The Pittsburgh Steelers proudly claim six total Super Bowl championships, but their modern rosters completely failed to impress major television networks. FOX officially excluded both of Pittsburgh’s recent championship teams from its list of the top 10 NFL rosters since 2000. This massive media snub immediately sparked intense debates among prominent former players evaluating their true historical dominance.
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“They were a balanced team,” former NFL WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh said on the NightCap podcast. “Good on offense, good on defense. But they weren’t special.” His co-host then expanded on this exact sentiment by highlighting the defining characteristics of other historic champions.
Emmanuel Acho emphatically agreed that the franchise lacked the overwhelming dominance displayed by other elite NFL champions.
“They weren’t exceptional,” Emmanuel Acho said. “They were good, though…To T.J.’s point, all of these teams have something generational, except for probably the [2007] Giants.”
He subsequently listed the historically dominant defensive units that propelled other recent champions into the elite tier.
- 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers,
- 2. 2000 Baltimore Ravens,
- 2013 Seattle Seahawks,
- 2026 Los Angeles Rams,
- 2007 New York Giants,
- 2007 New England Patriots,
- 2006 Indianapolis Colts,
- 2019 Kansas City Chiefs,
- 2020 Bucs, and
- 2024 Philadelphia Eagles.
“Bucs, generational defense. Ravens, generational defense. Seahawks, generational defense,” Acho explained. The FOX list ultimately featured these exact champions alongside other dominant rosters like the 2019 Chiefs and 2024 Eagles before Acho highlighted the elite scoring attacks.
“Disregarding the Rams, they shouldn’t have been there… [2007] Patriots, generational offense. [2006] Colts, generational offense,” Acho concluded. A deeper look into Pittsburgh’s recent championship history actually validates this seemingly harsh external evaluation.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Bob Smizik openly questioned the team’s statistical dominance during their 2005 championship campaign.
“It’s not fair to say a 7-2 team has been unimpressive,” Smizik wrote at the time. “But at the same time it’s hard to look at the Steelers’ body of work and say, “Wow!”” The offense and defense ranked a mediocre 23rd and 9th respectively, mirroring a chaotic quarterback situation from their 1974 Super Bowl run.
The 1974 team survived massive offensive struggles as Terry Hanratty and Joe Gilliam alternated snaps while Terry Bradshaw fought to regain his starting role. Fans famously chanted “We want Bradshaw … we want Bradshaw” following a disastrous 17-0 loss to Oakland where Gilliam threw two interceptions. The modern iteration of the franchise desperately hopes to avoid similar chaotic hurdles as they face a massive defensive crisis.
Steelers are in major trouble
The Steelers have a big hole to fill at safety before their Week 1 game against the Falcons. DeShon Elliott was placed on injured reserve and will miss the first four games, leaving Rayshawn Jenkins, Jaquan Brisker and rookie Robert Spears-Jennings to handle the position. While the Steelers have some options, their depth is thin.
The Steelers already had a weak spot at safety before Elliott got hurt. Jaquan Brisker is better suited to playing close to the line, so Pittsburgh may have to lean on rookie Robert Spears-Jennings or veteran Rayshawn Jenkins. The team could also move Jalen Ramsey to safety when needed, giving them another option. In other words, the Steelers are walking a tightrope in the secondary and need these players to step up.
The historic franchise must immediately overcome these massive roster hurdles to prove they remain a legitimate championship contender in 2026.