win at the Cleveland Browns. He finished his rookie season with 22 combined tackles (nine solo) and a sack in 16 games and 11 starts. The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense was ranked as the No. 1 defense overall and also finished first against the run. The Pittsburgh Steelers finished first in the AFC Central with a 13–3 record and clinched a playoff berth. On January 20, 2002, Hampton started in his first career playoff game and recorded three combined tackles in a 27–10 victory against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round. The following week, he made two combined tackles in the Steelers' 24–17 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. 2002 Hampton entered training camp slated as the starting nose tackle and was officially named the starter to start the 2002 regular season. Defensive coordinator Tim Lewis also retained Aaron Smith and Kimo von Oelhoffen as the starting defensive ends. He started in the Pittsburgh Steelers' season-opener at the New England Patriots and made three combined tackles in their 30–14 loss. In Week 4, Hampton collected a season-high six combined tackles during a 16–13 win against the Cleveland Browns. In Week 16, he collected two combined tackles, two forced fumbles, and had a season-high two sacks in the Steelers' 17–7 victory at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hampton forced a fumble by fullback Mike Alstott and recovered it for the first fumble recovery of his career in the second quarter. He also had a strip/sack on quarterback Rob Johnson and the ball was recovered by teammate Kendrell Bell to stop a potential touchdown on the Steelers' five-yard line in the third quarter. Hampton also sacked quarterback Shaun King and earned his first multi-sack game of his career. He finished his second season with 40 combined tackles (23 solo), two sacks, and two forced fumbles in 16 games and 15 starts. 2003 Hampton, Aaron Smith, and Kimo von Oelhoffen returned as the starting defensive line to start the 2003 regular season. On September 14, 2003, Hampton collected a season-high three solo tackles and sacked quarterback Trent Green in a 41–20 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2. In Week 14, he collected a season-high four combined tackles during a 6–0 loss at the New York Jets. On December 18, 2003, Hampton was voted to the 2004 Pro Bowl and earned his first career Pro Bowl