Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Both won the AFC Central. Both won a ton of games. Both were 1 seeds.

But which Steeler team was better? Kordell's last hurrah and the Hines/Plaxico 1,000 yard tandem of '01? Or Big Ben winning game after game in '04?

Going by amount of Pro Bowlers, I would have to say that the 2004 Steeler team was better. And, they had the better QB.

2001.

Yes, Kordell instead of Big Ben along with that Achilles-heel special-teams of theirs, which would be their reason for losing AFCC, but Ben was a rookie and Kordell did have a real good regular-season. '04 no paper tiger but not too far away from one. After popping Pats' bound-to-be-burst 21-win-streak bubble and crushing Philly, they were pretty much on cruise-control rest of the year. When watching an ESPN interview with Bryan Cox I believe was that November, down the stretch, he was asked pretty much who the team-to-beat was; #1 in league. Instead of answering his defending-Champ team, he answered Pittsburgh because they had the better record and they beat them on Halloween (modesty). I knew we were in trouble! We really should have lost to Herm's Jets and had we played Indy, we lose. A great beginning to an Era '04 was, but the following year, once December/January arrived that is, it all truly came together bad game in SBXL notwithstanding (Hawks and refs weren't at their best either).

2001. I really believed they were gonna win it all after they beat the Ravens in Baltimore on a Sunday night. Still baffled they lost that AFC Championship game. That's the one game I'd love to have back. Going into the 2004 Championship game I was just hoping they'd keep it close. That team peaked midseason.