The 2025 season is finally here, with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys kicking things off on Thursday before the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season opener on the road against the New York Jets on Sunday. Their schedule is difficult on paper, but that was the same story last year, and they managed a 10-7 season. A more talented roster has me optimistic for a step forward in 2025. Today, I will go game by game with a score and record prediction.
We will release our annual Steelers Depot staff predictions tomorrow, which will include playoff predictions from each of our contributors. Today, we will just provide a game-by-game record prediction for the regular season.
I landed on the correct record (10-7) in last year’s prediction despite incorrectly picking the outcome of eight (!!) games.
Let me know where I am right (and wrong) in the comment section!
Week 1 – At New York Jets
Both quarterbacks have extra motivation playing against their previous teams in Week 1. I think Aaron Glenn will have that team ready to play, and the Steelers could show signs of rust with many starters sitting out the entire preseason or playing very little. I expect a Steelers win, but it could be too close for comfort on the road.
21-17 Steelers
Record: 1-0
Week 2 – Vs. Seattle Seahawks
DK Metcalf will quickly play against the only NFL team he’s ever played for to this point in his career. After knocking off the rust in Week 1, I expect a big game from the duo of Aaron Rodgers and Metcalf. Even against a talented secondary in Seattle, look for his first game with over 100 yards in black and gold. The Seahawks should have one of the stronger rushing attacks in football this year with a young, aggressive offensive line starting to put things together. How much did the Steelers improve their run defense?
28-18 Steelers
Record: 2-0
Week 3 – at New England Patriots
The Steelers used to give young quarterbacks a really hard time. That fell off in recent years, but I expect that trait to have a strong comeback in 2025 with how they plan on utilizing Jalen Ramsey to confuse quarterbacks and offensive coordinators. Drake Maye should have a fine season, but not against the Steelers. I expect this to be the first game where the defense shows how dominant Mike Tomlin believes they can be.
24-9 Steelers
Record: 3-0
Week 4 – Vs. Minnesota Vikings (Ireland)
The international aspect of this game is a wild card. The last time in London didn’t end so well against the Vikings. J.J. McCarthy is essentially a rookie and should take his lumps against this defense. Still, with Jordan Addison returning from suspension and Adam Thielen now in Minnesota via trade, this will be a big challenge for the Steelers’ back half. They have playmakers at every level.
The Vikings’ defense also has the makings of a top-10 unit. This is the first big test of the Steelers’ season, and 4-0 starts are hard to come by. They fall just short here.
21-20 Vikings
Record: 3-1
Week 5 – Bye Week
Week 6 – Vs. Cleveland Browns
Joe Flacco lit up the Steelers with the Indianapolis Colts last year, but this defense has lofty expectations and can’t be dropping games to a 40-year-old that hasn’t started a full season since 2017. I’m not sure they’ll see Flacco again when they play each other in Week 17, as either Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel should make their regular-season debut by then. The first divisional game of the season should be a defensive battle with the Steelers coming out on top.
19-14 Steelers
Record: 4-1
Week 7 – At Cincinnati Bengals (Thursday Night)
A short week on the road after another divisional matchup is tough. Like their first game last season, I expect this to be a high-scoring outing. Joe Burrow and his world-class offense edge out the Steelers this time. This may be the game where they re-think their approach to putting Ramsey on No. 1 WRs and shift back towards Joey Porter Jr. the second time around.
28-24 Bengals
Record: 4-2
Week 8 – Vs. Green Bay Packers (Sunday Night)
Rodgers can join an exclusive club by beating the Packers and having wins against all 32 teams in his career. Even with the recent addition of Micah Parsons, the Packers have some issues in their secondary. This has the makings of a legacy game for Rodgers, where he reminds the world how great he is in front of a national audience in arguably the most anticipated regular-season game of the year. When people think back to Rodgers’ final season, this game will be the one that comes to mind for obvious reasons.
31-23 Steelers
Record: 5-2
Week 9 – Vs. Indianapolis Colts
Daniel Jones. Enough said, really. The Steelers lost this one last year with Anthony Richardson’s early heroics and Flacco’s play the rest of the way. Don’t expect a repeat with their latest roster.
