The Pittsburgh Steelers will have a brutal six-game stretch following their Week 9 bye week. The six-game gauntlet very well determined the Steelers' fate in 2026.
The Steelers had a similar situation in 2024 when they faced the Philadelphia Eagles , Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs in consecutive games, and it did not go well. The Steelers ended up losing their final five games of the season, which included a Wild Card playoff loss.
The Steelers' brutal stretch starts in Week 10 with a trip to Cincinnati to face the Bengals on Sunday Night Football. A Week 11 meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field follows. The Steelers have not beat the Eagles in Philadelphia since 1965.
The Steelers then host the Denver Broncos on a short week, as the Week 12 game is on Black Friday. A rematch from last year's 30-6 playoff loss to the Houston Texans follows on Sunday Night Football at Acrisure Stadium in Week 13.
The gauntlet ends with the a Week 14 meeting against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday Night Football and a Week 15 home game against division rival the Baltimore Ravens.
The Steelers will face two AFC North rivals and four playoff teams from last year during the six-game stretch.
"Find a win after the bye week," former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky said on Get Up.
"Find a win after the bye week. If you're Pittsburgh, find the win. Cincy? You're not beating Cincy at Cincy. You're not beating Philly at Philly. You're not beating Denver. You're not beating Houston. You're not beating Jacksonville. You're not beating Baltimore."
Orlovsky thinks the Steelers could have their first losing season since 2003.
"I continuously believe he will. Five, six wins… They've had two top 10 picks since 1990. It's not normal. But if you go into that bye week and you don't have a banked set of wins, that's a brutal final nine… I don't see easy wins early on. I don't see any wins late."
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers 2026 Schedule Features Brutal Six-Game Gauntlet: 'Find a Win After the Bye Week'
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