The NFL released the 2026 NFL schedule on Thursday, and the league clearly has a lot of faith in the Pittsburgh Steelers, or just respects the franchise’s brand, because Pittsburgh is scheduled for four primetime games. Marquee games are typically reserved for teams that are good and/or exciting. The jury is still out on whether the Steelers will fall into either of those categories.
Pittsburgh radio host Andrew Fillipponi is confident that the team won’t be good in 2026, and he made that clear on Friday while on air for 93.7 The Fan. Fillipponi argued that if he had to pick an extreme, he believes it’s more likely that the Steelers only win five or six games, as opposed to them winning 11 or 12. The radio host doubled down and predicted that Pittsburgh will have its first losing season since 2003.
“I think it’s more likely (the Steelers) win 5 or 6 games than win 11 or 12.”@ThePoniExpress makes his initial #Steelers W-L prediction. pic.twitter.com/T79boRSO0J
— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) May 15, 2026
Andrew Fillipponi predicts a losing season for the Pittsburgh Steelers after NFL schedule release
Fillipponi acknowledged that he was a critic of Mike Tomlin and was even excited when the longtime head coach decided to step down. However, he admits that Tomlin would always find a way to avoid a losing season. Since Tomlin is no longer the head coach, the radio host believes Pittsburgh no longer has that advantage.
Mike McCarthy is now the man in charge, and while he’s a successful, Super Bowl-winning head coach, Fillipponi points out that he has had losing seasons before, including when he was coaching the Green Bay Packers with Aaron Rodgers in the prime of his career. That means it wouldn’t be surprising to see the veteran coach finish below .500 in his first season with the Steelers.
That was only Fillipponi‘s first point. His second point was that even if Aaron Rodgers returns, there’s no guarantee that he will be good. Pointing to Rodgers being 42 years old, the radio host doesn’t think the quarterback will be able to sustain competent play in what would be Rodgers’ 22nd season.
So, between Mike Tomlin now being on TV and not the Steelers' sideline, and Pittsburgh putting their hopes on the back of a quarterback who turns 43 during the season, Fillipponi is projecting an unfamiliar losing season for the franchise. He could be right, but the good thing about sports is that the final say will be decided on the field.
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