2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season

2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season
OwnerThe Rooney Family
General managerKevin Colbert
Head coachMike Tomlin
Offensive coordinatorBruce Arians
Defensive coordinatorDick LeBeau
Home fieldHeinz Field
Results
Record12–4
Division place1st AFC North
Playoff finishWon Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Chargers) 35–24
Won AFC Championship
(vs. Ravens) 23–14
Won Super Bowl XLIII
(vs. Cardinals) 27–23
Pro Bowlers
3
AP All-Pros
3
Team MVPJames Harrison[1]
Team ROYPatrick Bailey[2]

The 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 76th season in the National Football League (NFL). The season concluded with the team winning Super Bowl XLIII to become the first franchise in the NFL with six Super Bowl titles.

The Steelers entered the season as defending champions of the AFC North Division, coming off a 10–6 record in 2007. Based on the previous season's results, the team faced the most difficult schedule in over 30 years; however, they were called Super Bowl contenders by ESPN.[3] The Steelers opened their regular season on September 7, with a win over the Houston Texans en route to a 12–4 record, and a second straight AFC North Division title as well as a sweep of their division. In his second season as head coach Mike Tomlin was selected in fan balloting as the Motorola Coach of the Year.[4][5] Linebacker James Harrison was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year after leading a defense which set the standard for the league in nearly every defensive category, including total yardage allowed, points allowed, passing yardage allowed, first downs allowed, yards per play, and yards per pass, among others. The playoffs began on January 11, 2009, with a win over the San Diego Chargers. The following week saw the third victory of the season over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game and the advancement to Super Bowl XLIII where the Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals on February 1, 2009.

  1. ^ Dvorchak, Robert (December 25, 2008). "Steelers name Harrison MVP". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved December 26, 2008.
  2. ^ Bouchette, Ed (December 18, 2008). "Steelers Notebook: Bailey selected as team's top rookie". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
  3. ^ "NFL Power Rankings: May 2008 edition". ESPN. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2008.
  4. ^ "Fans pick Tomlin as NFL coach of the year". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. January 29, 2009. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
  5. ^ "Fans vote Steelers' Tomlin coach of the year". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 29, 2009. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2009.