Grading the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2026 schedule: Did the NFL give Pittsburgh an unfair slate at the midseason point?
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2026 schedule has a lot to unpack. But how does it stack up overall? We analyze and grade.
The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ 2026 schedule has been released, and we took the time here at A to Z Sports Pittsburgh to do game-by-game schedule predictions. Part of those predictions included a losing streak during a brutal stretch of games for the Steelers.
So in this exercise, we are going to grade three individual factors of the Steelers’ schedule, and give one final grade. Let’s jump in.
Pittsburgh Steelers 2026 schedule facts
- Steelers will be playing in their first-ever Paris game.
- Steelers will be playing their first ever black Friday game.
- Steelers will close the 2026 season against the Ravens again.
Bye Week: A+
Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a week 5 bye, which was the earliest you could have. For an older and aging roster, that tends to be problematic, as now the meat of your schedule goes from team to team for the next three months.
This year, the Steelers have a Week 9 bye. It just so happens that the bye also falls at a perfect time, because the first eight games are on the “easier” side for the Steelers, but come Week 10, it starts to get real.
Back-to-back competitive games: C
Of course, when you are a brand as big as the Pittsburgh Steelers, the NFL is going to want to get you in front of as many eyeballs as possible. That typically means that you have to play the upper echelon of competition in the league.
What’s problematic for the Steelers is that they play that upper echelon in six straight games from Weeks 10-15. You have the Bengals, Eagles, Broncos, Texans, Jaguars, and Ravens all in a row, and then, oh, you get a break against the Panthers, who were a playoff team last year. That stretch will define the season for the Steelers.
Primetime/standalone games: A+
The Pittsburgh Steelers will be featured in six, yes six, standalone or primetime games in 2026. It starts with Thursday Night Football in Week 4 against the Browns, before an overseas trip to Paris against the Saints, followed by a Sunday Night Football game against the Bengals, a Black Friday game against the Broncos, a Sunday Night Football game against the Texans, and a Monday Night Football game against the Jaguars.
Final schedule grade: B
The bye week and the amount of primetime games for the Steelers are carrying the grade here, whereas that brutal stretch from Weeks 10-15 is what waters down the GPA a bit. Nonetheless, the NFL believes the Steelers will be exciting in 2026.