| Team: | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Year: | 1987 |
| Record: | 8–7 |
| Division Place: | 3rd AFC Central |
| Coach: | Chuck Noll |
| General Manager: | Dick Haley |
| Owner: | Art Rooney |
| Stadium: | Three Rivers Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | C Mike Webster |
| Ap All-Pros: | None |
| Mvp: | Mike Merriweather |
| Roy: | Delton Hall |
| Shortnavlink: | Steelers seasons |
The 1987 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 55th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League. The team improved from a 6–10 record from 1986 and finishing 8–7 record and fail to reach the playoffs for a third straight season. Noll was renowned as a stoic character, but in complete contrast was his reaction to Jerry Glanville, the head coach of the Oilers. After the Steelers second meeting, Noll in the postgame handshake grabbed Glanville and told him he'd better watch out or he'd get jumped on. This was in reaction to Glanville's earlier comments on how the Oilers field was the 'house of pain' and his prediction that his players would intentionally hurt the Steelers.
See main article: article and 1987 NFL draft.
| Lyneal Alston | Wide receiver | Southern Miss | |
| Eric Anderson | Wide receiver | UTEP | |
| Steve Apke | Linebacker | Pittsburgh | |
| Warren Bone | Defensive end | Texas Southern | |
| Dennis Borcky | Nose tackle | Memphis State | |
| Richard Bosselmann | Linebacker | Cal Poly | |
| Ralph Britt | Tight end | NC State | |
| George Cimadevilla | Punter | East Tennessee State | |
| Spark Clark | Running Back | Akron | |
| Mike Crow | Punter | Northwestern State | |
| Moses Ford | Wide receiver | Fayetteville State | |
| Corey Gilmore | Running back | San Diego State | |
| James Hansen | Offensive tackle | Utah | |
| Joe Pizzo | Quarterback | Mars Hill | |
| Mike Russo | Nose tackle | Penn State | |
| Vernon Stewart | Wide receiver | Akron | |
| Albert Williams | Linebacker | UTEP |
After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:
| Week | Date | Opponent | Game Site | Kickoff (ET) | TV | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fri. Aug. 14 | at Washington Redskins | 8:00 p.m. | WTAE | L 23–17 | 0–1 | |
| 2 | Sat. Aug. 22 | at Chicago Bears | Soldier Field | 7:00 p.m. | WTAE | L 50–14 | 0–2 |
| 3 | Sat. Aug. 29 | at New Orleans Saints | Louisiana Superdome | 8:00 p.m. | WTAE | L 31–28 | 0–3 |
| 4 | Sat. Sep. 5 | Three Rivers Stadium | 9:00 p.m. | CBS | L 26–20 | 0–4 | |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Game Site | Kickoff (ET) | TV | Result | Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun. Sep. 13 | San Francisco 49ers | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | CBS | W 30–17 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | Sun. Sep. 20 | at Cleveland Browns | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | L 34–10 | 1–1 | |
| 3 | Sun. Sep. 27 | New York Jets | Three Rivers Stadium | 4:00 p.m. | NBC | Cancelled | 1–1 | |
| 4 | Sun. Oct. 4 | at Atlanta Falcons | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 28–12 | 2–1 | |
| 5 | Sun. Oct. 11 | at Los Angeles Rams | Anaheim Stadium | 4:00 p.m. | NBC | L 31–21 | 2–2 | |
| 6 | Sun. Oct. 18 | Indianapolis Colts | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 21–7 | 3–2 | |
| 7 | Sun. Oct. 25 | Cincinnati Bengals | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 23–20 | 4–2 | |
| 8 | Sun. Nov. 1 | at Miami Dolphins | Joe Robbie Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | L 35–24 | 4–3 | |
| 9 | Sun. Nov. 8 | at Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 17–16 | 5–3 | |
| 10 | Sun. Nov. 15 | Houston Oilers | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | L 23–3 | 5–4 | |
| 11 | Sun. Nov. 22 | at Cincinnati Bengals | Riverfront Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 30–16 | 6–4 | |
| 12 | Sun. Nov. 29 | New Orleans Saints | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | CBS | L 20–16 | 6–5 | |
| 13 | Sun. Dec. 6 | Seattle Seahawks | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 13–9 | 7–5 | |
| 14 | Sun. Dec. 13 | at San Diego Chargers | Jack Murphy Stadium | 4:00 p.m. | NBC | W 20–16 | 8–5 | |
| 15 | Sun. Dec. 20 | at Houston Oilers | Astrodome | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | L 24–16 | 8–6 | |
| 16 | Sat. Dec. 26 | Cleveland Browns | Three Rivers Stadium | 12:30 p.m. | NBC | L 19–13 | 8–7 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Cancelled due to player's strike.
at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
This game was played with replacement players.
at Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California
This game was played with replacement players.
This game was played with replacement players.
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
at Astrodome, Houston, Texas
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania