Rookie defensive lineman Keeanu Benton and rookie linebacker Will Herbig got to go on a Sasquatch hunt through rural Pennsylvania! Their unique announcement coincided with the excitement surrounding the upcoming season, which includes notable matchups and a strategic consideration of Aaron Rodgers‘ potential influence on viewership.
The Steelers will kick off their season with a highly anticipated game against the New York Jets in Week 1. This new-look Jets-Packers rivalry will have an interesting backdrop, seeing that Aaron Rodgers spent his entire career with both Green Bay and New York. For Week 8, with such unique circumstances, the team will kickoff in prime time against their traditional rivals, the Green Bay Packers. This pairing calls attention to the link to Rodgers, who played most of his career with the Packers before joining New York.
Altogether, the Steelers have five total prime-time games lined up for the 2025 season. They secured a high-profile, standalone primetime game against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4. Kickoff for the annual clash between the two service academies is 1 p.m. ET on CBS. Coach Mike Tomlin’s track record of never having a losing season with the Steelers adds to the anticipation surrounding these matchups.
The NFL has come under a lot of criticism for their scheduling decisions, especially when it comes to Aaron Rodgers. Mike North, the league’s representative, addressed worries about the league’s privileged information. He had pointedly answered the question of whether the information about Rodgers’ retirement decisions might impact the Steelers’ schedule.
“We don’t know anything more than anybody else” – Mike North
North stressed that the unique schedule was designed with Tomlin and the Steelers specifically in mind. He did recognize the excitement that Rodgers would bring if he were to end up in Pittsburgh.
“The schedule was built for Coach [Mike] Tomlin and for the Steelers, and if Aaron decides to play it probably just makes many, if not all, the Steelers games a little more interesting” – Mike North
The NFL likely looked at how just placing the Steelers-Packers game in a prime-time window would increase its importance to broadcasters.
“If you put that game in a window where it does become something even bigger, we wouldn’t want to unbalance maybe one of the partners” – Mike North
North concluded by stating that the league aimed to maintain balance while creating an engaging schedule for fans and teams alike.
“We tried to play it down the middle” – Mike North
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