2011 Pittsburgh Steelers Season

Season Summary: The 2011 Steelers had the kind of veteran core that had carried them to 3 Super Bowls in 6 years, but the year was as much about survival as dominance. Embarrassed in Baltimore on opening day, they steadied themselves and ground out a 12-4 finish. Ben played through a sprained foot, fractured thumb, and a gruesome high-ankle injury, but never missed a start and delivered trademark clutch play. Mendenhall was a workhorse until an ACL tear in week 17.

The defense was still a force, finishing #1 in yards and points allowed. Harrison and Woodley terrorized QBs when healthy, and Polamalu, though not as electric as the year before, remained a playmaker. It wasn't the dominant splash-play unit of 2008 or 2010, but it was still physical and capable of dictating games. Antonio Brown broke through with over 1,100 yards in his 2nd season alongside Mike Wallace and Hines Ward.

Pittsburgh won 12 games but never shook the sense of being battered and shorthanded. The attrition caught up to them in the Wild Card at Denver. Without Mendenhall and with Ryan Clark sidelined due to sickle-cell, the Steelers were stunned by Tim Tebow in a shocking playoff upset. After clawing back from a 20-6 halftime deficit to force OT, Pittsburgh's season ended just 11 seconds into the extra period when Tebow hit an 80-yard catch-and-run, a stunning end that foreshadowed how often talented Tomlin-coached teams would fall short in the years ahead.