The Pittsburgh Steelers 2026 schedule is finalized. What makes this year’s slate of games unique? As always, there’s plenty of weird that comes with it. Let’s dive into our Stats of the Weird: schedule edition.
– This will be the Steelers’ 16th Week One opener against an NFC team, the Atlanta Falcons. The last came in 2024 against the Falcons, an 18-10 road win. Pittsburgh’s last Week One home game against an NFC team was less satisfying, blown out by the San Francisco 49ers in 2023.
All-time and regardless of venue, Pittsburgh is 10-5 versus NFC opponents to begin the year.
– Pittsburgh plays both its game against the Cleveland Browns before the team’s Week Nine bye. It’s the first time Pittsburgh will finish its regular seasons series against Cleveland before its bye since 2014, which was partially due to the team having a late Week 12 bye that season.
– The Steelers hit the road to play the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11. Losers of 11-straight, Pittsburgh hasn’t won in Philadelphia since 1965, and are 9-30-2 all-time on the road there.
– A more positive location stat. As Dave Bryan noted, the Steelers are 7-0-1 all-time against the Falcons at home in any given week. Pittsburgh last hosted Atlanta in 2018, ending in a 41-17 victory.
– As we noted this morning, the Steelers are playing their first Friday game in 80 years when they host the Denver Broncos the day after Thanksgiving. Go back to the 1946 opener for the previous instance, a 14-7 win against the Chicago Cardinals.
– The NFL loves the late-season Steelers/Ravens matchup. This year, Weeks 15 and 18. Since the 2020 season, Pittsburgh and Baltimore have only faced off in “single-digit” weeks, 1-9, twice: Week 5 in 2023 and Week 8 in 2020.
Given how close and meaningful these games are and how 2025 finished, it’s hard to blame the league.
– Mike McCarthy’s game in France will be the first international game of his long head coaching career.
However, McCarthy’s coached internationally as an assistant. An offensive quality control coach in 1994, the Kansas City Chiefs played a preseason game at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Here’s the Japanese broadcast version of the contest. In 1996, the Chiefs played in Monterrey, Mexico. And in 1998, the Chiefs returned to Japan (here’s a link to that one, though the quality is poor).
The Chiefs went 1-2 in those games. Those were all part of the “American Bowl” preseason games the NFL toyed around with from the mid-80s through 2005.
– Pittsburgh hosts the Carolina Panthers in Week 16. It’s the latest those two teams have played since 2010. The only time they’ve faced off later was Week 17 in 1996, which was the NFL’s regular season finale back then.
– Similar can be said about the Tennessee Titans’ game in Week 17. That’s the latest those two teams have played in the regular season since 1999, the old AFC Central days where they shared a division, when they ended the season against each other. Pittsburgh lost 47-36.
– Another year, another Thursday night road game in Cleveland. Pittsburgh has lost the previous four instances against them: 2009, 2019, 2022, and 2024. The Steelers haven’t scored more than 19 points in any of those contests.
– Finally, the Steelers play six Sunday/1 PM games before their Week 9 bye. After, they’re slated to play just two of them: Week 15 and Week 18. The Panthers and Ravens finale are to be determined and flex scheduling can always change things but for those who like a “normal” time, the end of the season schedule isn’t friendly.
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