Since quarterbacksJustin Fields andRussell Wilson left,Aaron Rodgers started for Pittsburgh in his 21st season in the league. With a Week 16 win over theDetroit Lions, head coachMike Tomlin reached his 200th total career win, and the Steelers secured its 22nd consecutive non-losing season, breaking the record set by the 1965–1985Dallas Cowboys.[1]
In the playoffs, the Steelers lost to theHouston Texans in the Wild Card round, and it extended their postseason losing streak to seven straight games dating back to the 2016–17 playoffs. 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.[2] Tomlin compiled a 193–114–2 regular season record during his 19-year coaching tenure in Pittsburgh, tying him withChuck Noll as the winningest head coach in franchise history. Tomlin also led Pittsburgh to 13 playoff appearances, 8 AFC North division titles, and the franchise's sixth Super Bowl title inSuper Bowl XLIII. His win-loss record in the playoffs was 8–12.
^abcThe Steelers traded their second round selection (52nd overall) and their seventh round selection (223rd overall) to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for WRDK Metcalf and theChicago Bears' sixth round selection (185th overall) which the Seahawks had previously acquired from the Bears in exchange for LBDarrell Taylor.[3]
^abcThe Steelers traded their fifth round selection (156th overall) to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for the Lions' fifth round selection (164th overall) and the Panthers' seventh round selection (226th overall), which the Chiefs had acquired in previous trades.
^The Steelers traded a fifth-round selection (162nd overall) to the New York Jets in exchange for WRMike Williams.[4]
^abThe Steelers traded a sixth-round selection, a 2024 fifth-round selection and GKevin Dotson to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a fifth-round selection and a 2024 fourth-round selection.[5]
^The Steelers traded a conditional sixth-round selection (202nd overall) to the Chicago Bears in exchange for QBJustin Fields. The condition – which would have converted the selection to a fourth-round selection if Fields played in 51% of the Steelers' snaps in 2024 – was not met.[6]
^The Steelers traded GKendrick Green to the Houston Texans in exchange for a sixth-round selection.[7]
^abThe Steelers traded a 2024 fourth-round selection and QBKenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for two seventh-round selections (223rd and 229th overall) and a 2024 third-round selection.[8]
^The Steelers traded a seventh-round selection (237th overall) to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for LBPreston Smith.[9]
The NFL announced theNFL International Series matchups for 2025 prior to the rest of the schedule on May 13. The Steelers played theMinnesota Vikings during Week 4 on September 28 atCroke Park in Dublin, Ireland, with the Steelers serving as the home team.[13] The remainder of the Steelers schedule was announced on May 14, 2025.
This game wasAaron Rodgers,Brandin Echols, andChuck 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 and 3 rushing touchdowns. Rodgers became the first Steelers player to throw 4 touchdowns in a game sinceBen Roethlisberger did so on January 3, 2021.
This game wasCody White's return to Pittsburgh, having played for the Steelers from 2021 to 2022. This was alsoDK 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 since2019. 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.[14]
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 withBrandin 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 completing 69.6% of his passes with a 96.1 passer rating. With their first win over the Patriots since2018, the Steelers improved to 2–1. It was their first win in New England since their Super Bowl XLIII-winning2008 season.[15] It was also their first victory against the Patriots after theBrady–Belichick era.
After a closely-contested win against the Patriots, the Steelers traveled to Croke Park for a "home" game against theCarson 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, asIsaiah 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. 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. The Steelers scored 96 points through their first 4 games, their most since they scored 118 in their first 4 games in2020.
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. Aaron Rodgers posted a triple-digit passer rating (115.3) for the second consecutive week, going 21-for-30 with 235 yards, 2 scores, and no picks.[16]
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.[16]
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. The Steelers fell to 4–2. 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 (103.7) for the third consecutive week by throwing 249 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and completed 67.6 percent of his passes.