24-14 Steelers
Record: 6-2
Week 10 – At Los Angeles Chargers (Sunday Night)
I have been predicting a Chargers breakout season for years, and I know I’m not alone in that thinking. They have the coach, the quarterback, and a collection of other top talents. That is usually a recipe for success. This might be the year they finally put it all together. I am high on the duo of Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris as a perfect one-two punch. Losing Slater hurts them, but Joe Alt is already a top tackle. The Steelers traditionally don’t do well on the West Coast either.
17-14 Chargers
Record: 6-3
Week 11 – Vs. Cincinnati Bengals
The Steelers aren’t getting swept by the Bengals, not with how poor their defense is still likely to be. Look for them to figure out how to shut down Burrow and the passing game a little better the second time around without the challenges of a short week on the road.
17-14 Steelers
Record: 7-3
Week 12 – At Chicago Bears
Ben Johnson is one of the brightest offensive minds in the sport, and he isn’t afraid to be aggressive. By this point in the season, we should know whether or not the Bears are a threat. I tend to think they will take a big step forward this year, but Caleb Williams isn’t ready to slice up defenses like the one in Pittsburgh quite yet. I still expect a battle either way with the Bears making a late-season push toward the playoffs.
21-17 Steelers
Record: 8-3
Week 13 – Vs. Buffalo Bills
This is when things get real for the Steelers. Much like last season, the final stretch is brutal. The Bills have had the Steelers’ number lately, but they built this team to close the gap between them and the AFC’s elite. Whether or not they can get this done in the playoffs if they face each other is a different story, but look for a signature win here during the regular season at home.
24-21 Steelers
Record: 9-3
Week 14 – At Baltimore Ravens
The Steelers had the Ravens’ number for years until their last two meetings in 2024. The 299 rushing yards allowed in their last game prompted the Steelers to beef up their defense, and everybody will have their eyes on whether the Steelers closed the gap. I think they will split with the Ravens this season, but beating them on the road will be tough. Their defense got a lot more talented this offseason, too. The Steelers are going to have a hard time moving the ball and could be due for a bad loss.
28-14 Ravens
Record: 9-4
Week 15 – Vs. Miami Dolphins (Monday Night)
Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jalen Ramsey (and Jonnu Smith) will be the big stories of this game from the blockbuster trade just ahead of training camp. The Steelers have a tremendous record on Monday Night Football under Mike Tomlin, and the Dolphins will have to deal with a likely frigid Pittsburgh evening in mid-December. Who knows if QB Tua Tagovailoa will even make it this deep in the season? He’s only played one full season in his five-year career.
27-17 Steelers
Record: 10-4
Week 16 – At Detroit Lions
The Lions did what they did last season despite being one of the most injured teams in the league. If they can avoid a repeat of that, they should be one of the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. At least the weather won’t be a factor playing at Ford Field in a dome, but they are as well-rounded as any team in the league. Can the Steelers stop the one-two punch of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery?
27-21 Lions
Record: 10-5
Week 17 – At Cleveland Browns
Cleveland on the road hasn’t been kind to the Steelers, but they aren’t going to lose to a team experimenting with Gabriel or Sanders with nothing to play for this late in the season. If this defense truly is something “historic,” it should easily handle a rookie quarterback. A late-season blowout seems fitting.
33-17 Steelers
Record: 11-5
Week 18 – Vs. Baltimore Ravens
Twelve wins are almost always enough to win the AFC North, and I see both the Steelers and Ravens entering this game with 11. The winner takes the division crown for peak AFC North drama late in the season. Playing at home helps, and avoiding four-straight losses to the Ravens should be plenty of motivation after getting beaten handily in Baltimore. A missed field goal by the Ravens in the post-Justin Tucker era clinches the division for Pittsburgh.
Yes, this means I have the Steelers playing their first home playoff game since 2020 with every chance to nab their first win since the 2016 season.
21-20 Steelers
Record: 12-5
