When will opposing teams’ fans learn to respect one rule about the Pittsburgh Steelers: never disrespect the Terrible Towel. For those who fail to heed this warning, a dreaded curse awaits.
The Terrible Towel curse struck down the now 3-12 Jacksonville Jaguars for over a season after S Andrew Wingard disrespected the tradition back in Week 8 of 2023.
Another curse is on the way, as footage from the Steelers-Eagles Week 15 contest showed a Philadelphia fan throwing a Steelers fan’s Terrible Towel out of the stadium.
The Curse of the Terrible Towel lives on. F with it at your own peril. Eagles fan paid the price. Hurts got hurt. Kenny had to play. And they lost. A cautionary tale for Steelers haters. pic.twitter.com/ERiju7HnIU
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) December 22, 2024
Following the incident, a series of misfortunes plagued the Eagles in Week 16. Not only did Eagles QB Jalen Hurts suffer a concussion and get ruled out—forcing the atrociously inconsistent backup QB Kenny Pickett to take his place—but the team also blew a 27-14 lead over the Commanders in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles had a chance to seal the game, but WR DeVonta Smith had one of the worst drops fans had ever seen—with two minutes remaining on third down.
The Washington Commanders scored a last-minute TD with less than 10 seconds remaining, further proving the age-old Pittsburgh adage: don’t mess with the Terrible Towel.
