After much anticipation, the 2025 schedule for the Pittsburgh Steelers is out. It features a Week 5 bye week after the Dublin game against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4. There's a brutal stretch of games to close the season, too, with the likes of the Baltimore Ravens twice, and the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins late in the season, too.
A Week 5 bye week is killer, especially with 13 weeks to go after that in the season, which is a stretch that features a Thursday Night Football matchup as part of back-to-back AFC North games, and a number of primetime matchups, too.
It's a tough schedule on paper, which isn't a surprise. It should make for an interesting 18-week stretch.
While the Steelers' opponents have been known since the end of the 2024 regular season, we now have a clear picture as to how it all shakes out weekly following the official schedule release by the NFL Wednesday night. Outside of the six usual divisional games with home and road matchups against the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Cincinnati Bengals, which games stand out as the most intriguing due to overall matchup, spot on the calendar and more?
Below, I break down my four most intriguing non-AFC North games on the 2025 schedule for the Steelers, going No. 4-1.
NO. 4 -- WEEK 16 AT DETROIT LIONS
Taking on a powerhouse in the NFC in the Detroit Lions late in the season will be a major challenge for the Steelers, as the Lions are one of the most physical teams in the league, and should be buyers at the trade deadline, potentially loading up for a possible Super Bowl run.
Matching up with the Lions at Ford Field late in the season will be a massive challenge, too, as Lions fans have created quite an atmosphere in recent years with the resurgence of the team.
What makes it all the more challenging for the Steelers is that it will be late in the season and on a short week after playing the Miami Dolphins in Week 15 on Monday Night Football, giving the Steelers just five days between games. Fortunately, this game against the Lions is a 4:30 p.m. kickoff, but a short week after a primetime game, and dealing with a physically punishing team could make for a long, long day against Detroit.
NO. 3 -- WEEK 13 VS. BUFFALO BILLS
The last time the Steelers played the Buffalo Bills, it came in the AFC Wild Card Round during the 2023 season, which was delayed a few days after a significant snowstorm. This time though, the Steelers will host the Bills, which will come in Week 13 around the Thanksgiving holiday, creating a major AFC showdown featuring Mike Tomlin against Sean McDermott once again.
Bills' QB Josh Allen remains a massive challenge, one that the Steelers haven't quite figured out. Late in the season, too, in potentially poor conditions? It makes for quite a challenge.
Add in the fact that the matchup with the Bills will come in a stretch where the Steelers have to head to the West Coast for a Sunday Night Football matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10, before then coming home on a short week for a matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, and then hitting the road in Week 12 for a road game against the Chicago Bears makes things difficult.
Fortunately, kickoff is at 4:25 for the matchup with the Bills. But after that, it's a Week 14 1 p.m. kickoff in Baltimore against the Ravens. Tough stretch.
NO. 2 -- WEEK 8 VS. GREEN BAY PACKERS, SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
A possible Aaron Rodgers-Green Bay Packers matchup is rather juicy. The fact that it is scheduled for Sunday Night Football with Mike Tirico and Chris Collinsworth on the call only adds to the intrigue.
But that's not all. This is also the game the Steelers are going to be wearing new throwback jerseys and helmets, according to team president and owner Art Rooney II. Sign me up for that!
Matching up two historic franchises in primetime with some of the storylines available should make for great theater, and when these two teams meet in primetime, great things tend to happen, especially on the North Shore.
The Steelers will have a nice mini-bye week ahead of the Packers' game, too, coming off of the Thursday Night Football matchup in Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals on the road. A few extra days of rest and recovery and time to plan for Matt LaFleur, Jordan Love and Co. could do wonders for the Steelers.
NO. 1 -- WEEK 4 VS. MINNESOTA VIKINGS IN DUBLIN, IRELAND
Come on, did you really think any other game on the schedule would be here at No. 1?
For the first time since the 2013 season, the Steelers will be playing an international game, and it will be at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, where the Steelers will be the home team and host the Minnesota Vikings, which is ironically a rematch of the 2013 matchup in London.
There should be some added storylines to this one, since it's the first NFL regular season game being played in Dublin, outside of the 1997 preseason game between the Steelers and Chicago Bears, ironically another NFC North team.
There's also the storyline of Aaron Rodgers and the Vikings from the offseason, the friendship with Vikings' head coach Kevin O'Connell, and the connection with Vikings' defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who coached with the Steelers for one season in 2022.
The Vikings also have former Steelers defensive lineman Javon Hargrave, so there's some additional intrigue there, and the Vikings own the head-to-head mark at 10-9. On top of that, O'Connell stated the Vikings avoiding a hostile environment to play the Steelers was a bonus for Minnesota, but he's underestimating the Steelers' faithful in Dublin, and those willing to travel to the Emerald Isle for the matchup.
Kickoff will be at 9:30 a.m. EST on Sept. 28 in Week 4, with the eyes of the world on it. It's early in the season enough where the Steelers should have their legs underneath them in the regular season and health is hopefully in a good spot to take on a team that many believe can contend for a spot in the Super Bowl in the NFC. It's a big measuring stick for Pittsburgh, and will be a special game for the franchise overall.
Hopefully they show up and find a way to win the game.
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