The Pittsburgh Steelers confronted a brutal schedule to finish their 2024 season, and it led to a crew that began 10-3 ending the season at 10-7, shedding its remaining 4 regular-season video games earlier than bowing out within the Wild Card Spherical to the Baltimore Ravens. Analyst Warren Sharp sees the 2025 Steelers struggling an identical or worse destiny on account of their schedule, writing in his breakdown of the crew’s schedule that it’s going to be a battle for Pittsburgh to win a playoff sport.
“Sadly, their schedule this yr is about up for one more brutal near the season, making it extraordinarily unlikely they are going to have the capability to win within the postseason or the flexibility to even survive this gauntlet and make it there.”
Sharp notes that by his metrics, the Steelers have essentially the most troublesome schedule based mostly on who they play from Week 7 by means of the tip of the season, they usually even have the third-hardest relaxation differential from Week 7 onward. As we famous in our article about the Steelers’ relaxation differential from SumerSports, they’re solely at a four-day relaxation drawback, and their examine discovered that benefits for relaxation have been minimized over time.
However whereas the remaining differential may not wind up taking part in an enormous issue, their schedule isn’t simple, particularly late within the season. From Week 13 on, the Steelers play the Ravens twice, the Payments, the Lions and the Dolphins, and with a Week 5 bye, the Steelers may very well be worn down by the tip of the season.
If Pittsburgh fails to make the playoffs or win a playoff sport, it will proceed a irritating drought. Pittsburgh has not received a playoff sport for the reason that 2016 season, and if the crew winds up signing free agent QB Aaron Rodgers, the hope is that the four-time NFL MVP will play properly sufficient to finish that drought. However the troublesome schedule may make it onerous for the Steelers to battle for a playoff spot late within the season, and as we noticed final yr, one other late-season gauntlet may not solely put on down the Steelers however may trigger errors to compound.
The Steelers performed their worst soccer late within the season final yr, and if that occurs once more, Sharp is correct that the Steelers might not expertise postseason success but once more. However Rodgers, if he indicators, offers some hope provided that he performed his greatest soccer of the yr late in 2024, however regardless, there’s going to be a variety of questions on whether or not Pittsburgh can face up to a tricky stretch after a few of its struggles final yr.
