A Home Game That Felt Like an Away Crowd
Over the years, I’ve attended at least ten Pittsburgh Steelers home games — and none looked or felt like Sunday night’s stunning 35–25 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Acrisure Stadium, once a fortress of black and gold pride, sounded more like neutral territory. Packers fans flooded the stands, their chants echoing so loudly that the Steelers were forced to use a silent count on offense.
It was supposed to be one of the most memorable games in years: Aaron Rodgers’ return to face his former team, now as the Steelers’ starting quarterback. Instead, the story became how Green Bay fans overran Pittsburgh’s home turf. From the press box to the parking lot, you could feel the imbalance. Even outside the stadium, while taping the Football Night in America podcast, it was impossible to tell whether cheers were for the home team or the visitors.
From Loud and Loyal to Silent and Subdued
It wasn’t always this way. Pittsburgh once prided itself on a fan base as fierce as its defense. I remember a Vikings-Steelers game in 1989 when I showed up in full Minnesota gear — and regretted it instantly. The Steelers were 0–2, coming off a 51–0 blowout loss to the Browns, yet the crowd still roared with defiance. Even when the team struggled, the fans never did.
In 1995, during the AFC Championship, I watched the stadium literally shake after Neil O’Donnell’s 37-yard completion to Ernie Mills set up the go-ahead score. The noise was deafening. That was the Pittsburgh I knew — passionate, relentless, loyal to the end. On Sunday night, however, it was different. For the first time, I saw Steelers Nation subdued.
Why Steelers Fans Are Losing Their Edge
What caused the energy drain? Maybe too many fans sold their tickets to Packers supporters desperate to see Rodgers face Green Bay one last time. Maybe Pittsburgh’s sports landscape has shifted — the Pirates’ mediocrity and the Penguins’ Stanley Cup successes have dulled the city’s hunger for another football triumph. Or perhaps those ugly new uniforms were enough to drain enthusiasm before kickoff.
Whatever the reason, the once-intimidating aura of Steelers home games has faded. On Sunday night, the crowd that once inspired six Super Bowl runs felt passive, almost indifferent. As the game slipped away, so did the magic that defined decades of Pittsburgh football dominance.
Can the Magic Return?
The Steelers now sit at 4–3, facing a crucial matchup next weekend against the 7–1 Indianapolis Colts — arguably their toughest challenge since the Peyton Manning era. It’s a pivotal moment, not just for the team, but for its fans. Can they reclaim the energy that made Acrisure Stadium a nightmare for visiting teams? Can they reignite the passion that once made the city synonymous with football excellence?
I wish I could be there next Sunday to see it — to feel whether the old Pittsburgh spirit still lives in the crowd. Because on Sunday night, it was gone. So far gone that it’s hard to know what it will take to bring it back.