The Pittsburgh Steelers are fortunate to return a strong defense in 2025. The upcoming season schedule features some intriguing matchups at quarterback for T.J. Watt and company to face off against.
Naturally, playing in the AFC North, Pittsburgh goes into the season knowing that nearly a quarter of its games will be against elite quarterbacks, specifically Joe Burrow in Cincinnati and Lamar Jackson in Baltimore.
But with schedule rotations being what they are, the Steelers have to face some of the league’s sharpest quarterbacks regularly throughout the campaign this fall. Let’s rank those quarterbacks featured on the Steelers' 2025 schedule.
Ranking the quarterback threats: Who is the Pittsburgh Steelers' biggest test?
14. Whoever the Cleveland Browns field
The Browns have four quarterback options, and none of them are particularly inspiring. Joe Flacco has shown in the past few seasons that he can still turn it on from time to time, but there’s little reason to believe he’s the full-time starter in 2025.
Steelers fans are all too familiar with Kenny Pickett’s shortcomings, and the rookies were late selections for good reason. The Steelers face the Browns in Weeks 6 and 17, and will likely face different quarterbacks each time.
13. J.J. McCarthy, Vikings
Thanks to a significant knee injury, former Michigan national champion quarterback J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season. Minnesota has high hopes for the former No. 10 overall selection, but without much NFL experience, it’s difficult to rank him any higher.
Still, he has an early opportunity to grab attention with a solid showing in Ireland against the Steelers in Week 4.
12. Anthony Richardson, Colts
Anthony Richardson is the kind of quarterback that leaves fans screaming “Wow!” one second and crying “Why!?” the next. His inconsistencies and questionable toughness are significant drawbacks to his game. Furthermore, his injury history is problematic.
The Steelers have faced the Colts in each of the past two seasons, but only Anthony Richardson for a handful of plays. The Colts will come to Pittsburgh in Week 9, with or without Richardson as a healthy starter.
11. Caleb Williams, Bears
Caleb Williams had a rollercoaster rookie campaign befitting of a Chicago Bears quarterback. There’s plenty to be excited for, but headscratching decision-making still looms for the Heisman Trophy winner. The Steelers will look to capitalize on those mistakes in a Week 12 contest in Chicago.
10. Drake Maye, Patriots
Drake Maye looked cool and crisp when he wasn’t running for his life behind a putrid Patriots offensive line. It also hasn’t helped that his running game is unreliable and his receivers are nearly non-existent.
Maye showed some chops in his rookie campaign, and with the Patriots looking a bit stronger for his second season, the Steelers face a fun matchup in Week 3.
9. Justin Fields, Jets
Justin Fields played six solid games for the Steelers in 2024. Now he’ll start for the New York Jets, which struggled mightily with and without Aaron Rodgers the past two seasons.
Naturally, things will look different when the Steelers come to town for a Week 1 contest, but the Steelers’ familiarity with Fields may work to their advantage.
8. Sam Darnold, Seahawks
Sam Darnold revived his career in the explosive Minnesota Vikings offense. Whether he can preserve that success in a new opportunity with Seattle remains to be seen. Darnold could rise to Jared Goff status or fall back into obscurity.
The Steelers face Darnold and the Seahawks in Week 2, so they’ll help determine the outcome of that story early on.
7. Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins know they have a solid quarterback if he could just stay healthy. After a strong showing in 2023 when he played in all 17 games and made a trip to the playoffs, Tua Tagovailoa suffered another injury-plagued season in 2024, starting just 11 games.
Tua has promise, but his injury history and inconsistencies are holding him back from landing in a higher position.
6. Jordan Love, Packers
The Packers have done it again. Jordan Love is a stud quarterback. Whether or not he’s a Hall of Fame-type talent remains to be seen, of course. But make no mistake, the Packers look quite comfortable with Love commanding the offense.
No doubt he’s looking to take the next step in his ascension, and he’ll have a strong opportunity to do so in primetime against the Steelers in Week 8.
5. Jared Goff, Lions
Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions are legitimate Super Bowl contenders for the third season in a row. Still, the offense is bound to go through a transition period early on in its first season without Ben Johnson as the offensive coordinator. And even after years of success, Goff can still have whammy games where he turns the ball over too much.
The Steelers are hoping to play spoiler in the Motor City in Week 16.
4. Justin Herbert, Chargers
Justin Herbert remains one of the most respected quarterbacks in the league without any postseason success whatsoever. His talent is remarkable, though, so the praise is largely warranted. In 2024, the Steelers only saw Herbert for a half of football before he was forced to leave the game due to injury.
This time, their meeting is in the middle of the season on Sunday Night Football for a Week 10 matchup.
3. Joe Burrow, Bengals
Despite injuries and questionable front office decisions, Joe Burrow is still looking to take Cincinnati back to the Super Bowl to claim its first Lombardi Trophy. While there are certainly issues with the defense and the offense has some questions of its own, Joe Burrow is still a top 5 quarterback in the league when healthy.
The Steelers will face the Bengals early in the season, first in Week 7 on Thursday Night Football and second in Week 11 back in Pittsburgh.
2. Lamar Jackson, Ravens
What’s left to say about Mr. Jackson? He’s bound to be an MVP frontrunner yet again all while his offense is steadily improving and reloading.
The Steelers have had success against Jackson in the past, especially in the win-loss columns. However, his most recent performance against Pittsburgh saw him throw for just over 200 yards and three scores. He’s hoping to stack more performances like that in Weeks 14 and 18 on his way to another playoff appearance.
1. Josh Allen, Bills
Josh Allen is the 1B to Patrick Mahomes’ 1A in league quarterback rankings for most NFL fans. He’s got a cannon arm, makes wise decisions, is a pain to bring down in the pocket, and can scramble for chunks of yardage when needed.
Allen has it all outside of a stellar receiving group. If the past two seasons have felt like Allen’s time to go scorched-earth on the NFL and make a Super Bowl run, you can bet the same feeling exists in 2025. The Steelers stand in the Bills' way in Week 13 for a late afternoon contest.
