The 1971 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 39th in the National Football League. The Steelers showed improvement finishing in second place in the AFC Central Division with a 6–8 record. Terry Bradshaw struggled with turnovers in his second season throwing 22 interceptions to 13 touchdown passes. The Steelers that year drafted wide receiver Frank Lewis, Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Ham, guard Gerry Mullins, defensive end Dwight White, tight end/tackle Larry Brown, defensive tackle Ernie Holmes, and safety Mike Wagner, all key contributors during the Steelers Super Bowl teams of the 1970s.

Offseason

NFL Draft

Personnel

Staff

Roster

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1 at Bears

Week 2 (Sunday September 26, 1971): Cincinnati Bengals

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 3 (Sunday October 3, 1971): San Diego Chargers

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives: Steelers stop San Diego with a goal line stand preserving the 21–17 win.

Week 4 (Sunday October 10, 1971): Cleveland Browns

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Scoring drives:

Week 5 (Monday October 18, 1971): Kansas City Chiefs

at the Municipal Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri Scoring drives:

Week 6 (Sunday October 24, 1971): Houston Oilers

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 7 (Sunday October 31, 1971): Baltimore Colts

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland Scoring drives:

Week 8 (Sunday November 7, 1971): Cleveland Browns

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 9 (Sunday November 14, 1971): Miami Dolphins

at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida Scoring drives:

Week 10 (Sunday November 21, 1971): New York Giants

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives: The Steelers ended a 15-game losing streak to NFC member teams.

Week 11 (Sunday November 28, 1971): Denver Broncos

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 12 (Sunday December 5, 1971): Houston Oilers

at the Houston Astrodome, Houston, Texas Scoring drives:

Week 13 (Sunday December 12, 1971): Cincinnati Bengals

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati Scoring drives:

Week 14 (Sunday December 19, 1971): Los Angeles Rams

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Standings