Dominating Win a Good Omen for Steelers

The Steelers got off to a great start with a 38-17 win over the Texans, in a game where the final score is almost a little misleading--the Steelers led 35-3 in the third quarter before bringing in the backups.

But what does a dominating debut mean for the rest of the season? Actually it's a very good sign apparently. I picked out the five best season-opening wins since Chuck Noll took over the team. Of those five wins, four of them came from playoff teams, including two Super Bowl champs and another team that made the AFC Championship.

Here's the five most dominating opening game performances for the Steelers before today.

2007: Steelers 34, Browns 7: It's not often that a opening day starting quarterback loses his job after one game, but the Steelers chased Charlie Frye out of Cleveland thanks to six sacks and a 27-point win in a game that was supposed to be a nail biter. The win ended up being a big one for the Steelers, who won the AFC North title in part because they beat the Browns in head-to-head competition. The Steelers ended up making the playoffs, but they lost in the first round to the Jaguars.

2005: Steelers 34, Titans 7: If every game was Opening Day, Willie Parker would be a Hall of Famer. Parker destroyed the Titans in his first NFL start, rushing for 161 yards and a touchdown and adding a 48-yard touchdown catch. And he did all that despite spending the fourth quarter on the sideline resting with the game out of reach. In four seasons as a starter, Parker has rushed for at least 100 yards every year in the season opener. This was one of those games of complete domination, and it was a good omen for a Super Bowl season.

1999: Steelers 43, Browns 0: If you're looking for complete domination, this is the game that stands out beyond all others. It was Cleveland's first game for its new expansion team, which replaced the Art Modell Browns that fled to Baltimore. Pittsburgh had 33 first downs, Cleveland had 40 yards. If I've ever watched a game where the Steelers could have named the score, this was the game. But it's also a good reminder that a big win in the opener doesn't mean much-the Browns came back to beat the Steelers just nine weeks later. And while the rest of these teams all made the playoffs, the 1999 Steelers ended up a disappointing 6-10.

1985: Steelers 45, Colts 3: Maybe today's win is a good omen. In 1985, the Steelers weren't expected to do much, and they really weren't a great team, but they did go out and blitz the Colts for 45 points, thanks in large part to Mark Malone's 287 yards and five touchdowns. Second-year wide receiver Louis Lipps had three touchdown catches. The Steelers had to sneak into the playoffs thanks to the gift that was the AFC Central that year, but they ended up making it to the AFC Championship game.

1975: Steelers 37, Chargers 0: In 1974, the Steelers won the Super Bowl thanks to an outstanding running game and a great defense. The 1975 opener showed that all of a sudden, Terry Bradshaw was giving the Steelers a passing game as well. Bradshaw threw for two touchdowns, the Steelers ran for over 200 yards and threw for over 200 yards in a dominating 1975 debut. It was another great sign of things to come--Pittsburgh won its second straight Super Bowl that year.