2025 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 2025 season was the Pittsburgh Steelers' 93rd in the National Football League, their fourth under general manager Omar Khan, their 25th playing their home games at Acrisure Stadium and their 19th and final season under head coach Mike Tomlin. They matched their 10–7 records from both [2023 2024 Pittsburgh Panthers football team|Pittsburgh Steelers|2023] and 2024 and made the playoffs for the third consecutive season, and ended their four-year AFC North title drought with a win over the [2025 2025 Baltimore Ravens season|Baltimore Ravens season|Baltimore Ravens] during Week 18, making them the only team from their division to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2019 Baltimore Ravens.
The season began with the Steelers' fifth different Week 1 starting quarterback in as many seasons, as Justin Fields, one of their starting quarterbacks, signed with the [2025 2025 New York Jets season|New York Jets season|New York Jets], the team the Steelers faced to open the season, and they also lost Russell Wilson, their other starting quarterback, to the New York Giants. The Steelers' new quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, entered his 21st season in the league and started for Pittsburgh. This is also the first season since 2018 that Minkah Fitzpatrick is not on the team's roster, as he was traded back to the team that originally drafted him to the NFL, the Miami Dolphins.
With a Week 16 win over the [2025 2025 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions], head coach Mike Tomlin reached his 200th total career win, and the Steelers secured its 22nd consecutive non-losing season, breaking the record set by the 1965–1985 Dallas Cowboys.
In the playoffs, the Steelers lost to the [2025 2025 Houston Texans season|Houston Texans season|Houston Texans] in the Wild Card round, which made the Steelers the first team in NFL history to lose a home playoff game against the Texans, and it extended their postseason losing streak to seven straight games dating back to the 2016–17 playoffs. It also marked the first time in NFL history that a team failed to win any of their playoff games despite having won a combined 90 regular season games in a nine-season span. On January 13, the day following the loss and the end of Pittsburgh's season, Tomlin announced that he stepped down as Steelers head coach. Tomlin compiled a 193–114–2 regular season record during his 19-year coaching tenure in Pittsburgh, tying him with Chuck Noll as the winningest head coach in franchise history. Tomlin also led Pittsburgh to 13 playoff appearances, 8 AFC North division titles, the franchise's sixth Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XLIII. His win-loss record in the playoffs was 8–12.
Draft
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Regular season
Schedule
The NFL announced the NFL International Series matchups for 2025 prior to the rest of the schedule on May 13. The Steelers played the [2025 2025 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings] during Week 4 on September 28 at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, with the Steelers serving as the home team. The remainder of the Steelers schedule was announced on May 14, 2025.Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: at New York Jets
This game was Aaron Rodgers, Brandin Echols, and Chuck Clark's return to New York. Justin Fields also faced the Steelers team he had once played for. On one hand, the Jets could not stop Rodgers in his Steeler debut, as he threw for 244 yards, 4 touchdowns, no interceptions, and completed 73.3% of his passes to go with his 136.7 passer rating. On the other hand, the defense could not stop the Jets' rushing attack, as they gave up 182 rushing yards, 107 of which came from Breece Hall, as well as 3 rushing touchdowns. Rodgers became the first Steelers player to throw 4 touchdowns in a game since Ben Roethlisberger did so on January 3, 2021, when the Steelers lost to the Browns, 48–37, at Acrisure Stadium, then called Heinz Field, in the 2020 Wild Card.With the win, the Steelers started their season 1–0. This was the Steelers' fifth Week 1 victory in six seasons. The Steelers' 34 points were the most they scored in a season opener since they scored 38 points in a 38–16 win over the Washington Commanders, then called the Washington Redskins, in 2016.
