, when only three plays into the game, Baltimore wide receiver Anquan Boldin caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco. The Ravens scored again on the ensuing drive when running back Ray Rice ran in a 1-yard touchdown, putting Baltimore on top 14–0 early in the first quarter. The Steelers battled back on the next drive, driving down to the Ravens 11-yard line. Pittsburgh scored on a third-and-goal play when wide receiverEmmanuel Sanders caught a touchdown in the back of the end zone from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Ravens responded by scoring again, this time on an 11-yard pass from Flacco to Rice. At halftime the Ravens led 21–7, just like in the 2010 playoffs. But unlike that game, the Ravens did not let up their dominance in the second half. On Pittsburgh's first play from scrimmage in the second quarter, Ravens defensive linemanHaloti Ngata stripped Roethlisberger of the football and recovered it at the Steelers 18-yard line. The Ravens scored yet again when tight endEd Dickson caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco. A two-point conversion by punter/holderSam Koch put the Ravens on top 29–7. The Ravens never looked back, and put up two moreBilly Cundiff field goals to close out the game 35–7. The Steelers finished with 7 turnovers in the game. The loss marked the Steelers first opening day loss in 8 years, and left Pittsburgh at the bottom of the division with an 0–1 record.^[22]

Hoping to rebound from their Week 1 divisional loss to the Ravens, the Steelers played their home-opener against theSeattle Seahawks at Heinz Field. After a failed 4th and goal run on their first drive, Pittsburgh delivered the game's first punch with a 1-yard touchdown run from running backRashard Mendenhall. This score on their second drive gave them the early lead. The Steelers added onto their lead in the second quarter with a 20-yard touchdown run from running backIsaac Redman, followed by a 20-yard field goal from kickerShaun Suisham. Pittsburgh's offense made one last score in the third quarter with quarterbackBen Roethlisberger finding wide receiverMike Wallace on a 2-yard touchdown pass. From there, the defense prevented any scoring attempt from Seattle's offense.

With the shutout win, the Steelers improved to 1–1.^[22]

Coming off their shutout home win over the Seahawks, the Steelers flew toLucas Oil Stadium for a primetime game against theIndianapolis Colts on Sunday night (Pittsburgh's first primetime game of the year). Pittsburgh scored first in the first quarter with a 48-yard field goal by kickerShaun Suisham, followed by quarterbackBen Roethlisberger finding wide receiverMike Wallace on an 81-yard touchdown pass. The Colts answered in the second quarter with kickerAdam Vinatieri getting a 21-yard field goal, followed by defensive endJamaal Anderson returning a Roethlisberger fumble caused byDwight Freeney 47 yards for a touchdown. Vinatieri got another 25-yard field goal before the end of the half. After a scoreless third quarter, the Steelers regained the lead in the fourth quarter with a 44-yard field goal from Suisham, followed by safetyTroy Polamalu returning a fumble forced byJames Harrison 16 yards for a touchdown. However, Indianapolis replied with running backJoseph Addai getting a 6-yard touchdown run. Pittsburgh prevailed, however, with Shuisham hitting a game-winning 38-yard field goal with 4 seconds remaining.

With the win, the Steelers improved to 2–1.^[22]

Coming off their Sunday night win over the Colts, the Steelers flew toReliant Stadium in Houston for a duel with theHouston Texans. Pittsburgh trailed late in the first quarter when Texans quarterbackMatt Schaub completed a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight endOwen Daniels. Houston would add onto their lead in the second quarter with kickerNeil Rackers getting a 25-yard field goal.

The Steelers finally answered in the third quarter with a 3-yard touchdown run from running backRashard Mendenhall. Pittsburgh would tie the game in the fourth quarter with a 26-yard field goal from kickerShaun Suisham, but the Texans retook the lead when running backArian Foster got a 42-yard touchdown run. The Steelers were unable to rally, and Big Ben was intercepted on the Steelers' final drive.

With the loss, the Steelers fell to 2–2.^[22]

Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Texans, the Steelers went home for a Week 5 intraconference duel with theTennessee Titans. Pittsburgh trailed early in the first quarter as Titans kickerRob Bironas got a 29-yard field goal, yet the Steelers answered with quarterbackBen Roethlisberger finding tight endHeath Miller on an 8-yard touchdown pass. Pittsburgh would add onto their lead in the second quarter with Roethlisberger hooking up with wide receiverHines Ward and fullbackDavid Johnson on a 7-yard and a 1-yard touchdown pass.

