It might not be as daunting as last season, but the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2025 schedule has some difficult challenges. It also has some easier stretches — on paper — than past years, particularly in the early going.
Though there’s some uncertainty at quarterback as the team awaits a decision from Aaron Rodgers, the belief is he’ll sign with the Black and Gold, and when he does, he’ll give the Steelers a significant boost.
For now, though, he’s not on the roster. Fortunately for the Steelers, there’s some time to work with, and the start of the season appears easier than the second half of it as the Steelers will be facing a number of non-playoff teams from last season, as well as teams with first-year head coaches.
CBS Sports’ John Breech believes that’s the “good” part about the Steelers’ schedule.
“If Aaron Rodgers is their quarterback, the Steelers have to like their chances of getting off to a fast start. They get to open the season with three winnable games (Jets, Seahawks, Patriots) and Rodgers would almost certainly be out for revenge against a New York team that he ended with on bitter terms,” Breech writes. “The Steelers also get to face two new coaches in Aaron Glenn and Mike Vrabel.
“The Seahawks won’t be an easy matchup, but they have to fly across the country for a game that starts at 10 a.m. on their body clock.”
Things ended very poorly in New York for Rodgers. He ripped new Jets head coach Aaron Glenn during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show in April and certainly wants to stick it to the Jets on the road. As for matchups with the Seahawks and Patriots, they appear winnable for the Steelers, though they tend to struggle with the Patriots in general.
After that, it’s a trip to Dublin, Ireland, to take on the Minnesota Vikings, which will be difficult, but then it’s a Week 5 bye week before getting into AFC North football against the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Steelers have a chance to start fast. And it won’t hurt to have a cushion as they navigate the tough stretch to end the season.
It won’t be anywhere near as brutal as last season’s three games in 11 days stretch, but facing off against the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions in a four-week stretch is rather difficult.
“Of the eight teams that made the divisional round last year, the Steelers will be facing three of them in a four-week span starting on the last day of November,” Breech writes regarding the bad part of the Steelers’ schedule. “The Steelers will face the Bills in Week 13 before facing the Ravens in Week 14. If that’s not bad enough, they also have to travel to Detroit in Week 16.
“That stretch could make or break their season.”
Much like last season, that late-year stretch could make or break the Steelers in 2025. Entering that pivotal stretch with a solid record and with relatively good health that late in the season is quite important. If the Steelers aren’t all that healthy in Year 2 under a new training staff, things could get difficult for Pittsburgh in that four-week span, playing three teams that were alive deep into the playoffs last season.
It’s not a brutal schedule like 2024 was, and the primetime games aren’t overbearing. Nor are the holidays packed with Steelers football. But there’s some good, and some clear bad on the schedule for the Steelers this season that could really help or hinder them.
