The 1987 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 55th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League. The team improved from a 6–10 record from 1986 and finishing 8–7 record and fail to reach the playoffs for a third straight season. Noll was renowned as a stoic character, but in complete contrast was his reaction to Jerry Glanville, the head coach of the Oilers. After the Steelers second meeting, Noll in the postgame handshake grabbed Glanville and told him he'd better watch out or he'd get jumped on. This was in reaction to Glanville's earlier comments on how the Oilers field was the 'house of pain' and his prediction that his players would intentionally hurt the Steelers. 1987 would also mark a "bridging the eras" moment in Steelers history, as 1987 would mark the final seasons of Hall of Famers John Stallworth and Donnie Shell while also being the rookie season of another future Hall of Famer, Rod Woodson. Alongside fellow Hall of Famer Mike Webster (who would return for 1988), Stallworth and Shell were two of the final three players on the roster that had been part of all four Super Bowl-winning teams of the 1970s, while Woodson alongside fellow rookie Greg Lloyd (who would miss the 1987 season due to injuries) would be key members of the Steelers return to prominence in the 1990s.

Offseason

NFL draft

The Steelers 1987 draft class, while not on the same level as their famous 1974 draft class, would turn out to be one of their better draft classes and by far their best in the 1980s. Although the Steelers wanted to draft Rod Woodson to help rebuild their secondary, the team expected Woodson to be drafted before their turn at tenth overall. Head coach Chuck Noll instructed defensive coordinator Tony Dungy not to bother with a scouting report on Woodson due to his expected unavailability. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers were able to draft Woodson after the Cleveland Browns traded for the San Diego Chargers' fifth overall pick and subsequently used selection to draft linebacker Mike Junkin, who was eventually a bust. The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Kelly Stouffer (sixth overall) who ultimately never played for the Cardinals due to a contract dispute. The Buffalo Bills were the last likely team to draft Woodson, but instead used the eighth overall pick to draft linebacker Shane Conlan. After the team lucked out on drafting Woodson, the team would get a solid starter (and eventual team Rookie of the Year) in fellow corner Delton Hall, who would get more playing time than Woodson in 1987 due to the latter holding out for a bigger contract into the season. In addition to Woodson and Lloyd, the team also drafted future Pro Bowlers Thomas Everett and Hardy Nickerson, as well as fullback Merril Hoge, who would be a solid starter for several seasons and later gained fame as an analyst for ESPN. On the undrafted front, the team signed Dwight Stone, who would last 14 years in the NFL including eight in Pittsburgh.

Undrafted free agents

Personnel

Staff

NFL replacement players

After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:

Roster

Preseason

Schedule

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1 (Sunday September 13, 1987): vs. San Francisco 49ers

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Week 2 (Sunday September 20, 1987): at Cleveland Browns

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Week 3 (Sunday September 27, 1987): vs. New York Jets

Cancelled due to player's strike.

Week 4 (Sunday October 4, 1987): at Atlanta Falcons

at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia This game was played with replacement players.

Week 5 (Sunday October 11, 1987): at Los Angeles Rams

at Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California This game was played with replacement players.

Week 6 (Sunday October 18, 1987): vs. Indianapolis Colts

This game was played with replacement players.

Week 7 (Sunday October 25, 1987): vs. Cincinnati Bengals

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Week 8 (Sunday November 1, 1987): at Miami Dolphins

at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida

Week 9 (Sunday November 8, 1987): at Kansas City Chiefs

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Week 10 (Sunday November 15, 1987): vs. Houston Oilers

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Week 11 (Sunday November 22, 1987): at Cincinnati Bengals

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

Week 12 (Sunday November 29, 1987): vs. New Orleans Saints

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Week 13 (Sunday December 6, 1987): vs. Seattle Seahawks

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Week 14 (Sunday December 13, 1987): at San Diego Chargers

at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California

Week 15 (Sunday December 20, 1987): at Houston Oilers

at Astrodome, Houston, Texas

Week 16 (Saturday December 26, 1987): vs. Cleveland Browns

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Standings