The Steelers continued their dominating day in the third quarter with Roethlisberger connecting with Ward again on a 5-yard touchdown pass. Tennessee responded with running backChris Johnson getting a 1-yard touchdown run. Afterwards, the Steelers would pull away in the fourth quarter with a 19-yard field goal from kickerShaun Suisham. The Titans tried to rally with quarterbackMatt Hasselbeck completing a 19-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverDamian Williams, yet Pittsburgh closed out the game with Roethlisberger finding wide receiverMike Wallace on a 40-yard touchdown pass.

With the win, the Steelers improved to 3–2.^[22]

Coming off their home win over the Titans, the Steelers closed out their intraconference schedule at home in a Week 6 duel with theJacksonville Jaguars. Pittsburgh delivered the game's opening punch in the first quarter with an 8-yard touchdown run from running backRashard Mendenhall. The Steelers would add onto their lead in the second quarter with quarterbackBen Roethlisberger finding wide receiverMike Wallace on a 28-yard touchdown pass, followed by a 21-yard field goal from kickerShaun Suisham. The Jaguars would close out the half with kickerJosh Scobee making a 46-yard field goal.

Jacksonville crept closer in the third quarter with quarterbackBlaine Gabbert completing an 18-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverJason Hill. The Jaguars tried to rally in the fourth quarter with Scobee getting a 45-yard field goal, yet Pittsburgh's defense held on to preserve the victory.

With the win, the Steelers improved to 4–2.^[22]

Coming off their win over the Jaguars, the Steelers flew to theUniversity of Phoenix Stadium for a Week 7 interconference duel with theArizona Cardinals, in a rematch ofSuper Bowl XLIII. Pittsburgh delivered the game's opening punch in the first quarter as quarterbackBen Roethlisberger found tight endHeath Miller on a 12-yard touchdown pass. The Steelers would add onto their lead in the second quarter with Roethlisberger hooking up with wide receiverMike Wallace on a 95-yard touchdown pass. The Cardinals would answer with running backAlfonso Smith getting a 1-yard touchdown run. Pittsburgh would close out the half with a 41-yard field goal from kickerShaun Suisham.

Arizona began the third quarter with quarterbackKevin Kolb completing a 73-yard touchdown pass to running backLaRod Stephens-Howling, yet the Steelers responded with Roethlisberger connecting to wide receiverEmmanuel Sanders on a 4-yard touchdown pass, along with Kolb getting called for intentional grounding in his endzone, resulting in a safety. In the fourth quarter, the Steelers continued to pull away with a 42-yard and a 39-yard field goal from Suisham. The Cardinals tried to rally with Kolb completing a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverEarly Doucet (with a failed two-point conversion), yet Pittsburgh held on to preserve the victory.

With the win, the Steelers improved to 5–2.^[22]

Coming off their road win over the Cardinals, the Steelers went home for a Week 8 duel with theNew England Patriots. Pittsburgh delivered the game's opening punch in the first quarter as quarterbackBen Roethlisberger found running backMewelde Moore on a 5-yard touchdown pass. The Steelers would add onto their lead in the second quarter with a 33-yard field goal from kickerShaun Suisham. The Patriots answered with quarterbackTom Brady completing a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverDeion Branch, yet Pittsburgh struck back with Roethlisberger connecting with wide receiverAntonio Brown on a 7-yard touchdown pass. New England would close out the half with kickerStephen Gostkowski got a 46-yard field goal.

The Steelers began the third quarter with a 21-yard field goal from Suisham, followed by his 23-yard field goal in the fourth. The Patriots tried to rally as Brady completed a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight endAaron Hernandez, yet Pittsburgh's defense held with safetyTroy Polamalu forcing a New England fumble out of the back of the end zone for a safety.

With the win, the Steelers improved to 6–2 and also won their first game against the Patriots since 2008 and first game against the Patriots with Tom Brady as the starter since 2004.^[22] This would be the Steelers' final win against the Patriots until2018.

Following their victory over the Patriots, the Steelers remained at home the next week for their second match-up of the season against division rivals theBaltimore Ravens. The Ravens scored first with an 18-yard field goal by kickerBilly Cundiff, the only points scored in the first quarter by either team. Steelers kickerShaun Suisham answered with a 36-yard field goal early in the second quarter, and a 30-yard field goal near the end, but both of these were quickly matched by Baltimore's Cundiff with a 43-yard and 51-yard field goal, respectively, giving Baltimore a 9–6 lead at halftime. The Ravens then increased their lead in the third quarter whenRay Rice scored the first touchdown of the game on a 4-yard run. The Steelers rallied hard in the fourth quarter, with running backRashard Mendenhall making a 1-yard run to score a touchdown, and then taking the lead for the first time in the game when quarterbackBen Roethlisberger made a successful 25-yard pass to wide receiverMike Wallace in the endzone for a second touchdown. On their final drive of the game, the Steelers were ready to potentially increase their lead with a 47-yard field goal kick by Shaun Suisham, but a 5-yard delay of game penalty put them out of field goal range and they were instead forced to punt the ball to the Ravens. The Ravens then began a 92-yard drive, culminating in a 26-yard touchdown pass by quarterbackJoe Flacco to wide receiverTorrey Smith in the endzone with just 8 seconds remaining, giving them the game.

