So, it happened. The Pittsburgh Steelers just wrapped up their 2025 postseason run with a tough 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card round on January 12, 2026. If you're looking for the immediate answer to when do the steelers play next, the reality is a bit of a bummer: they don’t have another game scheduled for this season. The road to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara officially ended at Acrisure Stadium yesterday.
It’s that weird, quiet part of the year for fans. One day you're stressing about playoff seeding and Mike Tomlin's clock management, and the next, you're looking at mock drafts and free-agent lists. Honestly, the 2025 season was a wild ride. Finishing 10-7 and finally snapping that AFC North title drought with a Week 18 win over Baltimore felt like the team had finally turned a corner, even if the Wild Card game didn't go as planned.
The Long Wait for the 2026 Season Begins
Since the Steelers are now officially in the "offseason," their next meaningful game won't take place until the 2026 NFL Preseason in August. We won't get the exact dates and times for those games until the NFL releases the full schedule, which usually happens in mid-May.
Basically, we have about seven months of "wait and see."
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But just because we don't have a kickoff time doesn't mean we don't know who is coming to town. The NFL's scheduling formula is pretty rigid, so we already know the 2026 opponents. Pittsburgh will have nine home games and eight road games this time around.
Home Opponents at Acrisure Stadium
The North is always a slugfest, but the out-of-division matchups for 2026 look pretty interesting.
- Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns: The usual suspects.
- Atlanta Falcons: Expect plenty of storylines if Kirk Cousins is still under center.
- Carolina Panthers: A game that, on paper, looks like one the Steelers should handle.
- Denver Broncos: Sean Payton coming to Pittsburgh is always a chess match.
- Houston Texans: A chance for immediate revenge after that playoff exit.
- Indianapolis Colts: A consistent AFC rivalry that always seems to be closer than it should be.
Road Trips on the Horizon
The 2026 away schedule is... dense. There are some tough stadiums on this list.
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- Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland: The return legs of the divisional battles.
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Jacksonville has been a "trap game" for the Steelers for years.
- New England Patriots: It's not the Brady era anymore, but Foxborough is never easy.
- New Orleans Saints: A trip to the Caesars Superdome is a bucket-list item for many fans.
- Philadelphia Eagles: The "Battle of Pennsylvania." This one will be loud.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A late-season Florida game could be a humidity test.
- Tennessee Titans: Expect a lot of running and a lot of bruising defense.
What to Watch During the Offseason
If you’re wondering when do the steelers play next because you need your football fix, you've sort of gotta pivot your focus. The "games" now are played in front of spreadsheets and at the Scouting Combine.
First big date? The 2026 NFL Draft. After a 10-7 season and a quick playoff exit, Omar Khan—the "Khan Artist" as fans call him—will be looking to bolster that defensive line and perhaps find a long-term answer at quarterback. While Aaron Rodgers was the veteran presence this year, the future is still a bit murky.
The defense, led by T.J. Watt, remains the soul of the team, but they looked gassed against Houston. Keeping that unit healthy and young is basically priority number one.
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Actionable Next Steps for Fans
Since there are no games for a while, here is how you can stay locked in:
- Mark the Schedule Release: Keep an eye on the middle of May 2026. That is when the NFL drops the specific dates, times, and primetime slots (expect a few for the Steelers, as they are always a TV draw).
- Free Agency Frenzy: In March 2026, the legal tampering period and official start of the new league year begins. This is when the roster for next season actually starts to take shape.
- Draft Coverage: The draft in April is the closest thing to a "game" we get. Pittsburgh's first-round pick will be a major indicator of their 2026 strategy.
The 2025 season might be over, but the cycle never truly stops in Pittsburgh. We’ve gone through the highs of a division title and the lows of a blowout playoff loss in the span of eight days. Now, we wait for August.