The Pittsburgh Steelers are no strangers to complaining about the NFL schedule, but this year, their frustration may actually be justified. According to reports, the team is particularly unhappy with one scheduling decision and history helps explain why.
“Top Steelers insider Nick Farabaugh says some inside the Steelers organization are ‘probably irked’ by having to play another Thursday Night road game in Cleveland,” sports talk host Andrew Filliponi wrote on X. “Especially after an AFC North game vs. the Bengals. The Steelers have NEVER won a Thursday night AFC North game.”
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The biggest source of frustration is a brutal Week 4 stretch: a Thursday Night Football trip to Cleveland on October 1, coming just four days after the Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals on September 27. Many around the team view the quick turnaround and divisional road matchup as a particularly harsh scheduling decision.
Cam Heyward, the veteran captain and star defensive tackle for the Steelers, hosted a live reaction show to the NFL schedule release Thursday night on his channel. During the broadcast, Heyward was asked which part of the newly released schedule stood out to him the most.
Top Steelers insider Nick Farabaugh says some inside the Steelers organization are “probably irked” by having to play another Thursday Night road game in Cleveland. Especially after an AFC North game vs the Bengals.
The Steelers have NEVER won a Thursday night AFC North game. pic.twitter.com/mTk32SRMjd
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) May 15, 2026
“Week 3 and Week 4,” Heyward said. “We play the Bengals at home, and then at night, we have the Browns on the Thursday night game. Those games are just so critical, and I think you need to have the best product on the field, and I don’t think you always get that with a Thursday night game. I think we’ve played the Browns on Thursday night a lot, but yeah, we need to go up there and get a win.”
Another factor looming over the Steelers ahead of their Week 4 showdown with the Browns is their recent struggles in Cleveland. The Steelers haven’t won on the road against the Browns since the 2021 season, back when franchise legend Ben Roethlisberger was still the team’s starting quarterback.
For a franchise with the history and success of the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s a surprisingly poor record, especially considering some of the teams the Cleveland Browns have fielded over the years. But Pittsburgh will have a chance to finally end that streak when the two rivals meet on Thursday Night Football in Week 4.
Things could certainly be worse for the Steelers. The NFL has started turning divisional matchups into international showcase games for the 2026 season, with the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams set to open the regular season in Australia. Compared to that kind of travel and disruption, Pittsburgh having to play a Thursday night game in Cleveland suddenly doesn’t seem quite as brutal. And now with Aaron Rodgers expected to return, things could get easier for the team.
Aaron Rodgers to sign one-year deal with the Steelers
After a drawn-out decision process, four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers is now expected to sign a one-year deal with the Steelers worth up to $25 million, according to sources cited by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The agreement is said to include a base salary in the $22–23 million range, with additional incentives that could push the total value up by a few million more. The 42-year-old has already been back in the Pittsburgh area in recent days and was spotted spending time with teammates, including a relaxed outing at a local ice cream shop on Friday night. He is also expected to report for Monday’s OTAs, per league sources.
The move comes just weeks after the Steelers made a procedural decision to place a UFA tender on Rodgers. It’s a step designed either to secure potential draft compensation if he signed elsewhere before training camp or limit his options once camp begins.
Although the Steelers remained confident and stayed in regular contact with Rodgers throughout the process, the quarterback ultimately made his decision on his own timeline. That came despite team president and owner Art Rooney II publicly stating he expected clarity by the start of the NFL Draft.
Instead, Rodgers arrived in Pittsburgh during the weekend of the team’s rookie minicamp and finalized the agreement just ahead of their first voluntary OTA session scheduled for Monday.
