The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2025 opponents will have more rest than them, as a study by Sumer Sports showed the Steelers will have a negative rest differential for the upcoming season. Pittsburgh ranks 23rd in the league in rest differential, a stat that measures the number of times that two teams have off prior to their game day. The Steelers have a rest differential this season of -4, meaning they will have four less days of rest this season than their opponents.
It’s not a huge difference, but it still makes an impact. However, the advantage of rest has been significantly lessened in recent years, starting with the 2011 CBA. Sumer Sports put together a study looking at the impact of rest and found that since the league mandated four days off during teams’ bye weeks, the prior swing of +2.2 points for the more well-rested team went away. The study found that it was additional practice and preparation more so than the time off that played a role in “rested” teams having an advantage, but with mandated time off, there was less of a chance for players to get work in during bye weeks.
For the Steelers, it won’t be as much of an issue, especially with opponents having just four extra days of rest throughout the season. For teams with a wider gap, like the Las Vegas Raiders losing 16 days of rest or the Philadelphia Eagles gaining 13 days of rest to their opponents, the impact could be greater. So even though the Steelers are No. 23 in the league, the Sumer Sports study makes it sound as if it won’t be too much of a detriment to the team’s chances next season.
With an expanded international slate this year, though, teams could be more impacted than in the past. For the Steelers, they’ll have their bye in Week 5 after playing in Ireland in Week 4, so the effect of playing right after an international game won’t be felt. But it’s an unknown intangible with more games internationally than ever before, and that could be something that eventually plays into how much rest can affect an outcome of the game.
It’s not ideal to have less rest than an opponent for the Steelers, but it’s a difference that’s more or less negligible and shouldn’t be a reason why the team loses games. If the disparity was wider one way or another, it might be a factor, but it shouldn’t be an issue for the Steelers in 2025.
