2016 Pittsburgh Steelers Season

Season Summary: The 2016 Steelers started strong at 4-1 before crashing into a 4-game skid that left them 4-5 and searching for answers. Ben was limping, the defense gave up chunk plays, and the season was slipping away.

Then everything clicked. Le'Veon Bell returned to peak form (1,268 rushing yds and 616 receiving), Antonio Brown was his usual unstoppable self (106 catches, 1,284 yds, 12 TDs), and Big Ben remained an elite playmaker, steering one of the league's most explosive offenses.

The defense wasn’t dominant but found its edge down the stretch, with Shazier’s speed creating splash plays and Dupree providing a late-season spark. Pittsburgh ripped off 9 straight wins to close the regular season at 11–5, clinching the AFC North on Christmas Day with Antonio Brown's "Immaculate Extension" at the goal line to beat Baltimore.

The run continued in the postseason. Brown's pair of long catch-and-run TDs buried Miami in the Wild Card, Bell set franchise rushing records vs the Dolphins and Chiefs, and Boswell's 6 FGs carried them past KC. But in the AFC Championship, Bell went down with a groin injury, the offense sputtered, and the defense had no answers for Tom Brady as Tomlin failed to adjust.