Week 2: vs. Seattle Seahawks
This game was Cody White's return to Pittsburgh, having played for the Steelers from 2021 to 2022. This was also DK Metcalf's first game against his former team. After a win on the road against the Jets, the Steelers lost 31–17 to the Seattle Seahawks, for their first loss to them since 2019. However, Kaleb Johnson gave the Seahawks free points in the fourth quarter when he touched the ball and let the Seahawks pick it up in the end zone.Week 3: at New England Patriots
After a tough loss in their home opener against the Seahawks, the Steelers travelled to Foxborough to face the New England Patriots. The Steelers began to heat up in the first half, going up 14–0 with a Kenneth Gainwell touchdown run, and Aaron Rodgers throwing a score to DK Metcalf. The Patriots then began to pick up steam, with Drake Maye throwing two scores to Hunter Henry, tying the game at 14. The Steelers ended the game when Aaron Rodgers threw a go-ahead touchdown to Calvin Austin III in the game's final minutes. The Steelers defense also forced five turnovers with Brandin Echols ending the first half with an interception and four fumbles in that same game. Aaron Rodgers improved on his performance from the previous game by throwing 139 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, and completed 69.6% of his passes to go with his 96.1 passer rating. With their first win over the Patriots since 2018, the Steelers improved to 2–1. It was their first win in New England since their Super Bowl XLIII-winning 2008 season. It was also their first victory against the Patriots after the Brady–Belichick era.Week 4: vs. Minnesota Vikings
NFL International SeriesAfter a closely-contested win against the Patriots, the Steelers traveled to Croke Park for a "home" game against the Carson Wentz-led Minnesota Vikings. This was the first NFL game played in Ireland. After the Steelers' first drive ended in a punt, the Vikings drew first blood with a 41-yard field goal from Will Reichard. The Steelers took the lead back with a 9-play, 71-yard drive that ended in a Kenneth Gainwell 1-yard touchdown run to go up 7-3 in the first quarter, and would keep the Vikings from scoring in their next two drives. The Steelers pushed their lead up to 14–3 with a 80-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to DK Metcalf in the span of one play. Towards the end of the first half, a 30-yard field goal attempt from the Steelers was a failure, as Isaiah Rodgers blocked it. Then, Will Reichard booted a 28-yard field goal to trim Minnesota's deficit to 14–6, which would be the score at halftime. To start the third quarter, both the Vikings and Steelers traded three-and-outs. Carson Wentz threw an interception to Steelers linebacker TJ Watt, which the Steelers used as a springboard to go up 24–6, with Kenneth Gainwell finding the end zone a second time, and Chris Boswell booting a 33-yard field goal. But then, the Vikings began to heat up, as they scored a touchdown on their next two possessions, and came up with a goal-line stand. But, the game ended for good when DeShon Elliott defended a Carson Wentz pass intended for Jordan Addison with 14 seconds to go at the Vikings' 32-yard line, making the final score 24–21 in favor of the Steelers.
The Steelers improved to 3–1 with the victory. Overall, Aaron Rodgers went 18-for-22 with 200 yards and a touchdown, and posted a passer rating of 119.7, his second game with a 3-digit passer rating in four weeks. Rodgers also earned his first international win. The Steelers scored 96 points through their first 4 games, their most since they scored 118 in their first 4 games in 2020.
Week 6: vs. Cleveland Browns
After a closely-contested win against the Vikings, the Steelers went back to Acrisure Stadium for their obligatory annual home game against the Browns. In a 23-9 win, the Steeler defense held Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel down, as he threw for 221 yards, a 55.8 completion percentage, a 66.3 passer rating, and the Browns failed to score a single touchdown. The Steeler defense also sacked Gabriel six times for 38 yards. However, the Steelers did get unnecessarily rough sometimes. Of the Browns' 20 first downs, four of them came from penalties, while the Steelers only collected one from a penalty, which came in the third quarter when Cameron Thomas got penalized because he ran into the kicker. Aaron Rodgers posted a triple-digit passer rating for the second consecutive week, going 21-for-30 with 235 yards, 2 scores, and no picks.With the win, the Steelers improved to 4–1 and extended their winning streak to three games, and their regular season winning streak against the Browns at home to 22 games.
Week 7: at Cincinnati Bengals
The Steelers blew a 10–0 lead in the second quarter and lost to Joe Flacco and the Cincinnati Bengals, 33–31, on a 36–yard field goal by Evan McPherson and an incomplete Hail Mary from Aaron Rodgers. With the upset loss, the Steelers fell to 4–2, extended their losing streak in TNF as the road team to five games, extended their losing streak to AFC North teams on Thursdays to seven games, and broke their three-game winning streak. They once again failed to beat an AFC North team on a Thursday, not having done so since they beat the Browns 14–3 at home on Thursday, December 8, 2011. Aaron Rodgers posted a triple-digit passer rating for the third consecutive week by throwing 249 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and completed 67.6 percent of his passes. Even then, he could not succeed at helping the Steelers win.Week 8: vs. Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers faced his former team, the Green Bay Packers, for the first time since he was traded in 2023. Rodgers and the Steelers were unable to keep pace with Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who had spent three seasons as Rodgers’ backup in Green Bay. Love passed for 360 yards and three touchdowns as the Steelers lost at home.The loss ended the Steelers' six-game home winning streak against the Packers and marked their first home loss to them since the 1970 season. The loss also prevented Rodgers from becoming the fifth quarterback in NFL history to defeat all 32 teams. Despite Aaron Rodgers posting a triple digit passer rating for the fourth consecutive week at 101.5, he could not succeed at helping the Steelers win.
