Steelers Receive Wildly Grim Playoff Predictions

Despite an active offseason that saw the Pittsburgh Steelers bring in plenty of notable names, NFL.com's analysts aren't bullish on their prospects for the 2025 campaigns.

Amongst the site's panel of 29 pundits, none of them picked the Steelers to take home the AFC North crown. Instead, the Baltimore Ravens received 26 votes to earn their third-straight division title while the Cincinnati Bengals got three votes.

"The Steelers and [Cleveland] Browns, both led by seasoned Super Bowl-winning QBs, were not viewed as optimistically, however," they wrote. "The majority of voters picked Pittsburgh to miss the playoffs for the seventh time during Mike Tomlin’s lengthy tenure, while the Browns are expected to come up short for the fourth time in Kevin Stefanski’s six seasons at the helm."

Aug 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin watches the replay on the monitor against the Carolina Panthers during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Pittsburgh has not won the AFC North since 2020, though it was in position to do so for a majority of the 2024 season. The team was 10-3 and held a two-game lead going into Week 15, but they ended the year on a four-game losing streak and lost out to the Ravens before also falling to them in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Six of NFL.com's analysts picked the Steelers to secure a Wild Card spot for a third-consecutive year, though only Judy Battista predicted that they'd finish as the No. 5 seed.

On the flip side, Keegan Abdoo, Grant Gordon and Maurice Jones-Drew all believe Pittsburgh will close out the season as the No. 6 seed while Dan Parr and Chad Reuter think they'll garner the No. 7 seed.

Jul 24, 2025; Latrobe, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) participates in drills during training camp at Saint Vincent College. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Steelers were among the most active teams in the league this offseason, landing four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers and seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey, among others, but it hasn't been enough to shift public opinion of the team in a meaningful manner.

It'll be tough for Pittsburgh to finish ahead of the Ravens and the Bengals in the division, as those two teams are almost universally viewed as playoff locks and Super Bowl contenders, but that doesn't mean the black and gold won't be in contention for a ticket to the postseason.

This version of the Steelers' roster is arguably the best they've had in years, and with head coach Mike Tomlin at the helm, there's reason to believe they can snap their six-game playoff losing streak and make some real noise this season regardless of how they may be viewed heading into Week 1.

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