Aaron Rodgers faced his former team, theGreen Bay Packers, for the first time since he was traded in 2023.[17] Rodgers and the Steelers were unable to keep pace with Packers quarterbackJordan 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.[18]
The loss ended the Steelers' six-game home winning streak against the Packers and marked their first home loss to them since the1970 season.[19] The loss also prevented Rodgers from becoming the fifth quarterback in NFL history to defeat all 32 teams.[20] Despite Aaron Rodgers posting a triple digit passer rating for the fourth consecutive week at 101.5 (219 yards, 2 scores, 66.7 completion percentage), he could not succeed at helping the Steelers win.
The Steelers' defense, the highest-paid unit in the NFL, rebounded after several subpar performances by forcing six turnovers and sacking Indianapolis Colts quarterbackDaniel Jones five times. The Steelers limited the league’s top-ranked offense to 20 points and held running backJonathan 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-winning2008 season.[21]
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 since2019. 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.
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 (106.5) 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.[22] Chase attempted to appeal his suspension, but the NFL denied his appeal.[23] Ramsey was later fined $14,491 for punching Chase.[24] Chase later apologized after the incident.[25]
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 since1995.
A few days after the game, Steelers playerDaniel Ekuale was suspended for 5 games for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substance policy.[26]
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.[27]
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 atAcrisure Stadium and mark the Steelers’ worst defensive performance against the run since the1975 season.[28]
During the game, Steelers fans booed the songRenegade and chanted for Mike Tomlin to be fired.[29]
A controversial moment occurred when Ravens tight endIsaiah Likely caught a pass from Ravens quarterbackLamar 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.[30]
Ben Roethlisberger,Joey Porter Sr., andMaurkice Pouncey were inducted into the 2025 Steelers Hall of Honor at this game.[31]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 onMonday Night Football to 23 games, having not lost aMNF contest at home since October 14,1991.[32]
The game featured a controversial and memorable moment on its final play. On fourth down, Lions quarterbackJared Goff threw a pass to wide receiverAmon-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.[33]
With the win, the Steelers secured their 22nd consecutive non-losing season, breaking the NFL record they had previously shared with theDallas Cowboys, who recorded 21 straight non-losing seasons from1965 to1985. 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.[34]
During the game, Steelers receiverDK 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.[35] Following the game, the National Football League and the Pittsburgh Steelers stated that they were reviewing the incident.[36] After the NFL reviewed the incident, Metcalf was suspended for the last two games of the regular season.[37] Metcalf appealed, but the NFL denied his appeal and upheld his suspension.[38]
With the upset loss, the Steelers missed an opportunity to clinch the AFC North title, setting up an AFC North showdown with the Ravens in Week 18 for the division title.[39]
With the win, the Steelers swept the Ravens for the first time since2023 and clinched the AFC North for the first time since2020 and the No. 4 seed. Pittsburgh finished the regular season at 10–7 (4–2 against the AFC North) and 6–3 at home.[citation needed]
The Steelers were unable to move the ball effectively as the Texans defense capitalized on a powerful performance, clamping the Steelers offense down to 175 total yards (112 passing, 63 rushing) as well as just two field goals before shutting them out in the second half. After three quarters of a defensive game, in the fourth quarter, the Texans scored two defensive touchdowns, one from Rodgers fumbling the ball that was recovered by defensive tackleSheldon Rankins and returned for 33 yards, while the other was apick six to safetyCalen Bullock returned for 51 yards. With their first home loss to Houston since2002, the Steelers secured their seventh postseason loss since2016 and this would mark their final game under Mike Tomlin, as he would resign from the team and step down as head coach the following day.
^abDenver finished ahead of New England based on common games (Denver 6–0 to New England 5–1 against: Cincinnati, Las Vegas, NY Giants, NY Jets and Tennessee).
^abHouston finished ahead of Buffalo based on head-to-head victory.
^abIndianapolis finished ahead of Baltimore based on conference record (Indianapolis 6–6 to Baltimore 5–7).
^abCincinnati finished ahead of Kansas City based on conference record (Cincinnati 5–7 to Kansas City 3–9).
^abcLas Vegas finished ahead of NY Jets and Tennessee based on conference record (Las Vegas 3–9 to NY Jets 2–10 and Tennessee 2–10).
^abNY Jets finished ahead of Tennessee based on strength of victory (NY Jets .373 to Tennessee .275).
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