2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 73rd season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). It was the 6th season under the leadership of general manager Kevin Colbert and the 14th under head coach Bill Cowher. The Steelers failed to improve upon their 15–1 record from 2004 and in 2005, the Steelers struggled. At one point, they were 7–5 and in danger of missing the playoffs but rose to defeat the Chicago Bears on December 11 and started a four-game win streak to finish the season at 11–5.
| 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | The Rooney Family |
| General manager | Kevin Colbert |
| Head coach | Bill Cowher |
| Home field | Heinz Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 11–5 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC North |
| Playoff finish | Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Bengals) 31–17 Won Divisional Playoffs (at Colts) 21–18 Won AFC Championship (at Broncos) 34–17 Won Super Bowl XL (vs. Seahawks) 21–10 |
| Pro Bowlers | 5
|
| AP All-Pros | 3
|
| Team MVP | Casey Hampton Hines Ward |
| Team ROY | Heath Miller |
The Steelers qualified for the playoffs as a wild-card team as the #6 seed and became just the second team ever (and the first in 20 years) to win three games on the road after they beat the #3 seed Cincinnati Bengals (11–5), the top-seeded Indianapolis Colts (14–2), and the #2 seed Denver Broncos (13–3) to become the American Football Conference representative in Super Bowl XL. They defeated the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL to secure their league-tying fifth Super Bowl title. In doing so, they also became the only team at the time since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to win a Super Bowl without playing a single home playoff game; though the New York Giants would repeat the feat two years later.