1980 Pittsburgh Steelers season

Infobox NFL season
team = Pittsburgh Steelers
year = 1980
record = 9-7
division_place = 3rd in AFC Central
coach = Chuck Noll
stadium = Three Rivers Stadium
playoffs = none
previous = 1979
next = 1981

Offseason

Regular season

In 1980, the Steelers had their struggles. The aging defense wasn't as effective in 1978-79, falling from 2nd to 15th in yards allowed and 313 points, 15th in the league, up from 262 5th in the league, while only recording 18 QB sacks. The offense was still plagued with too many turnovers, 42 total, 23rd worst, but ranking 6th in total offense, and scoring 352 points (10th). Despite the team's troubles, it still could have made the playoffs on the last day of the regular season, but a 26- 17 loss to the San Diego Chargers ended their season at 9- 7.

Schedule

Game Summaries

Week 1 (Sunday September 7, 1980): vs. Houston Oilers

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Oilers
R1=0
R2=0
R3=17
R4=0
Home=Steelers
H1=17
H2=0
H3=0
H4=14"at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 54,386
* Referee:
* TV announcers: (NBC) Dick Enberg (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - Thornton 29 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Pittsburgh - Harris 1 run (Bahr kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 27
* Houston - FG Fritsch 31
* Houston - Johnson 57 pass from Campbell (Fritsch kick)
* Houston - Campbell 1 run (Fritsch kick)
* Pittsburgh - Bradshaw 1 run (Bahr kick)
* Pittsburgh - Stallworth 50 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)

= Week 2 (Sunday September 14, 1980): at Baltimore Colts =

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Steelers
R1=3
R2=10
R3=0
R4=7
Home=Colts
H1=0
H2=7
H3=10
H4=0"at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time: 2:00 PM EDT
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 54,914
* Referee:
* TV announcers: Charlie Jones (play by play), Len Dawson (color commentaor)

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 25
* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 29
* Baltimore - Shiver 34 interception return (Mike-Mayer kick)
* Pittsburgh - Harris 10 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Baltimore - Butler 15 pass from Jones (Mike-Mayer kick)
* Baltimore - FG Mike-Mayer 20
* Pittsburgh - Smith 24 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)

Week 3 (Sunday September 21, 1980): at Cincinnati Bengals

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Steelers
R1=0
R2=14
R3=7
R4=7
Home=Bengals
H1=10
H2=3
H3=0
H4=17"at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio"

* Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 52,490
* Referee:
* TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

* Cincinnati - R. Griffin 28 interception return (Sunter kick)
* Cincinnati - FG Sunter 27
* Pittsburgh - Smith 45 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Pittsburgh - Swann 14 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Cincinnati - FG Sunter 42
* Pittsburgh - Swann 68 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Cincinnati - Curtis 18 pass from Thompson (Sunter kick)
* Pittsburgh - Hawthorne 4 run (Bahr kick)
* Cincinnati - Bass 22 pass from Thompson
* Cincinnati - FG Sunter 21

Week 4 (Sunday September 28, 1980): vs. Chicago Bears

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Bears
R1=3
R2=0
R3=0
R4=0
Home=Steelers
H1=7
H2=17
H3=7
H4=7"at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 53,987
* Referee:
* TV announcers: (CBS) Frank Glieber (play by play), Roger Staubach (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

* Chicago - FG Thomas 28
* Pittsburgh - Smith 21 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 20
* Pittsburgh - Smith 29 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Pittsburgh - Smith 23 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Pittsburgh - Cunningham 2 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Pittsburgh - Harris 9 pass from Stoudt (Bahr kick)

Week 5 (Sunday October 5, 1980): at Minnesota Vikings

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Steelers
R1=6
R2=10
R3=7
R4=0
Home=Vikings
H1=3
H2=0
H3=0
H4=14"at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota"

* Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 47,583
* Referee:
* TV announcers: (NBC) Dick Enberg (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - Sweeney 21 pass from Bradshaw (kick failed)
* Minnesota - FG Danmeier 35
* Pittsburgh - Harris 4 run (Bahr kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 28
* Pittsburgh - Bradshaw 2 run (Bahr kick)
* Minnesota - S. White 21 pass from Kramer (Danmeier kick)
* Minnesota - Kramer 4 run (Danmeier kick)

Week 6 (Sunday October 12, 1980): vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Bengals
R1=10
R2=7
R3=0
R4=0
Home=Steelers
H1=0
H2=0
H3=16
H4=0"at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 53,668
* Referee:
* TV announcers: (NBC) Sam Nover (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

* Cincinnati - Alexander 1 run (Sunter kick)
* Cincinnati - FG Sunter 24
* Cincinnati - Johnson 28 pass from Anderson (Sunter kick)
* Pittsburgh - Davis 1 run (kick blocked)
* Pittsburgh - Smith 13 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 35

Week 7 (Monday October 20, 1980): vs. Oakland Raiders

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Raiders
R1=7
R2=21
R3=7
R4=10
Home=Steelers
H1=10
H2=14
H3=10
H4=0"at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time: 9:00 PM EDT
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 53,940
* Referee:
* TV announcers: (ABC) Frank Gifford (play by play), Don Meredith & Howard Cosell (color commentators)

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - Smith 19 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 18
* Oakland - King 27 run (Bahr kick)
* Pittsburgh - Hawthorne 1 run (Bahr kick)
* Oakland - van Eeghen 1 run (Bahr kick)
* Oakland - Martin 34 fumble return (Bahr kick)
* Oakland - Bradshaw 34 pass from Plunkett (Bahr kick)
* Pittsburgh - Smith 13 pass from Stoudt (Bahr kick)
* Oakland - Branch 56 pass from Plunkett (Bahr kick)
* Pittsburgh - Bell 36 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 32
* Oakland - Branch 34 pass from Plunkett (Bahr kick)
* Oakland - FG Bahr 36

Week 8 (Sunday October 26, 1980): at Cleveland Browns

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Steelers
R1=10
R2=3
R3=13
R4=0
Home=Browns
H1=0
H2=7
H3=7
H4=13"at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio"

* Game time: 1:00 PM EST
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 79,095
* Referee:
* TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - Hawthorne 1 run (Bahr kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 27
* Cleveland - Hill 5 pass from Sipe (Cockroft kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 22
* Pittsburgh - Hawthorne 2 run (Bahr kick)
* Cleveland - G. Pruitt 6 pass from Sipe (Cockroft kick)
* Pittsburgh - Thornton 2 run (kick failed)
* Cleveland - G. Pruitt 7 pass from Sipe (kick failed)
* Cleveland - Newsome 18 pass from Sipe (Cockroft kick)

Week 9 (Sunday November 2, 1980): vs. Green Bay Packers

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Packers
R1=7
R2=7
R3=0
R4=6
Home=Steelers
H1=2
H2=7
H3=6
H4=7"at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time: 1:00 PM EST
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 52,165
* Referee:
* TV announcers: (CBS) Pat Summerall (play by play), Tom Brookshier (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - Safety, ball snapped out of end zone
* Green Bay - Ellis 7 pass from Dickey (Birney kick)
* Pittsburgh - Swann 7 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Green Bay - Ellis 69 pass from Dickey (Birney kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 27
* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 18
* Pittsburgh - Bleier 4 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Green Bay - Thompson 14 pass from Dickey (kick blocked)

Week 10 (Sunday November 9, 1980): at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Steelers
R1=10
R2=14
R3=0
R4=0
Home=Buccaneers
H1=7
H2=7
H3=7
H4=0"at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida"

* Game time: 1:00 PM EST
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 71,636
* Referee:
* TV announcers: (NBC) Dick Enberg (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 48
* Pittsburgh - Winston recovered blocked punt in end zone (Bahr kick)
* Tampa Bay - House 26 pass from Williams (Yepremian kick)
* Pittsburgh - Thornton 1 run (Bahr kick)
* Tampa Bay - Giles 12 pass from Williams (Yepremian kick)
* Pittsburgh - Swann 20 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Tampa Bay - Bell 8 pass from Williams (Yepremian kick)

