Steelers to open season on road against Jets, Justin Fields, will close it at home vs. Ravens

For the 10th time in the past 11 years, the Pittsburgh Steelers will open the regular season on the road. For the first time in 23 years, they will close it with a home game against the Baltimore Ravens.

The NFL unveiled the 2025 schedule Wednesday night, and for the Steelers, it included an opening-weekend trip to New York to face the Jets, a Week 5 bye, four prime-time matchups and no games scheduled on a holiday. It ends in Week 18 against the Ravens, marking the first time the Steelers will finish against Baltimore at home since 2002.

The season begins Sept. 7 at 1 p.m. against the Jets at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. It’s a game riddled with subplots:

• It will mark the debut of Justin Fields as Jets quarterback after he spent the 2024 season with the Steelers, starting the first six games. Fields departed on the first day of free agency, agreeing to a two-year, $40 million contract that includes $30 million in guarantees.

• It could be the debut of Aaron Rodgers for the Steelers provided he accepts their contract offer. It would come against the team with which he spent the past two seasons before he was released in March with one year remaining on his deal.

It also continues a run of season openers on the road. Just once in the past 11 years — the 2023 opener against San Francisco — have the Steelers began the season at Acrisure Stadium.

The home opener is Sept. 14 against the Seattle Seahawks, a game that will pit new wide receiver DK Metcalf against his former team. That game also marks the only appearance by the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in September.

In Week 3, the Steelers travel to New England to face the Patriots. The Week 4 game is a “home” matchup in name only as it comes against the Minnesota Vikings in Ireland. That game was made official Tuesday, and it represents the Steelers’ first trip overseas since they played the Vikings in 2013 in London.

The Steelers’ bye is early this year, coming in Week 5 after the trip to Ireland.

“I’ve always preferred the bye week to be later in the season,” Steelers president Art Rooney II told the team’s website. “But following that trip, it’s probably not a bad idea to have it then.”

Divisional play begins Oct. 12 in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns.

Two of the prime-time matchups follow in consecutive weeks. The Steelers are set to play at Cincinnati on Thursday, Oct. 16. They follow up with a game at home against Green Bay on Sunday night, Oct. 26. If Rodgers signs with the Steelers, he could face the team with which he won a Super Bowl and spent his first 18 seasons.

Rooney II said the Steelers will wear a throwback uniform for the game against Green Bay.

The third prime-time game happens two weeks later when the Steelers travel to Los Angeles to face the Chargers in an 8:20 p.m. matchup Nov. 9.

“I look to see where the night games and the far trips,” Rooney II said. “It fell all right. The only complaint I have is a night game on the West Coast. It’s always something I prefer to avoid.”

The game against the Chargers will see the Steelers face their former first-round draft pick and four-time 1,000-yard running back, Najee Harris, for the first time since he signed a contract with Los Angeles in free agency.

The Steelers make a “Monday Night Football” appearance in Week 15 when they play at home against the Miami Dolphins.

In 2024, the Steelers didn’t play a divisional game until Week 11, and then played all six AFC North games in the final eight weeks. This year, the Steelers play three divisional games among their final five: Dec. 7 at Baltimore, Dec. 28 at Cleveland and the rematch at home against Baltimore.

“I definitely like it being spread out a little more,” Rooney said. “That part of it worked out pretty well.”

The Steelers have two games scheduled for the late afternoon window: a 4:25 p.m. kickoff at home against Buffalo on Nov. 30 and a 4:30 kickoff at Detroit on Dec. 21.

The Steelers also released their preseason schedule Wednesday. They play at Jacksonville on Aug. 9 and at Carolina on Aug. 21. The lone preseason home game is Aug. 16 against Tampa Bay. All three preseason games have 7 p.m. kickoffs.

The complete schedule:

PRESEASON

Aug. 9 at Jacksonville Jaguars, 7 PM

Aug. 16 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7 PM

Aug. 21 at Carolina Panthers, 7 PM

REGULAR SEASON

1 Sept. 7 at New York Jets 1 PM

2 Sept. 14 vs. Seattle Seahawks 1 PM

3 Sept. 21 at New England Patriots 1 PM

4 Sept. 28 vs. Minnesota Vikings (Dublin) 9:30 AM

5 BYE

6 Oct. 12 vs. Cleveland Browns 1 PM

7 Oct. 16 at Cincinnati Bengals (Thurs.) 8:15 PM

8 Oct. 26 vs. Green Bay Packers 8:20 PM

9 Nov. 2 vs. Indianapolis Colts 1 PM

10 Nov. 9 at Los Angeles Chargers 8:20 PM

11 Nov. 16 vs. Cincinnati Bengals 1 PM

12 Nov. 23 at Chicago Bears 1 PM

13 Nov. 30 vs. Buffalo Bills 4:25 PM

14 Dec. 7 at Baltimore Ravens 1 PM

15 Dec. 15 vs. Miami Dolphins (Mon.) 8:15 PM

16 Dec. 21 at Detroit Lions 4:25 PM

17 Dec. 28 at Cleveland Browns 1 PM

18 TBD vs. Baltimore Ravens TBD