The Pittsburgh Steelers will look to ascend to another level in 2025, as the team has reached the postseason in each of the last two seasons but hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season.
The 2024 campaign was strange for the Steelers. At times, Mike Tomlin’s squad looked like a Super Bowl contender ready to take a leap. However, a late-season collapse led to another first-round exit.
Pittsburgh has gone through some changes this offseason, primarily on the offensive side of the ball. General manager Omar Khan made a splash move to acquire star wide receiver DK Metcalf, and he also replaced Najee Harris with Kaleb Johnson in the draft.
Obviously, the Steelers quarterback situation has been the main headline of the offseason and is still unsolved, even after the draft. Pittsburgh is waiting on Aaron Rodgers to make a decision regarding his future, and though the wait has been long, the expectation is that the 41-year-old will eventually sign with the Steelers.
Pittsburgh has the potential to be a contender in the AFC, but it won’t be easy. Tomlin’s squad has the ninth-toughest schedule in football this year, according to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis. Sharp measures strength of schedule by taking 2025 projected win totals from Vegas oddsmakers. The only AFC teams with tougher schedules than the Steelers are the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, and Houston Texans.
Many calculate strength of schedule by using 2024 win totals, but that isn’t an effective way to find answers, as teams endure a ton of changes throughout the offense, which can lead to success and failure during the upcoming season.
Last year, the Steelers had the hardest schedule in football according to Sharp, so the team already has experience playing tough competition.
Here is a look at Pittsburgh’s 2025 opponents ahead of the NFL schedule release on May 14.
Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks.
Away: Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots and New York Jets.
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