One analyst expects the end of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 season to look a lot like the end of 2024. NFL.com’s Ali Bhanpuri mapped out game-by-game predictions for the second half of the season and expects the Steelers to fall apart down the stretch.
Bhanpuri expects Pittsburgh to lose its next two games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears and finish the season 8-9 in what would be Mike Tomlin’s first losing season. Here’s his weekly predictions:
Bengals – Loss
Bears – Loss
Bills – Win
Ravens – Loss
Dolphins – Win
Lions – Loss
Browns – Win
Ravens – Loss
That makes a finish of 3-5 the rest of the way. Not quite the historic collapse of a season ago but a sour note to end the year, even with a win over the Buffalo Bills tucked in there. Two games versus the Baltimore Ravens loom large. Bhanpuri predicts the Steelers will lose both of those. If so, the Ravens would sweep the Steelers for the first time since 2019.
Losing the next two and coming off the Chargers’ loss would continue the Steelers’ dubious streak of eight-straight seasons with a three-game skid. Pittsburgh avoided that streak with a Week 9 win over the Indianapolis Colts, but it’s a mark that is still far from safe.
Needless to say, his projection has Pittsburgh missing the playoffs. Bhanpuri’s AFC Wild Card picks are the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers, with the Kansas City Chiefs storming back to capture the AFC West. The Ravens, of course, take the AFC North.
If so, it would make for the second-straight season Baltimore stormed back to capture the divisional crown. Last year, the Ravens sat at 8-5 behind the 10-3 Steelers to win the AFC North. Pittsburgh hasn’t won the division since 2020. Extending that out another year would mark for the Steelers’ longest drought since the late 80s to early 90s.
Predictions mean little. Bhanpuri’s projections have been off so far, picking just four of nine games correctly from his preseason predictions (granted, his are better than mine). But if this outcome plays out like expected, the Steelers will have fallen apart over this next month, given the division away, and be sitting at home come Wild Card weekend.
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