For Pittsburgh Steelers fans itching to see the team play in front of a national audience, it’ll require a wait. The Steelers won’t have a nationally televised preseason game, the NFL announced Thursday. [Shared by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport,](https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1928136150092222552) the five such games open to a national audience don’t include Pittsburgh.
As is tradition, the Hall of Fame game kicks off the 2025 season. This year’s version features the Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions on July 31. With no national games during the first full week of preseason action, Week 2 will feature a pair of them. The Buffalo Bills against the Chicago Bears along with the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders.
The finale features another duo of games. The New England Patriots and New York Giants plus the Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans.
The Steelers’ three preseason games will only be shown in local markets. At the Jacksonville Jaguars for Week 1, hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2, and travelling to face the Carolina Panthers in the finale. [During schedule release,](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/05/steelers-complete-2025-schedule-revealed/) the Jaguars game didn’t come with a kickoff time. It will start at 7 PM/EST.
Though these primetime games will largely consist of backups, the NFL still focused on teams with interesting storylines. The Bears under new head coach Ben Johnson with a revamped roster. The Commanders, now one of the hottest NFL teams, against the potent Bengals. The Giants and their new-look quarterback room led by Russell Wilson and rookie Jaxson Dart and the Titans, who drafted QB Cam Ward first overall.
Without a new head coach or blue-chip quarterback prospect, the Steelers lacked the draw for a national stage, even for the preseason. Adding Aaron Rodgers would be a storyline but in the preseason, he figures to see few if any reps. For the regular season, Pittsburgh currently has four primetime games: Week 7 against Cincinnati, Week 8 versus Green Bay, Week 10 at the Los Angeles Chargers, and Week 15 hosting the Miami Dolphins. Additionally, they’ll have a “standalone” game in Week 4, playing the Vikings in Ireland at 9:30 AM/EST.
Though there’s no shortage of primetime games on the Steelers’ calendar and flex scheduling can move things around, Pittsburgh hardly has the NFL’s most amount of national television exposure. It’s a tacit acknowledgement the Steelers aren’t viewed as a powerhouse team.
They’re still good for TV ratings but they’ve fallen into a middle-tier organization without realistic Super Bowl aspirations or a rebuilt roster that naturally brings intrigue. Lack of preseason primetime isn’t the smoking gun for that belief but it’s reinforcement of the idea, Pittsburgh viewed as a legacy team missing current sizzle.