Brotherly love lacking for Steelers whenever they venture to Philadelphia to face Eagles

The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers won a game in Philadelphia, Lyndon Johnson was president, the song that topped the music charts was “Yesterday” by the Beatles, and the United States was still almost four years away from putting a man on the moon.

The date was Oct. 24, 1965. The venue was Franklin Field on the Penn campus. The score was Steelers 20, Eagles 14.

Since then, the Steelers have gone 0-9 in a city that hasn’t provided much brotherly love to its in-state rival.

To put that in perspective from a Pittsburgh sports standpoint, consider that:

• Steelers president Art Rooney II was 13 years old, and the franchise would founder for three years under Bill Austin before hiring Chuck Noll as head coach.

• Roberto Clemente remained more than 1,000 hits shy of the 3,000 he would accumulate for his career. Willie Stargell had hit just 59 of his career 475 home runs. The Pirates also wouldn’t win another World Series title for six seasons.

• The Penguins were two years away from entering the NHL as an expansion franchise. In Quebec, a future hockey prodigy named Mario Lemieux was born less than three weeks earlier.

The 20-14 victory against the Eagles was one of two for the Steelers in their lone season with Mike Nixon as head coach. Nixon was thrust into the job two weeks before the season started when Buddy Parker abruptly resigned after the Steelers lost all four preseason games, reportedly saying, “I can’t win with this bunch of stiffs.”

The win against the Eagles snapped an 0-5 start for the Steelers. After defeating Dallas the next week, the Steelers lost their final seven games, and Nixon was replaced by Austin. It was the last season before the NFL and AFL matched up in a championship game eventually known as the Super Bowl.

In that 1965 season, the Steelers set an NFL record with a minus-30 turnover ratio. Flipping that script at the horseshoe-shaped Eagles home field, the Steelers scored touchdowns on a 17-yard fumble return and 82-yard interception return. Bill Nelson’s 14-yard touchdown pass to Mike Lind provided the only points on offense.

The Steelers beat the Eagles despite getting only eight first downs and 132 net yards. The Eagles had 199 rushing yards and 388 overall but were hurt by four interceptions. The losing streak started the next year, and Austin lost again to the Eagles in 1967.

For all that changed for the Steelers franchise after Noll became head coach, he went his entire coaching career without getting a win in Philadelphia. Because the two teams were moved into separate conferences after the NFL-AFL merger, visits to Philly were few and far between.

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The Steelers were 0-4 there under Noll. The first was a 41-27 loss in 1969, his first season. After winning their season opener, the Steelers took some optimism into the Week 2 game at Philadelphia. Then, after taking a 13-0 lead in the first quarter, the Steelers gave up 31 unanswered points and were en route to the first of 13 consecutive losses to end the season.

Noll took the Steelers back in 1970. Frenchy Fuqua set a then single-game franchise rushing record when he gained 218 yards and scored two touchdowns. The score was tied 20-20 in the fourth quarter before the Steelers succumbed 30-20.

The only time Noll faced the Eagles in Philadelphia during the Steelers’ run of Super Bowl success was 1979: a 17-14 defeat. Terry Bradshaw had a miserable 49.5 passer rating, but winning quarterback Ron Jaworski was even worse at 41.3.

Noll didn’t get back there until 1991, his final season. Behind two touchdown passes from Bubby Brister, the Steelers held a 14-7 lead in the first half. The Eagles, behind quarterback Jim McMahon, stormed back for a 23-14 victory.

In his 15 seasons as Steelers head coach, Bill Cowher took his team to Philadelphia just once. That meeting took place in 1997, a 23-20 defeat. Kordell Stewart threw two touchdown passes, but the Steelers never led in the game and were beaten by unheralded quarterback Bobby Hoying. It was one of just three wins in his five-year NFL career.

After going winless at Veterans Stadium, the Steelers have tried their luck twice at Lincoln Financial Field. They still are searching for their first touchdown in Philadelphia in the Mike Tomlin era.

The first loss there was a 15-6 decision 2008. The Steelers gave up nine sacks, with Ben Roethlisberger being dropped five times in a six-snap span and six times in the second quarter. The Steelers turned it over three times, and Roethlisberger was called for intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety in the second half.

The Steelers returned in 2016 with a 2-0 record but without star running back Le’Veon Bell, who was serving a suspension. The 34-3 loss to the Eagles was the worst for Tomlin until this season’s 38-3 thrashing at Buffalo.

Trailing 13-3 at the half, the Steelers gave up 21 points in the third. The only bright spot was Antonio Brown’s 12 catches for 140 yards.

On Sunday, the Steelers take a 2-5 record into the game and are double-digit underdogs against the 6-0 Eagles. Even if the Steelers don’t pull off the upset, they won’t have to wait the typical eight years of an NFL scheduling cycle before returning.

The next trip to Philly will take place in 2024.