PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 schedule was released along with the rest of the NFL slate Wednesday.
The Steelers again open their 2025 season on the road, returning to MetLife for the first time since the 2020 season opener to take on the Jets in what could be game of quarterbacks facing their former teams -- if Aaron Rodgers signs with the Steelers.
Three of the Steelers' first four games before a Week 5 bye are against teams who missed the playoffs, giving Pittsburgh a window to get off to a good start. But for as relatively easy as the season opens, it closes on a tougher stretch with a pair of late-season games against Baltimore and matchups with Buffalo, Detroit and Cleveland.
For the second year in a row, the Steelers are away from Acrisure Stadium for three of those first four games, but they're technically the designated home team for the Week 4 game against the Minnesota Vikings in Ireland. That matchup, the league's first regular-season game in Ireland, is the Steelers' first international game since 2013 in London, where they also faced the Vikings.
Unlike a season ago, when the Steelers didn't start their divisional play until late in the season, they'll get going early this year with a Week 6 game against the Browns and a Week 7 Thursday night game at Cincinnati.
Here's what's in store for the Steelers:
Steelers 2025 regular-season schedule
Week 1: Sept. 7 at New York Jets
Week 2: Sept. 14 vs. Seattle Seahawks
Week 3: Sept. 21 at New England Patriots
Week 4: Sept. 28 vs. Minnesota Vikings (in Ireland)
Week 5: Bye
Week 6: Oct. 12 vs. Cleveland Browns
Week 7: Oct. 16 at Cincinnati Bengals (TNF)
Week 8: Oct. 26 vs. Green Bay Packers (SNF)
Week 9: Nov. 2 vs. Indianapolis Colts
Week 10: Nov. 9 at L.A. Chargers (SNF)
Week 11: Nov. 16 vs. Bengals
Week 12: Nov. 23 at Chicago Bears
Week 13: Nov. 30 vs. Buffalo Bills
Week 14: Dec. 7 at Baltimore Ravens
Week 15: Dec.15 vs. Miami Dolphins (MNF)
Week 16: Dec. 21 at Detroit Lions
Week 17: Dec. 28 at Browns
Week 18: TBD vs. Ravens
Strength of schedule: 10th hardest
Over/Under: 8.5
Biggest takeaway
Like the Steelers, the NFL and its schedule-makers are seemingly optimistic that Rodgers will eventually sign in Pittsburgh and make the Week 1 season opener in New York and the Week 8 Sunday night game against the Packers must-watch TV. Even with an unsettled quarterback situation, the Steelers' brand is stronger than ever with four prime-time games and one stand-alone game in Ireland on the schedule as coach Mike Tomlin and his team try to extend the coach's streak of never having a losing season.
Circle this date
Dec. 7, Week 14 at Baltimore. After being run over by the Ravens in the playoffs, the Steelers drafted to be a more physical team. They'll have plenty of tests of that physicality before this late-season meeting, but early December is when the Steelers started to falter a year ago. Being physical out of the gate is key, but closing out with that same level of fire is even more important.
Key stretch
Weeks 13-16. That stretch includes the aforementioned Ravens meeting, and the games around it aren't any easier, either. The Bills are one of the AFC's best teams, and the Lions are among the best in the NFC. For a Steelers team trying to prove it can not only make the playoffs, but also finally win its first playoff game since 2016, beating the league's best in the regular season is an important step. They had an opportunity to prove themselves in a similarly tough late-season stretch a year ago. Will 2025 be any different?
Bold prediction
The Steelers will win their first international regular-season game. The Steelers haven't played an international game since facing the Vikings in London in 2013, a game they lost 34-27. The Vikings are rolling with J.J. McCarthy, who though a 2024 first-round pick, is primed to be a first-year starter after recovering from a season-ending knee injury. The Steelers' defense is notoriously lethal against rookie quarterbacks, and catching the Vikings early in the season could help the unit continue its dominance against young signal-callers.
What game could have the most inexplicable outcome?
Without a starting quarterback set in stone, it's hard to predict exactly which game will be the most confounding win -- or loss. But Week 15 at Miami could be especially hard to predict. Sandwiched between physical matchups against the Ravens and Lions, the game will be a change of pace for the Steelers and probably test their secondary in a way those other matchups won't. With an early bye, the Steelers could also enter the prime-time matchup with a depleted roster.