With several new pieces mixed into the fold this offseason, and very little playing time together for the pieces in the preseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers are taking a gamble that they’ll be able to hit the ground running to open the 2025 season.
A fast start is of great importance for the Black and Gold, too, as the back-end of the schedule gets difficult.
Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, and others haven’t played in the preseason so far and seem very unlikely to play Thursday night in the finale against the Carolina Panthers. But they’re experienced NFL veterans and should be able to hit the ground running.
If they do that, the Steelers could really stack some wins and put themselves in a great position this season. For CBS Sports’ John Breech, he has the Steelers doing that, starting hot and remaining as one of the last lone unbeaten teams in the league in October.
In a piece for CBS Sports, Breech predicts the Steelers to be 5-0 entering Week 6 against Cincinnati on Thursday Night Football, before dropping the AFC North matchup on a short week. With that 5-0 prediction from Breech, the Steelers would be one of just two teams — along with the Kansas City Chiefs — unbeaten that late in the season in Breech’s prediction.
It would all come crashing down in that Thursday Night Football matchup, though.
“After getting off to a surprising [5]-0 start in Pittsburgh, Rodgers finally suffers his first loss with the Steelers during this Thursday night game in Cincinnati,” Breech predicts, according to CBSSports.com. “Over the past six years, AFC North teams are 3-13 when forced to play a prime-time game on the road against another AFC North team, and that ugly trend will continue here.”
A loss on the road on Thursday Night Football would not be anything new for the Steelers under head coach Mike Tomlin. Last season, Pittsburgh went into Cleveland on a short week for a Thursday Night Football matchup and dropped an ugly game. So, it’s entirely feasible that it could happen again this season, this time in Cincinnati.
But starting out 5-0 with all of these new pieces that the Steelers added this offseason would be quite noteworthy for the Black and Gold. Pittsburgh opens up on the road against the New York Jets, and the home opener is Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks. Then, it’s a Week 3 road trip to New England before a flight to Dublin to take on the Minnesota Vikings before a Week 5 bye.
After that, the Steelers come off the bye to face the Cleveland Browns in Week 6, before battling the Bengals in Week 7, which is a short week.
If Pittsburgh starts out 5-0, it could set the stage for a great season in the Steel City—one much better than many believe is possible with the way things stand.
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