1982 Pittsburgh Steelers Season
Season Summary: A players' strike wiped out half of the Steelers' 50th anniversary season, cutting the schedule to 9 games.
The Steelers came out swinging, knocking off the Cowboys on MNF and edging the Bengals in OT. Then came the 8-week pause. When play resumed, consistency vanished. One week they'd light up the scoreboard. The next? Shut out. Somehow, a top-10 offense with a Hall of Fame QB got blanked. Twice.
The defense switched to a 3-4 scheme and gave up yards but not points, finishing 4th in scoring. Lambert, adjusting to a scheme he didn't love, still played like a madman. Shell was All-Pro. Stallworth made the Pro Bowl. The old guard was fading, but not gone. It was the end for Ham and Swann, and though no one knew it yet, Bradshaw was playing his final full season.
The year ended in a heartbreaking playoff loss to San Diego. A missed play here, a flag there... and the last real shot at "One for the Thumb" slipped away. Despite the chaos, this remains one of my personal favorite seasons.