The 1953 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 21st in the National Football League.

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1 (Sunday September 27, 1953): Detroit Lions

at Briggs Stadium, Detroit, Michigan

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 20,675
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• Detroit – Carpenter 73 interception (Walker kick)
• Pittsburgh – Nickel 14 pass from Finks (Bolkovac kick)
• Detroit – Gedman 1 run (Walker kick)
• Detroit – FG Walker 40
• Pittsburgh – Mathews 1 fumble run (Bolkovac kick)
• Detroit – Hart 49 pass from Layne (Walker kick)
• Detroit – Walker 8 pass from Hoernschmeyer (Walker kick)
• Detroit – Hoernschemeyer 29 pass from Layne (Walker kick)
• Pittsburgh – Nickel 15 pass from Marchibroda (Bolkovac kick)

Week 2 (Saturday October 3, 1953): New York Giants

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 31,500
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• New York Giants – Clay 2 pass from Conerly (Clay kick)
• Pittsburgh – Chandnois 93 kick return (Bolkovac kick)
• New York Giants – Long 55 pass from Conerly (Clay kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Bolkovac 35
• Pittsburgh – Nickel 4 pass from Finks (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – Bolkovac 14 fumble run (Bolkovac kick)

Week 3 (Sunday October 11, 1953): Chicago Cardinals

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 25,953
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• Chicago Cardinals – Olszewski 1 run (Summerall kick)
• Pittsburgh – Rogel 1 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Chicago Cardinals – Nagler 34 pass from Root (Summerall kick)
• Chicago Cardinals – Nagler 6 pass from Root (Summerall kick)
• Chicago Cardinals – Stonesifer 3 pass from Trippi (Summerall kick)
• Pittsburgh – Mathews 19 pass from Finks (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – Rogel 4 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – Barker 4 pass from Finks (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Bolkovac 28

Week 4 (Saturday October 17, 1953): Philadelphia Eagles

at Connie Mack Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 18,681
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• Philadelphia – Pihos 28 pass from Burk (kick blocked)
• Pittsburgh – Mathews 23 pass from Finks (Bolkovac kick)
• Philadelphia – FG Walston 11
• Philadelphia – Giancanelli 16 pass from Thomason (Walston kick)
• Philadelphia – Ziegler 1 run (Walston kick)

Week 5 (Saturday October 24, 1953): Green Bay Packers

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 22,918
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – Finks 4 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Bolkovac 40
• Pittsburgh – Chandnois 6 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – Brandt 2 run (Bolkovac kick)
• PIttsburgh – Brandt 1 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Green Bay – Parilli 1 run (Cone kick)
• Green Bay – Cone 5 pass from Rote (Cone kick)

Week 6 (Sunday November 1, 1953): Philadelphia Eagles

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 27,547
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

• Philadelphia – Gianganelli 7 run (Walston kick)
• Philadelphia – Williams 48 run (Walston kick)
• Philadelphia – Walston 21 pass from Thomason (Walston kick)
• Pittsburgh – Mathews 11 pass from Finks (Bolkovac kick)
• Philadelphia – Pihos 26 pass from Thomason (Walston kick)
• Philadelphia – Giancanelli 8 pass from Thomason (Walston kick)

Week 7 (Sunday November 8, 1953): Cleveland Browns

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 35,592
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – FG Bolkovac 27
• Pittsburgh – Mathews 2 run (kick failed)
• Cleveland – Carpenter 7 run (Groza kick)
• Cleveland – FG Groza 20
• Cleveland – Renfro 44 run (Groza kick)
• Pittsburgh – Mathews 77 pass from Finks (Bolkovac kick)
• Cleveland – Renfro 79 blocked field goal return (Groza kick)
• Cleveland – Lavelli 17 pass from Graham (Groza kick)
• Cleveland – FG Groza 14

Week 8 (Sunday November 15, 1953): New York Giants

at Polo Grounds, New York, New York

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 20,411
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – Dodrill 16 fumble run (Bolkovac kick)
• New York Giants – Gifford 6 pass from Conerly (Gifford kick)
• New York Giants – FG Clay 20
• Pittsburgh – Butler 33 pass from Finks (Bolkovac kick)

Week 9 (Sunday November 22, 1953): Cleveland Browns

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 32,904
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

• Cleveland – Renfro 54 pass from Graham (Groza kick)
• Pittsburgh – Finks 1 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – Safety, Lahr tackled in end zone by Mathews
• Cleveland – FG Groza 50
• Cleveland – Brewster 31 pass from Graham (Groza kick)
• Cleveland – FG Groza 41
• Pittsburgh – Mathews 1 run (Bolkovac kick)

Week 10 (Sunday November 29, 1953): Washington Redskins

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 17,206
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – Safety, Heath tackled by Ferry in end zone
• Washington – Taylor 5 pass from LeBaron (Dudley kick)
• Pittsburgh – Chandnois 5 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Washington – FG Dudley 41
• Washington – Rykovich 5 pass from LeBaron (Dudley kick)

Week 11 (Sunday December 6, 1953): Chicago Cardinals

at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 14,138
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

• Chicago Cardinals – Olszewski 1 run (Summerall kick)
• Chicago Cardinals – FG Summerall 12
• Pittsburgh – Brandt 1 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – Nickel 6 pass from Mackrides (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – Mackrides 2 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Chicago Cardinals – Paul 5 pass from Romanik (Summerall kick)

Week 12 (Sunday December 13, 1953): Washington Redskins

at Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 22,057
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

• Washington – Dekker 34 pass from LeBaron
• Washington – FG Dudley 39
• Washington – FG Dudley 20
• Pittsburgh – Chandnois 23 lateral from Mathews (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – Butler 5 interception (Bolkovac kick)

Standings

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.