The 2001 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 69th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). After finishing the previous three seasons a combined 22–26, the Steelers returned to the top seed in the AFC, rolling to a 13–3 record in their first playoff berth and AFC Central title since 1997 and playing at Heinz Field. The Steelers went 7–1 in their new home stadium, with the only loss coming to the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens (a loss the Steelers avenged in the divisional playoffs). However, for the third time in Bill Cowher's coaching tenure, the Steelers fell in the AFC Championship Game at home. This time, the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots upset the top-seeded Steelers. The Steelers ran the ball 580 times in 2001, the most in the NFL.

Offseason

NFL draft

Personnel

Notable additions include Casey Hampton, Jeff Hartings and Kendrell Bell.

Roster

Preseason

Schedule

Regular season

Schedule

Standings

Game summaries

Week 1 (Sunday September 9, 2001): at Jacksonville Jaguars

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

- (Sunday September 16, 2001): vs. Cleveland Browns

Due to the September 11th attacks the National Football League postponed all games. It was played after the rest of the scheduled season had been completed.

Week 2 (Sunday September 23, 2001): Bye Week

Week 3 (Sunday September 30, 2001): at Buffalo Bills

at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Week 4 (Sunday October 7, 2001): vs. Cincinnati Bengals

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania This was the first game at Heinz Field. Also Jerome Bettis passed 10,000 yards rushing for his career.

Week 5 (Sunday October 14, 2001): at Kansas City Chiefs

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Week 6 (Sunday October 21, 2001): at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Week 7 (Monday October 29, 2001): vs. Tennessee Titans

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Week 8 (Sunday November 4, 2001): vs. Baltimore Ravens

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Week 9 (Sunday November 11, 2001): at Cleveland Browns

at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Week 10 (Sunday November 18, 2001): vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Week 11 (Sunday November 25, 2001): at Tennessee Titans

at Adelphia Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee

Week 12 (Sunday December 2, 2001): vs. Minnesota Vikings

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Week 13 (Sunday December 9, 2001): vs. New York Jets

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Week 14 (Sunday December 16, 2001): at Baltimore Ravens

at PSINet Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Week 15 (Sunday December 23, 2001): vs. Detroit Lions

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Week 16 (Sunday December 30, 2001): at Cincinnati Bengals

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

Week 17 (Sunday January 6, 2002): vs. Cleveland Browns

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Playoffs

Schedule

Game summaries

AFC Divisional Playoff (Sunday January 20, 2002): vs. Baltimore Ravens

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

AFC Championship Game (Sunday January 27, 2002): vs. New England Patriots

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Honors and awards

Pro Bowl Representatives

See: 2002 Pro Bowl