The Pittsburgh Steelers were riding high well into the 2024 season with a record of 10-3. Many anticipated that the team would win the AFC North division and host a playoff game in the Steel City. Things didn't go as planned, and the franchise experienced a five-game losing streak to end the campaign, which included a playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens. During the rough stretch, games were dropped to the Philadelphia Eagles (on the road), Ravens (twice - both on the road), Kansas City Chiefs (short week and on Christmas Day) and the Cincinnati Bengals. It was brutal to say the least.
%202023%20Camp%20Final%20with%20Logos/2L9A6610-544x306.jpg "Steelers Mike Tomlin")
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Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin stands on the field at St. Vincent College as his team practices during 2023 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
This collapse led to plenty of criticism for Head Coach Mike Tomlin, but there haven't been too many changes made since. Overall, the roster is arguably worse because the quarterback situation is a mess and George Pickens is no longer a member of the team. To make matters worse, the NFL seems to have hit the Steelers will another horrific end to a regular season, as the full schedule can be found here.
In 2025, the difficult stretch will begin earlier than it did in 2024. While the Los Angeles Chargers will be played in Week 10 and Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11, the down-the-stretch part of the year begins around Thanksgiving.
In Week 12, the Steelers will take on the Chicago Bears. While it won't initially be looked at as one of the team's hardest matchups, new leadership with Ben Johnson at the helm, along with a full offseason for Caleb Williams to develop, has fans in the Windy City optimistic. The Bears will compete in the toughest division in the NFL, so the team will not be afraid to play anyone.
Right after a tough non-conference game, the Steelers will play host to the Buffalo Bills. Tomlin is just 1-3 against his good friend Sean McDermott, and it doesn't help that the AFC East squad has one of the best quarterbacks in the game in Josh Allen. This will be an incredibly tough contest for Pittsburgh in the final day of November.
AP Photo / Gene J. Puskar
Bills Sean McDermott (left) and Steelers Mike Tomlin (right) shake hands after their 2019 matchup in Pittsburgh, PA.
It won't get any more simple for the Steelers with the first Ravens matchup coming right after the Bills. This Week 14 contest will take place on the road, and Baltimore is expected to be a powerhouse in 2025.
Pittsburgh will get an extra day of rest entering Week 15 as a Monday Night Football contest is set to occur in the Steel City versus the Miami Dolphins. Unfortunately, not everything is meant to go the Steelers' way. Miami has a legitimate chance to have a bounce-back season after being just 8-9 in 2024. The only positive to this is that Tua Tagovailoa has a record of 0-8 in games played with a temperature of 40 degrees or lower.
To make things bit more problematic, a trip on a short week to play the Detroit Lions in Week 16 will be an extremely difficult battle. The NFC squad is not going to be an easy out, and has a case to be one of the top Super Bowl favorites entering the year. It's a non-conference game, but every win matters at this stage of the season, and it will be hard for the Steelers to pull one off on the road.
Finally, the Steelers will end with back-to-back AFC North matchups. These are grueling every time, no matter what each team's record may be. Week 17 will see Pittsburgh visit the Browns while Week 18 will be played at Acrisure Stadium versus Baltimore. Overall, the most concerning four-game run will feature contests against the Bills, Ravens, Dolphins and Lions, but as a whole, nothing is easy in November and December for the Steelers.
Associated Press
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin (left) greets Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell (right) near midfield after a professional football game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA.
Steelers Have To Go Through Rough Stretch After Early Bye Week
Any player will tell you that a bye week early on in an NFL season is hard. Pittsburgh's will come in Week 5 in 2025, which makes matters worse and means the team will go through 13 straight games without a legitimate break. There will be some mini-byes based on Thursday Night and Monday Night Football games, but overall, it's going to be a long and difficult end to the season for the Steelers once again.
Do you think the Steelers were once again treated unfairly by the NFL schedule-makers? Let us know in the comments below!
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