Steelers Receive Specific Gift On A Silver Platter From NFL Schedule Makers For 2025 Season

The Pittsburgh Steelers will enter the 2025 season with plenty of interesting storylines. No one is sure just yet what the situation will be at the quarterback position, but Head Coach Mike Tomlin's non-losing season streak is always part of the conversation regardless of what his roster looks like year-in and year-out. The AFC is stacked from top to bottom, and it doesn't help that the AFC North is loaded with talent, too. With a questionable offense and defense that struggled down the stretch in 2024, the team needs all the help it can get from several different parties.

As NFL schedule leaks ran rampant on Wednesday, many began to quickly dissect the Steelers' fate for the 2025 campaign. Not many have mentioned, however, that Pittsburgh may have gotten the benefit of the doubt in one late-season game. The stretch in December looks brutal once again, but a small fun fact about the franchise's Week 15 opponent might be a legitimate advantage.

If Tua Tagovailoa is able to stay healthy throughout the course of the season, he will not be looking forward to a December game in the Steel City. The quarterback quite literally hates playing football matchups in cold weather.

It's pretty incredible to see a stat like that. Tagovailoa seriously struggles in games that are played in poor conditions, specifically when the temperature is under 40 degrees. It's not a guarantee that it will be like that in the Steel City in Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season, but it is extremely possible. The numbers don't lie, and this simple factor of the weather could make the Steelers a big-time favorite against Miami during one of the most important stretches of the campaign.

If Tagovailoa is injured or cannot play for some reason, the expectations for this specific game may change, but as it stands months before the regular season begins, it appears as if the Steelers have a likely advantage for a late-season AFC showdown. Miami had ups and downs in 2024, but if Tagovailoa can stay on the field, Head Coach Mike McDaniel's squad is bound to be a playoff contender, just as Pittsburgh is each year with Tomlin running the show.

Any leg-up that a team can get on another during any given week as the NFL season plays out is important, and the simple fact of Miami coming up North in December is already a plus. When someone mixes in the fact that Tagovailoa doesn't historically win games in cold weather, Steeler Nation is going to be completely comfortable with a below-freezing day when the Dolphins come to town.

AFC wins are important when it comes to playoff seeding and tiebreakers. This reported game against Miami in Week 15 should be no different if both organizations are in the hunt. This showdown will also be in the evening, which increases the odds of Tagovailoa being uncomfortable and the temperature being under 40 degrees.

Steelers Can't Afford To Lose Certain Games In Season

Pittsburgh isn't going to have an undefeated season, or anything close to it. The one important thing, however, is being victorious in games that should be won. Entering the Week 15 matchup against Miami, if the temperature is expected to be under 40 degrees, the stats show that the Steelers should be well on their way to a win. This is one of the contests that cannot be dropped, especially because Tagovailoa has never won in what the conditions will be expected to be.

Do you think that the Steelers already have an advantage over Tagovailoa and the Dolphins? Let us know in the comments below!

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