Going into 2024, many people were down on the Pittsburgh Steelers, despite them making several improvements. They quickly proved their doubters wrong, jumping out to a red-hot start. However, during the last few weeks of the season, they became the team people expected them to be. Losing their final five games, including another first-round playoff exit, the Steelers seem to be trending downward. Because of that, former NFL offensive lineman Justin Pugh believes they’ll have a losing season in 2025.
“I didn’t think they were very good this year,” Pugh said recently on the Clean Pocket YouTube channel. “They won all those close games. I think the Steelers regress, and Mike Tomlin has his first sub-.500 year next year.”
Given the way the Steelers finished the 2024 season, it isn’t a stretch to say they’ll regress next year. While they did make the playoffs, they looked absolutely dreadful. It wasn’t just their offense, either. The Steelers’ defense, which is supposed to be their strength, collapsed down the stretch.
Also, the Steelers currently don’t have a starting quarterback in place. It seems likely that they’ll bring back Justin Fields or Russell Wilson, but that isn’t guaranteed. Just as well, it’s tough to definitively say the Steelers will be better in 2025 with either of them at quarterback.
However, what Pugh is saying here echoes what many analysts said about the 2024 Steelers. It wasn’t hard to find someone who believed the Steelers wouldn’t just finish with a losing record but would finish last in the AFC North. While the Steelers’ season ended on a sour note, they exceeded most people’s expectations for them.
The Steelers haven’t had a losing season since 2003. While Mike Tomlin has his issues, he’s good enough to keep the Steelers competitive. The team has undergone multiple changes during his tenure, and yet, it hasn’t had a losing season. Even in 2019, when Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2, the Steelers still fought for a playoff spot. Betting on Tomlin’s team to crash has been unwise.
It wouldn’t be shocking to see the Steelers regress next season, but it’s not a sure thing. Things have looked bleak before, and they’ve managed to crawl to at least a .500 record. With so much of the offseason left, the Steelers can still improve their team. Tomlin’s streak of non-losing seasons could continue to live on.
