It feels like a distant memory, but the Pittsburgh Steelers were 4-1 and in full control of the AFC North less than two months ago. Now, at a mediocre 6-6, they are fighting for their playoff lives with little room for error.
The Baltimore Ravens have surged back from a 1-5 start to tie Pittsburgh in the standings at 6-6, making their meeting Sunday as close to a playoff game as it gets with over a quarter of the season left to play. The winner of this game will see their odds of winning the division skyrocket, with the loser facing an uphill battle to stay in the race.
Maybe even more importantly, however, is what this game means for the Steelers' busy 2025 offseason. All of their moves were made with the intent to finally break through and earn their first playoff victory since the 2016 season, and failing to do so could have wide-ranging consequences this offseason that are unheard of in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Steelers' hectic 2025 offseason could be all for nothing with a loss in Week 14
Many Steelers fans would tell you that, regardless of the outcome of this game, the 2025 offseason is already an abject failure. Their hot 4-1 start was shaky at best, and their subsequent 2-5 stretch is more indicative of how this team has looked for most of the season.
They were an old and slow team in 2024 that ran out of gas after a 10-3 start, and they only got older and slower during the 2025 offseason. Trading Minkah Fitzpatrick for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith, signing Aaron Rodgers and Darius Slay, extending T.J. Watt, and re-working Cam Heyward's deal locked in multiple pieces who were all on the wrong side of 30 (or even 40 in Rodgers' case).
That is rarely a recipe for success in the modern NFL. Speed and ascending young players are a staple of nearly every competitive team, and Pittsburgh doesn't have enough of either. Their insistence on plugging holes on the roster with over-the-hill veterans has burned them in the past, and the same story has played out in 2025.
With all of that said, they still control their own destiny with five games to play. A win over the Ravens this week is the first step, but winning out would guarantee them the AFC North crown and a home playoff game for the first time since 2020. Even losing one game (as long as it isn't against Baltimore) would be fine, so it's far from over for Pittsburgh this season.
A loss this week, however? It could be the knockout punch to the Steelers' 2025 season.