1987 Pittsburgh Steelers season

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.

1987 would also mark a "bridging the eras" moment in Steelers history, as 1987 would mark the final seasons of Hall of Famers John Stallworth and Donnie Shell while also being the rookie season of another future Hall of Famer, Rod Woodson. Alongside fellow Hall of Famer Mike Webster (who would return for 1988), Stallworth and Shell were two of the final three players on the roster that had been part of all four Super Bowl-winning teams of the 1970s, while Woodson alongside fellow rookie Greg Lloyd (who would miss the 1987 season due to injuries) would be key members of the Steelers return to prominence in the 1990s.