Under Mike McCarthy, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense aims to climb the charts. In yards, in scoring, in overall production. But there’s one list the team hopes to stop ascending. Pittsburgh has one of the NFL’s longest-ever streaks scoring seven or fewer first-quarter points. If that trend doesn’t stop sometime during the 2026 season, the Steelers will close in on the all-time mark.
It’s a stat we occasionally mentioned throughout last year. Dave Bryan was good about noting it after every instance, and to his credit, Warren Sharp has tracked the number for a long time. Yesterday, he shared a broader first-quarter stat that hardly painted Pittsburgh in a better light: overall points scored since 2022.
Pittsburgh’s just 28th in total first quarter points and only ahead of the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, and New York Giants.
When it comes to first quarters, no one has had a lower ceiling. Those other four teams have occasionally flashed out of the gate. Not the Steelers. Pittsburgh’s yet to score more than seven points in any regular season first quarter since the 2022 season opener, the first game of the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. Pittsburgh led the Cincinnati Bengals 10-3 after the first 15 minutes, and even that was aided by a defensive score, Minkah Fitzpatrick’s pick-six, rather than an offensive touchdown.
The last time Pittsburgh’s offense mustered more than seven first-quarter points came in Week 10 of the 2020 season. Two Chris Boswell field goals and a Diontae Johnson touchdown (two-point try no good) gave the Steelers 12 after the first frame.
Since the 2022 Bengals game, the Steelers have gone 67 straight regular-season games without scoring more than seven first-quarter points. That streak is already historic. It’s the third-longest drought in NFL history. Here’s the “leaderboard.”
Longest Streaks 7 Or Fewer Points, NFL History
1. Brooklyn Dodgers: 86 games (1930-1937)
2. New York Giants: 80 games (2020-2025)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers: 67 games (2022-Present)
If Pittsburgh goes another full 17-game slate without breaking through, they’ll surpass the Giants for second place and sit at 84. Two games away from tying the Dodgers, three away from breaking.
Over the Steelers’ streak, the team has averaged just over 3 points per first quarter, a pitiful figure.
Can McCarthy turn the tide? There’s hope. He’s an offensive-minded coach and Pittsburgh’s roster on that side of the ball looks stronger. The Giants proved modern-day streaks can end. Their skid came to a halt in Week 6 last season.
Ending the streak during the season could be a sign of McCarthy’s influence. Ideally, his influence helps Pittsburgh end another streak and win its first playoff game in a decade.