Joe Flacco, Sammy Baugh, And Some Quirky Steelers History

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been playing football since 1933. They have lost 589 regular season games. But there’s one quarterback to beat them a dozen times. Another could join Sunday.

In the regular season, Joe Flacco has 11 wins over the Steelers. He reached No. 11 earlier this year in a 33-31 Cincinnati Bengals win, days removed from being traded over from the Cleveland Browns. He has a chance for No. 12 this weekend.

If Flacco pulls it off, he’ll do more than sweep the Steelers. He’ll become just the second quarterback to ever notch a dozen regular season wins over Pittsburgh. Here’s those who have done so double-digit times.

Like the NFL, I am counting starts only. So Flacco’s win off the bench with the Indianapolis Colts in 2024 does not count in his column. The only exception is Baugh, who partially played before starts were reliably tracked coupled with the Single Wing formations, which Baugh played in until 1944, that made true quarterbacks more nebulous.

Double-Digit Regular Season Wins Against Steelers

Tom Brady, if you’re wondering, *only* did so nine times. And then a bunch more in the postseason. Let’s not talk about that.

This list is full of iconic names. Baugh, Graham, Jurgensen and Moon are all in the Hall of Fame. McNair was electric in his prime, a one-time MVP, while Anderson is arguably one of the most underrated quarterbacks in NFL history. He has an MVP trophy, too, and would later become a Steelers’ quarterbacks coach.

Most of these stats speak to longevity. You don’t get to these numbers without simply being in the NFL for a long time. Of course, you don’t play in the NFL for a long time without merit, either. Flacco has gone from FCS unknown at Delaware to a big-armed rookie to franchise quarterback in Baltimore to Super Bowl winner to journeyman to grizzled veteran. Never made the Pro Bowl, never an All-Pro, but Sunday will be his 200th career start. And if he can help it, a 12th starting win over the Steelers.