Week 9: vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Steelers' defense, the highest-paid unit in the NFL, rebounded after several subpar performances by forcing six turnovers and sacking Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones five times. The Steelers limited the league’s top-ranked offense to 20 points and held running back Jonathan Taylor to a season-low 45 yards on 14 carries. With the win, Pittsburgh improved to 5–3 and extended its home winning streak against the Colts to five games, having not lost to them at home since their Super Bowl XLIII-winning 2008 season.Week 10: at Los Angeles Chargers
With a horrendous loss, even with the defense playing good, the Steelers fell to 5–4. They once again failed to beat the Chargers on the road, not having done so since 2019. Aaron Rodgers had an extremely poor performance by throwing 161 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions, and completed just 51.6 percent of his passes to go with his 50.6 passer rating.Week 11: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
With the win, the Steelers improved to 6-4 and 2-1 against the AFC North. Aaron Rodgers returned to a triple-digit passer rating by throwing 116 yards, a touchdown, no interceptions, and completed 60 percent of his passes. He did, however, fracture his left wrist sometime in the second quarter, leaving Mason Rudolph to take his position in the second half. Rudolph was no slouch, either, as he performed a tad better than Rodgers by throwing 127 yards, 1 touchdown, no interceptions, and completed 75 percent of his passes to go with his 118.5 passer rating. Kyle Dugger and James Pierre became the first pair of Steelers to score both a pick-six and a fumble-six in the same game since Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt did so on September 18, 2023, when they beat the Browns 26-22 at Acrisure Stadium.During the game, Ja'Marr Chase reportedly spat on Jalen Ramsey, who retaliated by punching Chase and was ejected shortly afterward. Chase denied spitting on Ramsey after the game and was suspended for one game the following day. Chase attempted to appeal his suspension, but the NFL denied his appeal. Ramsey was later fined $14,491 for punching Chase. Chase later apologized after the incident.
Week 12: at Chicago Bears
Mason Rudolph started this game for the Steelers because of Aaron Rodgers' bad wrist, making this the seventh consecutive season where the Steelers would start multiple quarterbacks. The Steelers had an extremely disappointing game against the Caleb Williams-led Chicago Bears, as they were defeated with a loss of 31–28. With the loss, the Steelers fell to 6–5. They also once again failed to beat the Bears on the road, not having done so since 1995.A few days after the game, Steelers player Daniel Ekuale was suspended for 5 games for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substance policy.
Despite the loss, one of the few bright spots for the Steelers was when T.J. Watt recorded the 115th sack of his NFL career, overtaking his brother J.J. Watt at 114.5, with his family in attendance. Coincidentally, J.J. Watt was also one of the TV announcers for this game and reacted accordingly.
Week 13: vs. Buffalo Bills
The Steelers’ defense was dominated by Buffalo’s run game, as the Bills rushed for 249 yards in a blowout loss for Pittsburgh. The 249 rushing yards are the most ever allowed by an opponent at Acrisure Stadium and mark the Steelers’ worst defensive performance against the run since the 1975 season.During the game, Steelers fans booed the song Renegade and chanted for Mike Tomlin to be fired.
Week 14: at Baltimore Ravens
A controversial moment occurred when Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely caught a pass from Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson with both hands in the end zone, with both feet down. As he was about to take another step with his right foot, Joey Porter Jr. knocked the ball free. The play was initially ruled a touchdown but was later overturned to an incomplete pass. The Ravens eventually turned the ball over on downs.Week 15: vs. Miami Dolphins
Ben Roethlisberger, Joey Porter Sr., and Maurkice Pouncey were inducted into the 2025 Steelers Hall of Honor at this game.With the win, the Steelers improved to 8–6 and finished 3–1 against the AFC East while knocking the Dolphins out of playoff contention. Pittsburgh also extended their home winning streak on Monday Night Football to 23 games, having not lost a MNF contest at home since October 14, 1991.
Week 16: at Detroit Lions
The game featured a controversial and memorable moment on its final play. On fourth down, Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw a pass to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown that fell just short of the goal line. St. Brown pushed off Jalen Ramsey to create separation and, before being tackled by Steelers defenders, lateraled the ball back to Goff, who appeared to score a touchdown. However, multiple flags were thrown, and officials huddled for several minutes before announcing that the touchdown was nullified due to an offensive pass interference penalty on St. Brown, resulting in a final score of 29–24 in favor of Pittsburgh.With the win, the Steelers secured their 22nd consecutive non-losing season, breaking the NFL record they had previously shared with the Dallas Cowboys, who recorded 21 straight non-losing seasons from 1965 to 1985. Head coach Mike Tomlin has finished every one of his 19 seasons with the team at.500 or better and also recorded his 200th total career win.
During the game, Steelers receiver DK Metcalf got into an altercation with a Lions fan. Video footage from the game showed Metcalf grabbing a shirt and engaging in a verbal exchange with the fan before attempting to strike the individual. The incident was not observed by game officials, and no penalty was assessed during the game. Following the game, the National Football League and the Pittsburgh Steelers stated that they were reviewing the incident. After the NFL reviewed the incident, Metcalf was suspended for the last two games of the regular season. Metcalf appealed, but the NFL denied his appeal and upheld his suspension.