It is a weird thing being a Steelers fan these days. You spend your Sunday afternoons gripped by a specific kind of cardiac stress that only a Mike Tomlin-led team can provide. Honestly, if you look at the Steelers score by quarter data from this past 2025 season, it tells a story that the final 10-7 record hides. It wasn't just a winning season; it was a series of slow starts, frantic mid-game adjustments, and a few fourth-quarter collapses that eventually led to a heartbreaking Wild Card exit against the Texans.
The 2025 campaign felt different from the jump. We had Aaron Rodgers under center—a sentence that still feels strange to type—and Arthur Smith calling the plays. But despite the Hall of Fame pedigree at quarterback, the "Steelers Way" of keeping games uncomfortably close remained the primary identity.
The First Quarter Blues
The most frustrating part of watching the 2025 Steelers was the opening fifteen minutes. For some reason, this team could not find the end zone early. It felt like they were "feeling out" opponents, but in reality, they were just falling behind.
In the Week 2 loss to the Seahawks (17-31), the offense looked completely stagnant in the first quarter. While the defense held its own, Rodgers and the West Coast scheme struggled to find a rhythm. You’d see these three-and-outs that just sucked the air out of Acrisure Stadium. It wasn't until the second and third quarters that the running game, led by Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren, actually started to chew up yards.
Actually, looking back at the Week 13 blowout against the Buffalo Bills, the first-quarter score was a harbinger of doom. They were down early and never recovered, finishing with a measly 7 points. When you don't score in the first quarter, you're asking T.J. Watt and the defense to be perfect. Even with a guy like Watt, that’s a lot to ask.
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Winning the Middle Rounds
If the first quarter was a struggle, the second and third quarters were usually where the Steelers made their money. This is where Arthur Smith’s influence actually showed up. They’d lean into the heavy personnel. Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth would start finding soft spots in the seam, and suddenly the Steelers score by quarter would look a lot healthier.
Take the Week 11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals (34-12). After a somewhat quiet start, Pittsburgh absolutely exploded in the middle of the game. They put up double digits in the second and third frames, turning a tight AFC North battle into a laugher. It’s those moments where you thought, "Okay, maybe this Rodgers experiment is actually going to work."
The "middle-eight"—the last four minutes of the first half and the first four of the second—became a specialty. During that Week 15 victory against the Dolphins (28-15), the Steelers used a late second-quarter touchdown to flip the momentum entirely. They went into the locker room up, received the ball, and scored again. That’s how you win in the NFL.
The Fourth Quarter: A Tale of Two Teams
This is where things get messy. Usually, the Steelers are the "fourth-quarter team." They’re the ones who snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. And we saw that in Week 18 against the Ravens. A 26-24 win to clinch the division? Classic. The Steelers score by quarter in that game showed a resilient 4th-quarter performance that reminded everyone why Tomlin has never had a losing season.
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But then... there was the playoff game.
The Wild Card round against the Houston Texans was a nightmare. Entering the fourth quarter, the Steelers were actually in it. It was a 10-6 defensive struggle. Fans were thinking, "Here we go, another typical ugly Steelers win."
Instead, the wheels didn't just come off; they evaporated. The Texans scored 23 unanswered points in the final period. A strip-sack on Rodgers returned for a touchdown by Sheldon Rankins basically ended the era. Watching the Texans pile on points while the Steelers' offense went three-and-out repeatedly was a tough pill to swallow. It was the first time the Steelers ever lost a home playoff game to Houston, and it eventually led to Mike Tomlin stepping down.
Breaking Down the Scoring Trends
To understand the 2025 season, you have to look at the averages. Pittsburgh averaged about 23.4 points per game, which was 15th in the league. Their defense gave up 22.8.
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- Road vs. Home: Strangely, the offense was often more productive on the road. They put up 34 against the Jets in Week 1 and 29 against the Lions in Week 16.
- The Rodgers Factor: While Aaron Rodgers finished with 26 touchdowns, his fourth-quarter passer rating in losses was abysmal. He often looked for the deep ball to DK Metcalf when a short gain to Warren would have kept the chains moving.
- Red Zone Woes: In that final playoff game, the Steelers went 0-for-2 in the Red Zone. You can't win in January if you're settling for Chris Boswell field goals while the other team is finding the paint.
What it Means for the 2026 Season
Now that Tomlin has stepped away and the team is entering a massive transition, the 2025 scoring data serves as a roadmap for what to fix. The new coaching staff—whoever they end up being—needs to address the first-quarter lethargy. You can't keep playing from behind in a league that is increasingly built on early-game explosive plays.
The reliance on a "patchwork" offensive line also caught up to them. Broderick Jones had a rough year, and the lack of a consistent No. 2 receiver behind Metcalf (following the George Pickens trade) meant that teams could just bracket the stars and wait for the Steelers to beat themselves.
If you’re looking at the Steelers score by quarter to predict the future, look at the games where they stayed balanced. When Gainwell and Warren combined for over 25 carries, the Steelers almost always won the second half. When they got pass-happy early? Things went south fast.
Key Takeaways for Fans
- Monitor the 1st Quarter: If the Steelers don't score on their first two drives next season, history suggests they’ll struggle to reach 20 points total.
- The "Middle-Eight" is Key: Watch for how the team manages the clock at the end of the second quarter. This was their biggest strength in 2025.
- Watch the Turnover Margin: In the 4th quarter of their 7 losses, the Steelers had a -6 turnover differential. Protecting the ball late is the difference between a division title and a Wild Card exit.
The 2025 season was a wild ride that ended a bit too soon. While the scoreboard didn't always favor the Black and Gold in those final fifteen minutes, the foundation of a competitive team is still there. It's just a matter of whether the next regime can find a way to start as strong as they finish.
Actionable Next Steps:
To get a better feel for the upcoming roster changes, you should check the 2026 NFL Draft order and see where the Steelers land. Focus specifically on interior offensive linemen and a true Z-receiver in the early rounds, as these were the positions that failed most often during those scoreless first quarters in 2025. Monitoring the coaching search will also give you a hint: if they hire an offensive-minded head coach from the Shanahan tree, expect those early-game scripts to become much more aggressive.