One of the more fascinating teams entering the 2025 NFL season is the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have been consistently in the playoff hunt under head coach Mike Tomlin, who has yet to post a losing season in his career. The Steelers are still searching for an answer at quarterback as they lost both of their top passers from a year ago in free agency and are waiting for Aaron Rodgers to decide whether he wants to play this season.
There have also been some significant personnel moves for the Steelers, who traded for D.K. Metcalf while dealing away George Pickens and letting Najee Harris walk in free agency. While Pittsburgh did make the playoffs last season, they will face a significant challenge trying to get back in 2025 thanks to a tough schedule.
Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 Opponents
The Steelers' 2025 opponents were locked at the end of the 2024 season thanks to the NFL's scheduling formula, which has been in place since the 2002 realignment. In addition to their AFC North opponents, Pittsburgh will face off against teams from the AFC East and NFC North, with the latter being a historically strong division in 2024.
Since they finished in second place last season, Pittsburgh will play three placement games against the second-place teams from the AFC South, AFC West and NFC West. The Steelers will be the home team in nine games since the AFC hosts nine times in 2025, but they will only play in Pittsburgh eight times since they will host the NFL's first-ever game in Dublin, Ireland during the season. Take a look at Pittsburgh's full list of opponents below.
Home | Week | Date/Time | Road | Week | Date/Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baltimore Ravens | Baltimore Ravens | ||||
Cincinnati Bengals | Cincinnati Bengals | ||||
Cleveland Browns | Cleveland Browns | ||||
Buffalo Bills | New England Patriots | ||||
Miami Dolphins | New York Jets | ||||
Green Bay Packers | Chicago Bears | ||||
Minnesota Vikings | Detroit Lions | ||||
Indianapolis Colts | Los Angeles Chargers | ||||
Seattle Seahawks |
Pittsburgh Steelers' Schedule Leaks
There has been one leak about Pittsburgh's schedule so far and it concerns their International Series game in Dublin. Arif Hasan of WideLeft.com shared on his X account that he has heard the Minnesota Vikings will play consecutive International Games in Weeks 4 and 5 of the NFL season, with Week 4's date coming in Dublin against the Steelers before a trip to London in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns.
While Khan does cover the NFL, he doesn't have a tremendous reputation for breaking scheduling news. The NFL does like to have teams spend back-to-back weeks overseas if they are willing, so this bit of scheduling could make sense if the NFL opts to have the Vikings spend a fortnight in the British Isles.
Key Matchups To Watch For The Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers have been a marquee attraction in the NFL for a long time and that shouldn't change in 2025. Any AFC North game with Pittsburgh involved is noted for having a heated rivalry, but any chance fans get to check out a Steelers-Ravens game in 2025 will be important for the division standings.
The potential addition of Rodgers could make the Steelers' matchups against NFC North teams, who Rodgers tormented for years, quite intriguing as well. Green Bay is scheduled to visit Acrisure Stadium this season and it would mark the first time Rodgers has faced the Packers since being traded to the New York Jets prior to the 2023 season.
One guaranteed reunion will come when the Seattle Seahawks come to Pittsburgh this year. Metcalf, who began his career in Seattle, will face his former team after the Seahawks opted to deal him instead of renegotiating his contract.
Full 2025 NFL Schedule Release Information
The NFL announced during the draft that the full 2025 schedule will drop on Wednesday, May 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Even though the schedule almost fully leaks prior to the NFL Network special, fans will still be able to check out analysis of key matchups and a first full glance at the 272-game slate.
Steelers fans will also be interested to see how Pittsburgh's social media team decides to drop its 2025 schedule. The 2024 video was a fun idea where the Steelers had current players try to make former Pittsburgh legend James Harrison laugh in order to gain early access to the schedule, but time will tell if Harrison will be back for an encore this year.