With the loss, the Steelers fell to 6–3.^[22]

Hoping to rebound from their season-sweeping loss to the Ravens, the Steelers flew toPaul Brown Stadium for a Week 10 AFC North duel with theCincinnati Bengals. Pittsburgh delivered the game's opening punch in the first quarter with quarterbackBen Roethlisberger finding wide receiverJerricho Cotchery on a 16-yard touchdown pass, followed by a 2-yard touchdown run from running backRashard Mendenhall. The Bengals would answer with quarterbackAndy Dalton completing a 36-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverA. J. Green. Cincinnati struck again the second quarter with kickerMike Nugent getting a 43-yard field goal, yet the Steelers responded with a 39-yard field goal from kickerShaun Suisham.

The Bengals would tie the game in the third quarter with Dalton completing a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight endJermaine Gresham, yet Pittsburgh came right back with a 9-yard touchdown run from Mendenhall. Afterwards, the defense would prevent any comeback attempt from Cincinnati.

With the win, the Steelers went into their bye week at 7–3.^[22]

Coming off their bye week, the Steelers flew toArrowhead Stadium for a Week 12 Sunday night showdown with theKansas City Chiefs. Pittsburgh trailed early in the first quarter when Chiefs kickerRyan Succop kicked a 41-yard field goal. Pittsburgh would answer in the second quarter with a 21-yard field goal from kickerShaun Suisham following a Chiefs goal-line stand. The Steelers struck again when quarterbackBen Roethlisberger threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight endWeslye Saunders. Succop and Shuisham each made 49-yard field goals before the end of the half to make it 13–6. The third quarter was scoreless, but in the 4th quarter Kansas City pulled closer when Succop booted a 40-yarder. This pulled the Chiefs to within 13–9. However, Pittsburgh's defense held on to preserve the victory as cornerbackKeenan Lewis sealed the deal with an interception late in the 4th quarter with 29 seconds remaining.

With the win, the Steelers improved to 8–3.^[22]

Coming off their Sunday night win over the Chiefs, the Steelers went home for a Week 13 AFC North rematch with theCincinnati Bengals. In the first quarter, Cincinnati threatened to score after Bengals wide receiverA. J. Green caught a 43-yard pass from quarterbackAndy Dalton. Tight endJermaine Gresham appeared to catch a 7-yard touchdown pass from Dalton, but it was nullified because of a false start penalty on Green. The Bengals lined up for a field goal, but could not get the kick off in time, causing a delay of game. After the five-yard penalty, the Bengals lined up for the field goal again. But this time, Pittsburgh'sCameron Heyward blocked the field goal, giving the Steelers the ball around the 20-yard line. Pittsburgh could not capitalize however, and punted it away. The rest of the 1st quarter was scoreless. Then in the 2nd quarter, the Steelers began a scoring frenzy. The first of Pittsburgh's 4 touchdowns came whenRashard Mendenhall ran in a score from 3 yards out to give Pittsburgh a 7–0 lead. He scored again on the Steelers' next drive, this time from 5 yards out. Pittsburgh scored yet again on their following drive whenBen Roethlisberger threw a 12-yard touchdown pass toMike Wallace. Down 21–0, the Bengals finally got into the end zone. After a long drive going 80 yards, Dalton threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Green. Though the Bengals brought the game to within 21–7, the Steelers would not let up. Pittsburgh answered Cincinnati with a 60-yard punt return byAntonio Brown, This gave the Steelers a 28–7 lead going into halftime. In the 3rd Quarter, Pittsburgh scored one more time when Roethlisberger threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Wallace. Afterwards, Pittsburgh's defense held Cincinnati to no scoring. Led by James Harrison, who finished the game with 3 sacks, they held Cincinnati to only 232 net yards.