Week 11 (Sunday November 16, 1980): vs. Cleveland Browns

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Browns
R1=0
R2=13
R3=0
R4=0
Home=Steelers
H1=0
H2=7
H3=0
H4=9"at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time: 1:00 PM EST
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 54,563
* Referee:
* TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - Smith 10 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Cleveland - Newsome 4 pass from Sipe (kick failed)
* Cleveland - Logan 15 pass from Sipe (Cockroft kick)
* Pittsburgh - Safety, Toews tackled Evans in end zone
* Pittsburgh - Swann 3 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)

Week 12 (Sunday November 23, 1980): at Buffalo Bills

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Steelers
R1=7
R2=3
R3=0
R4=3
Home=Bills
H1=7
H2=7
H3=7
H4=7"at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York"

* Game time: 1:00 PM EST
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 79,659
* Referee:
* TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - Harris 2 run (Bahr kick)
* Buffalo - Butler 29 pass from Ferguson (Mike-Mayer kick)
* Buffalo - Butler 10 pass from Ferguson (Mike-Mayer kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 36
* Buffalo - Brown 34 run (Mike-Mayer kick)
* Buffalo - Gant 2 pass from Ferguson (Mike-Mayer kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 42

Week 13 (Sunday November 30, 1980): vs. Miami Dolphins

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Dolphins
R1=0
R2=3
R3=0
R4=7
Home=Steelers
H1=0
H2=13
H3=3
H4=7"at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time: 1:00 PM EST
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 51,384
* Referee:
* TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 32
* Pittsburgh - Swann 30 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Miami - FG von Schamann 42
* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 33
* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 30
* Miami - Moore 31 pass from Woodley (von Schamann kick)
* Pittsburgh - Harris 9 run (Bahr kick)

Week 14 (Thursday December 4, 1980): at Houston Oilers

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Steelers
R1=0
R2=0
R3=0
R4=0
Home=Oilers
H1=0
H2=0
H3=3
H4=3"at Astrodome, Houston, Texas"

* Game time: 8:30 PM EST
* Game weather: Dome
* Game attendance: 53,960
* Referee:
* TV announcers: (ABC) Frank Gifford (play by play), Don Meredith & Howard Cosell (color commentators)

Scoring Drives:

* Houston - FG Fritsch 37
* Houston - FG Fritsch 33

Week 15 (Sunday December 14, 1980): vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Chiefs
R1=0
R2=3
R3=13
R4=0
Home=Steelers
H1=7
H2=0
H3=0
H4=14"at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time: 1:00 PM EST
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 50,013
* Referee:
* TV announcers: (NBC) Marv Albert (play by play), Mike Haffner (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - Swann 9 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Kansas City - FG Lowery 36
* Kansas City - Hadnot 3 run (Lowery kick)
* Kansas City - FG Lowery 22
* Kansas City - FG Lowery 50
* Pittsburgh - Bell 13 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
* Pittsburgh - Bleier 11 run (Bahr kick)

Week 16 (Monday December 22, 1980): at San Diego Chargers

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Steelers
R1=0
R2=3
R3=7
R4=7
Home=Chargers
H1=3
H2=6
H3=10
H4=7"at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California"

* Game time: 9:00 PM EST
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 51,785
* Referee:
* TV announcers: (ABC) Frank Gifford (play by play), Don Meredith & Howard Cosell (color commentators)

Scoring Drives:

* San Diego - FG Benirschke 33
* Pittsburgh - FG Bahr 32
* San Diego - FG Benirschke 26
* San Diego - FG Benirschke 26
* San Diego - Fouts 1 run (Benirschke kick)
* Pittsburgh - Thornton 2 run (Bahr kick)
* San Diego - FG Benirschke 33
* San Diego - Muncie 10 run (Benirschke kick)
* Pittsburgh - Cunningham 16 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)

References

* [http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/pit/1980.htm?redir Steelers on Pro Football Reference]
* [http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/1980-pit Steelers on jt-sw.com]