The Steelers preseason games are now locked in for August 2026. Preseason might not be the most meaningful period for fans or commercially - but it is a massive opportunity for players, coaches and team staff to take stock and assess ahead of the season. Steelers new head coach Mike McCarthy will want to get a lot from the games as he gets used to the team - and for a backup player, impressing across preseason games is like checking the lotto results today and finding a big win.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers new Head Coach Mike McCarthy smiles as he addresses the media during his introductory press conference that took place at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA.
The Steelers will be playing the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets at home in mid August, before travelling to Buffalo to face the Bills in the final preseason game at the end of the month. August is still a way away, and preseason is just preseason. But given the big changes after 19 years under Mike Tomlin as head coach, and the final season of 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers on everyone's mind, it may feel more important than most for Steelers fans.
Green Bay Packers is an Interesting First Game for McCarthy
This will be McCarthy's first game in the Pittsburgh dugout - and against his old employer no less. Many Steelers fans will remember Super Bowl XLV in 2010 when McCarthy coached the Packers (and Aaron Rodgers) to a close win over his home-town Pittsburgh. So, even though preseason week 1 is usually chaotic and used for experimentation, McCarthy will probably very much want to win this one - for the fans and his own personal reasons.
The team, even if they play without key starters as is often the case in these games, will also be feeling this is one they can win. The Packers had a middling season at best in 2025. While both teams went out in the Wildcard round of post-season, the Packers lost four of their five matches before that. Whereas, despite a bruising loss to the Texans in the Wild Card round, Pittsburgh ended on four wins from five in the regular season.
New York Jets in Game 2 Should be Light Work
The Jets had a torrid 2025 season, and many predict them to be little better in 2026. They won just three games all season, ending in four-way tie for the worst record. But the Jets had by far the worst defense and the second least productive offense of those teams.
One analyst for Bleacher Report even predicted the Jets could become the first NFL team to go 0-17. Ouch. Now - that's a bold prediction, but the fact it's even been suggested tells you how dire things might be for the New York team this season.
Coach Aaron Glenn's solution? Picking up extremely inconsistent - and former Jet - Geno Smith to start at QB. Smith last played for the Jets in 2013. He was on the Pro Bowl team in 2022 and 2023 after a brief resurgence at Seattle but has been disappointing in his appearances for the Las Vegas Raiders over 2024 and 2025. Backup QB for the Jets is set to be fourth round draft rookie pick Cade Klubnik - and many analysts are not rating his chances either.
The Steelers will be looking to put their starters out for the longest of any of the three preseason games in this one too. If Rodgers is fit and ready then he will likely want to put any doubts to bed about that in this game, against one of the league's weakest offenses.
If the Steelers don't win? Either McCarthy is going to have a lot of thinking to do or basically everyone has been wrong about the Jets' chances in 2026.
Buffalo Bills will Be a Big Test on the Road
The Bills will undoubtedly be Pittsburgh's biggest challenge of the preseason games. Week 3 of preseason is one coaches always look to win, to set a positive tone for the season ahead, while at the same time resting key players before the first game.
This often makes for an entertaining and high scoring game. Which would in this case probably benefit the Bills, seeing as they scored almost 100 points more than the Steelers last season - and they've arguably improved their offense in this offseason.
The Bills have the QB position on lock in Josh Allen and are still considered likely to make playoffs again this season. They ranked high among offensive and defensive stats in 2025. They've also got strong depth - arguably more so than Pittsburgh - meaning their second and third team units could still be strong.
If the Steelers can pull off an away victory against a team considered Super Bowl contenders in the final preseason game, it will set a good tone for the first full league game of the new Mike McCarthy era. However, a loss against Buffalo's second or even third string team would be a worrying concern for a cut down Steelers roster.