With the win, the Steelers improved to 9–3.^[22]

Coming off their season-sweeping win over the Bengals, the Steelers stayed at home, donned their throwback uniforms again, and played a Week 14 AFC North duel with theCleveland Browns on Thursday night. Pittsburgh trailed early in the first quarter as Browns kickerPhil Dawson got a 20-yard field goal. The Steelers would answer with quarterbackBen Roethlisberger finding wide receiverJerricho Cotchery on an 11-yard touchdown pass. After a scoreless second and third quarter (which saw Roethlisberger suffer a left high-ankle sprain near the end of the first half and yet returned for the start of the second), Pittsburgh pulled away in the fourth quarter with Roethlisberger hooking up with wide receiverAntonio Brown on a 79-yard touchdown pass.

With the win, the Steelers improved to 10–3.^[22]

Coming off their divisional home win over the Browns, the Steelers flew toCandlestick Park for a Week 15 interconference duel with theSan Francisco 49ers on Monday night. The start of the game was delayed 30 minutes due to a transformer blew out power to the stadium.^[23] When the game started Pittsburgh trailed in the first half with 49ers kickerDavid Akers getting a 22-yard field goal in the first quarter, followed by a 38-yard field goal in the second quarter.

The Steelers would answer in the third quarter with a 51-yard field goal from kickerShaun Suisham, but San Francisco came right back with quarterbackAlex Smith completing a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight endVernon Davis. The 49ers would pull away in the fourth quarter with running backFrank Gore getting a 5-yard touchdown run.

With the loss, Pittsburgh fell to 10–4.^[22]

Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the 49ers, the Steelers went home for a Week 16 interconference duel with theSt. Louis Rams. WithBen Roethlisberger recovering from his left high ankle sprain, backup quarterbackCharlie Batch got the start.

Pittsburgh delivered the game's opening punch in the first quarter with a 21-yard field goal from kickerShaun Suisham. The Steelers added onto their lead in the second quarter with a 10-yard touchdown run from rookie running backJohn Clay, which was his first career carry.

Pittsburgh continued to increase their lead in the third quarter with a 49-yard field goal from Suisham. Afterwards, the Steelers pulled away in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run from running backRashard Mendenhall, followed by a 2-yard touchdown run from running backIsaac Redman.

With the shutout win, Pittsburgh improved to 11–4.^[22]

Coming off their shutout home win over the Rams, the Steelers closed out the regular season atCleveland Browns Stadium with a Week 17 AFC North rematch against theCleveland Browns. After a scoreless first quarter, Pittsburgh trailed in the second quarter with Browns kickerPhil Dawson getting a 26-yard and a 45-yard field goal. The Steelers would close out the half with a 19-yard field goal from kickerShaun Suisham.

Pittsburgh took the lead in the third quarter with a 29-yard field goal from Suisham, followed by a 7-yard touchdown run from running backIsaac Redman. Cleveland responded with Dawson making a 49-yard field goal, yet the defense prevented the Browns from getting any other score.

With the win, the Steelers concluded their regular season with a 12–4 record and would acquire the AFC's #5 seed.^[22]

The Steelers finished 12–4 and would be the AFC's number 5 seed, playing the number 4 seed 8–8 Denver Broncos. They led 6–0 after the first quarter, but the Broncos scored 20 unanswered points, and as a result they had a 20–6 lead at halftime. The Steelers then regrouped after the second quarter debacle and only allowed aMatt Prater field goal. They recovered a key fumble in the fourth quarter that set up the tying touchdown. The Steelers had one last possession at the end of regulation, butBen Roethlisberger was sacked on the hail mary attempt which forced overtime with the game tied at 23. This game then became notable for being the first non-sudden death overtime game in NFL history, with the new playoff overtime rules. However, the new rules only applied if the team that got the ball first did not score a touchdown, because if a touchdown or safety was scored at any time, the game would end. This meant that only field goals could be kicked and not end the game. The Steelers lost the overtime coin toss, and the Broncos elected to receive.Shaun Suisham delivered a kick out of the back of the end zone for a touchback, but on the first play, the Steeler defense allowedDemaryius Thomas to go from the Denver 20 all the way to the end zone for a touchdown, ending the Steelers' season.^[24]

^[25]

• 2011 Pittsburgh Steelers season at Pro Football Reference
• 2011 Pittsburgh Steelers season statistics at jt-sw.com
• "2011 Steelers Media Guide"(PDF).Pittsburgh Steelers.Archived(PDF) from the original on March 10, 2012. RetrievedJanuary 25, 2012.

• 2011 NFL season by team
• Pittsburgh Steelers seasons
• 2011 in Pittsburgh
• 2011 in sports in Pennsylvania

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