The Pittsburgh Steelers are mired in a run of listless playoff performances dating back to 2016. They hope to break that streak in 2025 with some big acquisitions. The highlight is QB Aaron Rodgers, of course. But they also traded for WR DK Metcalf, DB Jalen Ramsey, and TE Jonnu Smith.
The question is, will these moves be enough to get the Steelers even into the playoffs? That’s what Mark Schlereth posed on Breakfast Ball Monday morning, and Craig Carton thinks the Steelers can do it. But the back of the schedule will pose a problem.
“They got to stack wins early, because Bills, Ravens, even if I give you a win against the Dolphins at that point of the season, Detroit’s a monster, Baltimore at the end might be meaningless,” Carton said. “If you can stack wins up until about Halloween, they have a very good chance of making the playoffs.”
People are quite divided on the Steelers’ playoff prospects. Some like Cynthia Frelund on Good Morning Football think that even with Rodgers at quarterback, the Steelers will miss out this year. However, Carton thinks the 2025 schedule is easier than last year’s gauntlet. And the Steelers made the playoffs (even though they lost their final five games, including in the Wild Card round).
Like last year, the Steelers face the Baltimore Ravens twice in the final weeks of the season (Week 14 at Baltimore and Week 18 at home). However, the Steelers aren’t part of an insane grouping of games to make a mid-week Christmas Day game possible. And the Steelers don’t face the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles this time around, either.
However, they still host the Buffalo Bills in Week 13 and travel to Detroit to play the Lions in Week 16, both consistent contenders in recent years. That means the Steelers need to stack wins early as Carton said. And he sees that as a very real possibility.
“You can make an argument that they could start off the season 5-0,” Carton said. “Minnesota’s the toughest game they’ve got in the first month of the season. But there’s a real possibility, if Aaron Rodgers is as good as we all think he might be, with this offense, with Arthur Smith, they could start off 5-0.”
The Steelers certainly have some juicy storylines early, along with potentially favorable matchups. They start the season by playing the New York Jets on the road. That’s chock-full of storylines. Rodgers is taking on his old team. And QB Justin Fields is likely the starter for the Jets. But storylines aside, the Steelers should be the favorites in that game. In Week 2, the Steelers play their home opener against the Seattle Seahawks, Metcalf’s old team.
Then it’s on the road to face the New England Patriots, then across the pond to take on the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin, Ireland. Not only is that the hardest matchup of the early part of the season, but traveling to Europe means the Steelers have an early bye week in Week 5. After their week off, the Steelers then kick off AFC North play by hosting the Cleveland Browns in Week 6.
Is 5-0 ambitious? Absolutely. Is it out of the question? It’s all up to Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers’ offense, honestly. But the path is there. And if the Steelers can stack wins early, they have a much easier road to the playoffs. Once they’re there, anything can happen. Former Ravens and Jets LB Bart Scott thinks they have a chance to give teams problems once they’re in the playoffs, thanks to Rodgers.
That’s the whole point of this aggressive offseason. The Steelers, general manager Omar Khan, and head coach Mike Tomlin want to end this streak of playoff futility now.
