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Dan Orlovsky predicts Pittsburgh Steelers to lose first six games in 2025

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax05/15/25BarkleyTruax
Dan Orlovsky
(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 NFL schedule was released on Wednesday. They’ll open their season on the road against the New York Jets, and as their quarterback situation remains up in the air — early predictions from analysts aren’t looking great for the black and yellow.

“I think you’re staring 0-6 in the face,” ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky told his panel featuring Louis Riddick and Peter Schrager. Their next five opponents are vs. the Seahawks, at the Patriots, vs. Vikings, vs. Browns and at Bengals in that order.

Riddick agreed with Orlovsky, saying that every single one of those six franchises is in a better position with their quarterback room than what the Steelers have. Currently, Mason Rudolph would be the presumed starter if the season were to begin today. Riddick explained game-by-game why this might not work out well for the Steelers.

“To me, that throws everything up in the air for this football team,” Riddick, a former NFL executive, said of Pittsburgh. “We can assess the schedule and slice it 1,000 different ways. … I mean, think about the Jets. I’m telling you, Aaron Glenn blitzes him into oblivion. The Seahawks, Mike McDonald is a pretty good defensive coordinator. And with the Patriots, Mike Vrabel, with that new defensive line up there in New England, the Vikings, with Brian Flores. Man, come on.”

Orlovsky said the offense is DK Metcalf and that’s it. He isn’t wrong, exactly. The Steelers traded away top receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys earlier in the month, and Najee Harris, the team’s 1,000-yard rusher in four straight seasons, is now a Los Angeles Charger. Now, they need a quarterback to boot.

Schrager raised a valid point during the debate, too, noting that the NFL may not want to put Pittsburgh in many prime-time matchups if they’re going to feature a stagnant offense. He said the Steelers are a “middle-of-the-road team” based on the makeup of their schedule.

What could save the Steelers, however, is the potential addition of Aaron Rodgers under center. The Super Bowl-winning, NFL vet is still undecided on where he’ll play football next season despite Pittsburgh being one of the only feasible landing spots remaining.

Whether the Steelers can sign Rodgers and move forward with the former NFL MVP remains to be seen. Until then, Mason Rudolph is considered the likely starting quarterback for the Steelers unless someone else joins the fray. All questions will be answered by the time the Steelers take the field for Week 1 against the Jets.