The 1980 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 48th season in the National Football League. The Steelers struggled for the first time in many years. The aging defense was not as effective as it had been in the 1978 and '79 seasons, falling from 2nd to 15th in yards allowed. The Steelers also surrendered 313 points, ranked 15th in the league, compared to 262 points (5th in the league) the previous season. The Pittsburgh defense only garnered 18 quarterback sacks. The offense was still plagued with 42 total turnovers, but ranking 6th in total offense, and scoring 352 points.