With the draft in the rearview, the next important date for the Pittsburgh Steelers is the NFL schedule release, set for May 14. The Steelers already know their list of home and away opponents. Now, it is about seeing when they will face each of them.
The Steelers enter the schedule release with the 19th-ranked strength of schedule. That is based on last season’s opponents’ winning percentage, which averaged .495. Once the schedule is released, that will ultimately determine how easy or difficult the 2026 season could be.
Still, every team probably has a wish list when it comes to its schedule. For the Steelers, they may be eagerly awaiting to learn their Thursday Night Football opponents.
Steelers Hoping To Avoid Familiar Thursday Night Trap
If the Steelers had one wish for their upcoming 2026 schedule, it would probably be that they have no Thursday night road games against one of their AFC North rivals, according to CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo.
“The NFL gave the Steelers a road Thursday night game against a division opponent in three of the last four years,” DeArdo wrote. “Pittsburgh lost all three, including last year against the Bengals. The Steelers’ other two Thursday night losses occurred in Cleveland.”
Here is the list of the Steelers’ road opponents in 2026:
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Cleveland Browns
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- New England Patriots
- New Orleans Saints
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Tennessee Titans
Last year’s loss to the Bengals came in Week 7 after Pittsburgh had won four of its first five games. What made it worse was that the defeat came at the hands of 40-year-old quarterback Joe Flacco, making his first start of the season after being traded from the Cleveland Browns. He torched Pittsburgh by completing 31 of 47 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
Cincinnati lost four of its next five games, while the Steelers dropped four of their next six.
Steelers Projected To Remain In Familiar Territory
Sharp Football Analysis has a similar strength of schedule ranking for the Steelers at No. 17. The difference is that Sharp Football does not use the previous season’s records to determine strength of schedule.
“While there are no perfect strength of schedule metrics, using 2026 Vegas win totals is much better than most widely used metrics that incorporate the previous season’s record,” the site stated.
“Basing strength of schedule on last year’s records is lazy, inaccurate, and inefficient. NFL teams often undergo significant changes between seasons, including roster adjustments, coaching staff changes and player development.
“Additionally, the NFL’s 17-game season is a small sample size. Outcomes can be heavily influenced by luck, such as fumble recoveries or tipped passes. These factors make prior season records a poor indicator of future performance.”
The Steelers were also given a projected win total of 8.5 for the 2026 season based on Las Vegas win totals. Pittsburgh has won 10 games in each of the last three seasons and has not fallen below nine wins since 2019, when it finished 8-8. That would be enough to maintain the status quo that the franchise has become known for — avoiding a losing season for 19 straight years.
But that is not exactly what everyone in Pittsburgh is hoping for now with Mike Tomlin out and Mike McCarthy in.
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