Steelers Now
With the Pittsburgh Steelers having a brutal back-end of their 2025 schedule, Warren Sharp of Sharp Football believes the Steelers’ playoff win drought will be extended to nine years. The Steelers, who have lost their last six playoff games, are on their longest playoff win drought since pre-1972.
“Unfortunately, their schedule this year is set up for another brutal close to the season, making it extremely unlikely they will have the capacity to win in the postseason or the ability to even survive this gauntlet and make it here,” Sharp wrote.
According to Sharp, the Steelers close the season with the toughest schedule for the second straight year. They will play just one team in 10 weeks expected to finish with eight or fewer wins.
Pittsburgh will start off its tough stretch with a Week 13 game against the Buffalo Bills, who fell just short of a Super Bowl appearance once again last season after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game.
The Steelers must then go on the road to face the Baltimore Ravens, who knocked them out of the playoffs last season. It will be their first meeting since their 28-14 wild-card round loss in Baltimore.
In Week 15, Pittsburgh hosts the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football. This could prove to be the easiest of its final six matchups, given the Dolphins struggles of playing in cold weather conditions.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has played in seven games with a listed temperature of 45 degrees or lower, according to data from Pro Football Reference. He has an 0-7 record in those contests.
Next up are back-to-back road trips to the Detroit Lions, who had the best record in the league (15-2) last season, and Cleveland Browns, who always prove to be a tough opponent no matter their record.
Last season, the Browns pulled off a 24-19 upset over the Steelers, who had to go on the road on a short week.
Finally, Pittsburgh will finish its regular season at home against the Ravens. This game could determine the AFC North champs. However, the Steelers must first make it out of their gauntlet with a good enough record to even be in contention for the division.
Aaron Becker contributed reporting for this story.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Top Analyst Expects Steelers’ Playoff Win Drought to Continue in 2025
