It is finally over. If you are a Pittsburgh fan, you probably feel a mix of exhaustion and that familiar "what if" gnawing at your gut. The 2025-26 season has wrapped up, and the numbers are etched into the history books.
What's the Steelers record this year? The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2025 regular season with a 10-7 record.
On paper, ten wins sounds decent. It is a winning season, something Mike Tomlin has made a career-long habit of producing. But this year felt different. It was heavy. It was the year they finally clawed back to the top of the AFC North, finishing first in the division, only to have the wheels fall off when the lights got brightest.
Breaking Down the 10-7 Campaign
The journey to 10-7 was anything but a straight line. Honestly, it was a rollercoaster that started with a gritty 34-32 win over the Jets and ended with a dramatic 26-24 victory against the Ravens in Week 18 to clinch the North.
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In between, we saw a team that could beat the high-flying Lions on the road but then turn around and get stifled by the Browns or flattened by the Bills. The offense, led by veteran Aaron Rodgers—whose arrival in Pittsburgh was the talk of the offseason—showed flashes of brilliance but struggled with consistency. They averaged about 23.4 points per game.
Defensively, T.J. Watt remained a monster. He had to be. The unit allowed 22.8 points per game, which kept them in almost every contest, but the secondary often looked vulnerable against elite passing attacks.
Key Wins and Costly Slides
- The Dublin Special: The Week 4 win against the Vikings in Ireland was a peak moment. The energy was high, and the team looked like a legitimate contender.
- The Mid-Season Slump: A three-game stretch where they lost to the Bengals, Packers, and Chargers almost tanked the season before it really got going.
- The Division Sweep: Going 4-2 in the AFC North was the only reason this team saw the postseason. They found ways to win ugly against Baltimore and Cleveland when it mattered most.
The Playoff Heartbreak and the End of the Tomlin Era
Winning the division earned them a home game at Acrisure Stadium for the Wild Card round. The atmosphere was electric. Fans expected the "Stairway to Seven" to finally get a new step. Instead, the Houston Texans came into Pittsburgh on January 12, 2026, and delivered a 30-6 beatdown that no one saw coming.
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It was a total system failure. Rodgers was sacked four times. The defense gave up two scores in the fourth quarter alone. It was the seventh straight playoff loss for the franchise, a streak that has now tied some of the worst postseason droughts in NFL coaching history.
Then came the real bombshell.
On January 13, just a day after the loss, Mike Tomlin announced he was stepping down as head coach. After 19 years, 193 regular-season wins, and a Super Bowl ring, the longest-tenured coach in the league decided it was time. He tied Chuck Noll for the most wins in franchise history, but the manner of the exit—a blowout at home—left a sour taste for many.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the 2025 Roster
There is a narrative that this team was "one player away." Looking at the stats, that is probably a reach. While Kenneth Gainwell emerged as a legitimate MVP for the team and Cameron Heyward earned All-Pro honors even at age 36, the depth just wasn't there.
Take the Darius Slay experiment. The Steelers signed the veteran corner to a $10 million deal, hoping for a lock-down presence. Instead, he was waived by December after allowing three touchdowns and zero interceptions. It highlighted a recurring issue: an inability to evaluate outside veteran talent to supplement a maturing home-grown core like Joey Porter Jr. and Keeanu Benton.
Actionable Next Steps for the Offseason
The 10-7 record is now a baseline for whoever takes the headset next. The organization isn't just looking for a coach; they are looking for a new identity.
- Monitor the Coaching Search: With Tomlin out, the Steelers are in uncharted territory. Names like Arthur Smith (already on staff) or outside "Shanahan-tree" candidates will dominate the headlines.
- The Aaron Rodgers Question: Rodgers has hinted at retirement following the Texans loss. If he leaves, the Steelers are back in the quarterback market, potentially looking at the draft or a bridge veteran.
- Salary Cap Management: The front office under Omar Khan has some massive decisions to make regarding aging veterans and the need for a secondary overhaul.
The 2025 season will be remembered less for the 10-7 record and more as the year the bridge to the past finally ended. Pittsburgh is officially in a new era.
Actionable Insight: Keep a close eye on the NFL Combine and the initial wave of coaching interviews. The "Steelers Way" is being redefined in real-time, and the first three hires under the new regime will tell you everything you need to know about whether 2026 is a rebuild or a reload.