The first Pittsburgh Steelers schedule leak has been reported. According to the NFL Nerd Twitter/X account, which has spent the past several days tweeting schedule leaks proven true, the Steelers will be on the road in Week 7 for a Thursday night primetime matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
It will be one of two AFC North matchups between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati during the regular season. The other, of course, will be held at Acrisure Stadium.
The Bengals are looking to bounce back after missing the playoffs each of the last two seasons. In typical fashion, Cincinnati got off to a slow start in 2024 losing four of its first five games. They got hot and made a legitimate playoff push at the end, winning their final five games of the season. They finished with a 9-8 record but fell short of capturing an AFC Wild Card spot.
Last season, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati split the season series. In Week 13, the Steelers won in rare shootout fashion, 44-38 over the Bengals. QB Russell Wilson had his best game of his one-year stint with the team, throwing for 414 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. Defensively, ILB Payton Wilson recovered a fumble forced by EDGE rusher Nick Herbig and returned it for a 21-yard touchdown.
The Bengals got revenge in the season finale with a 19-17 win. The Steelers came out with a much more conservative game plan to run the ball and control the clock. But the ground game struggled to get going, the Steelers finishing the day with 23 carries for 74-yards. Cincinnati took a 19-7 lead and held off Pittsburgh the rest of the way. The Bengals’ pass rush was impactful, sacking Wilson four times. Crucially, Wilson was sacked by DE Trey Hendrickson on the Steelers’ final drive, ruining any chance Pittsburgh had of getting into field goal range.
Top storylines for the Steelers this season include who will be the team’s starting quarterback. Pittsburgh reportedly still believes Aaron Rodgers will sign but he’s yet to make a decision. With George Pickens traded, the Steelers also have questions at wide receiver. For the Bengals, they locked up receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in the offseason but need to improve a defense that has lagged behind. They’re also currently dealing with a contract dispute with Hendrickson, who made pointed comments to the media yesterday and implied he may not play this season without a new deal.
The entire NFL schedule will be released tonight at 8/EST.
