With Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy now officially back together, the Pittsburgh Steelers are set to embark on the 2026 NFL season, in which they'll look to break their new decade-long drought without a postseason win. In order to get there, though, they'll face some significant challenges as it relates to a regular season schedule that picks up the intensity as the weather changes. Today, let's talk about the five best defenses on their schedule, where they excel, and some matchups worth looking forward to down the road.
Liam Coen's crew won eight straight games entering the postseason, and while the offense garnered much of the national recognition, their improvement on defense didn't get enough hype. During that stretch, Jacksonville ranked third in success rate (37.5%) with a pair of signature wins versus the Chargers and Broncos . Anthony Campinile's disguise-based, zone-centric defense is adding an all-world athlete in Travis Hunter , giving them even more playmaking firepower. Letting Devin Lloyd walk in free agency for a relatively modest contract, all things considered, is one move that gives me a bit of pause as it relates to their ceiling. With the Steelers and Jaguars both likely to be vying for a playoff spot, this Monday Night Football matchup is definitely a fun one to look forward to.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson in a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 9, 2025 — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
By nailing the Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean picks in 2024, Howie Roseman was able to reconstruct the Eagles' secondary on the fly and was promptly rewarded with a Super Bowl ring months later. Even though the exhilarating flashes of Jalen Carter haven't become more of a consistent thing, Philadelphia has been able to find proper replacements for starters that exit the building. The Makai Lemon draft day saga only adds fuel to the interstate rivalry, with McCarthy's new-look offense trying to break the Steelers curse of having not won in Philly since 1965. The matchup between nose tackle Jordan Davis, who is fresh off a massive contract extension, and Zach Frazier will be a heavyweight bout for trench warfare enthusiasts. Call it an early prediction—look for Pittsburgh to test the newly acquired and unpredictable Riq Woolen in hopes of an explosive play downfield at some point.
Steelers running back Jaylen Warren during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 15, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Outside of selecting Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the second round, Cleveland didn't add many pieces on the defensive side of the ball this offseason. That makes sense given how porous their offense was last year as they finished dead last in success rate by a pretty wide margin (35.2%). It'll be interesting to see new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenber's approach as a first-year play caller, but he definitely has plenty of talent to work with, especially Carson Schwesinger , who had a phenomenal rookie campaign in 2025. Myles Garrett is still wrecking havoc at a historic rate, but his mere presence on the field made the Steelers offense look completely dead on arrival in their last matchup. Pittsburgh really needs to run the ball well, particularly in the first Thursday Night Football contest on the road, which has been known to level the playing field a bit.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 28, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Vance Joseph's unit is one of the deepest in the entire NFL, to the point where a former first-rounder in Jahdae Barron can't even crack the starting lineup. Denver's pass rush was unstoppable last season, finishing first in sack rate (9.7%) and second in pressure rate (40.7%), but losing John Franklin-Myers in free agency stings and his presence on the interior will be difficult to replicate. With Patrick Surtain assuredly locking down one side of the field, it'll be up to the complementary pieces in Pittsburgh's new-look wide receiver room to take advantage of their more advantageous matchups. This is an interesting "styles makes fights" matchups between Aaron Rodgers ' dink-and-dunk barrage against a defensive coordinator universally renowned for his blitzing tactics.
Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II takes part in drills during the NFL football team's training camp Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022, at the Broncos' headquarters in Centennial, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
There's a real argument to be made that the Texans had five of the best 25 defensive players in all of football last season, so it's no surprise that they were able to completely overwhelm the Steelers in their postseason bout. There are not a lot of bells and whistles schematically: they just beat the crap out of you for four quarters. For my money, Will Anderson Jr. is the second-best edge defender in the league entering 2026, and his partner in crime, Danielle Hunter , has been perennially one of the most underrated ballers of his era. Even taking the talent discrepancy into account, Pittsburgh didn't do enough to get Jaylen Warren and Pat Freiermuth the rock last time out—a mistake that McCarthy hopefully will avoid as the play caller. Still, this is a dominant defense capable of propelling Houston to a deep run in January if their offensive counterpart can ascend to at least average.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is hit as he throws by Houston Texans edge rusher Danielle Hunter on Jan. 12, 2026. – Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Bell: Top Five Defenses on Steelers 2026 Schedule
Related Headlines
