A few weeks in the past, the schedule for the 2025 NFL season got here out. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, there are a couple of quirks. They’ll play the primary regular-season recreation in Dublin towards the Minnesota Vikings and shut the season with one of many hardest stretches within the league. To the frustration of some, the Steelers even have their bye in Week 5.
The Steelers’ bye week comes proper after their worldwide recreation towards the Vikings. Sometimes, the league schedules bye weeks for groups getting back from an abroad recreation, so many figured that’s the explanation for the Steelers’ bye week coming so early. Nonetheless, NFL VP of Broadcast Planning and Scheduling Mike North claims that’s not a rule of thumb anymore.
“After we had been first type of dipping our toe into the water on worldwide video games, we had been extremely accommodating about byes,” North stated Wednesday evening on 93.7 The Fan. “But when you consider it, like for the Steelers as an illustration, going over to Dublin, enjoying within the afternoon after which coming again, they’re in all probability again of their facility by midnight. So these worldwide video games, at the least within the UK and Europe, they’re turning into just a little bit extra routine. So we’ve gotten rid of the rule.”
With that in thoughts, it feels much more unfortunate that the Steelers received their bye in Week 5. For comparability, the Cleveland Browns, who play the Vikings in London in Week 5, don’t come house to a bye week. They play the Steelers the next Sunday and observe that with video games towards each the Dolphins and Patriots earlier than their bye in Week 9.
So, it does really feel just a little unfortunate that Pittsburgh received such an early bye week. Contemplating how laborious the again half of their schedule appears to be like, a bye week towards the center or finish of the yr would have suited the Steelers a lot better. An early bye is definitely not one thing they requested, however the Steelers don’t have any selection however to beat that.
“Now, the byes fall the place they fall,” North stated. “And I don’t know if the Steelers had been proud of their bye in Week 5. They get their Thursday recreation, coming just a little bit later. So that you get like, that mini bye after the Thursday.”
The Thursday recreation North is referring to is available in Week 7, when the Steelers go to the Bengals. Then they’ve per week and a half earlier than internet hosting the Packers. North mentions that they get their bye “later” however even Week 7 is early. And whereas a Thursday evening recreation does give some further relaxation for the subsequent week, it nonetheless cuts down the quantity of relaxation from the prior week. The Steelers play the Browns at house in Week 6, giving them simply three days of relaxation in between video games.
On the finish of the day, there are some things to complain about concerning the 2025 schedule. There’s the brutal stretch to finish the yr, and the Steelers’ early bye week as effectively. Nonetheless, if Pittsburgh goes to make any noise in 2025, it should overcome adversity anyway.
