Finally, the NFL released it’s full 2026 schedule on Thursday evening. Steelers fans get to see when the Pittsburgh will be playing its biggest games next year, and this schedule is similar to year’s past. On paper, the Steelers have an easier start to the season, but it once again ramps up in difficulty towards the end of the year. Beat writer Ray Fittipaldo thinks it’s massively important Pittsburgh gets out to a hot start.
“It’s a lot like last year. You better make hay in the first part of the season. You gotta be, in my mind, what, 7-2, 6-3 after nine games. Because that second half of the schedule, once again, is just brutal. That stretch where you’re at Cincinnati, at Philadelphia, and then you got all those primetime games, that’s gonna be a really difficult stretch to get through,” Fittipaldo said Friday on 93.7 The Fan.
Up until their Week 9 bye, the schedule really isn’t too bad. Pittsburgh plays Atlanta, New England, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Tampa Bay, New Orleans, and Cleveland again in that order. Of all those teams, the only one to make the playoffs last year was New England. And six of those eight games come in the 1pm Sunday window.
However, that doesn’t mean some of those matchups won’t be tough. In Week 1 the Steelers will play Kevin Stefanski, who coached his Browns to a win over Pittsburgh in Week 17 last year. Obviously, the Patriots are tough coming off a Super Bowl run. But the Bengals are always a threat to bounce back, and Indianapolis was on an incredible hot streak before being decimated by injuries last year. Plus, the Steelers play the Saints in France, so travel logistics could play a role as well.
However, the back half of the Steelers 2026 season looks tougher. Fittipaldo thinks if Pittsburgh doesn’t get out to a blazing start, it might be in trouble.
“I think it’s gonna be a really bad sign, like if they’re 5-4, 4-5 after those nine games, I think you’re staring down the barrel at your first losing season since 2003,” Fittipaldo said.
After their bye week, the NFL packed most of Pittsburgh’s primetime games in a month-long stretch. The Steelers will host Cincinnati on Sunday Night Football in Week 10. The following week, it’s a road matchup in Philadelphia. The next week, Pittsburgh plays Denver on Black Friday, Houston on Sunday Night, and Jacksonville on Monday night, all in a three-week stretch.
Weeks 16 and 17 might not be too bad, with matchups against Carolina and Tennessee. But the Steelers once again play Baltimore twice in the last few weeks, this time in Weeks 15 and 18. Point being, after coming back from the bye week, it’s a pretty grueling stretch to end the season.
If the Steelers are truly a contender, they’ll find a way to get through the full season. Last year, Pittsburgh rallied for some tough wins on the road late in the year to sneak into the playoffs. This time, Fittipaldo thinks the Steelers are going to need a head start.
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