Ranking Top Quarterback on Steelers 2025 Schedule
Now that we have the Pittsburgh Steelers’ entire 2025 schedule, it’s worth assessing their toughest tests from a defensive standpoint. Obviously, if this team is going to make any noise whatsoever this fall, it’s going to be thanks to their defense returning to dominant form. But as we know, the modern NFL is an offense-first league. The best offenses are usually championed by the most talented quarterbacks. It’s why those guys cost a pretty penny.
Today, we’re going to be ranking the top passers on their schedule: what makes those individual players so difficult to defend, their history versus Pittsburgh, and some best practices to contain them. These matchups will be a good barometer for defining just how stout the Steelers’ pass defense truly is. It’s certainly a very talented crop of signal callers on the docket, but on the bright side, they won’t have to face the two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes in the regular season. But some other familiar faces are on the horizon.
5) Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
After a blazing finish that ignited a postseason run to conclude 2023, Love wasn’t quite able to take that next step for a myriad of reasons. He’s one of the most creative throwers that we have in the league, thanks to supreme arm talent that gives him the ability to change arm angles and make daring off-platform throws look routine. Even dating back to his college days, he’s always been endlessly fearless in terms of pushing the ball down the field and into tight windows, while also improving his decision-making. He’s a savvy pocket maneuverer that can minimize negative plays and punish defenses for their shortcomings in that regard.
With him still relatively inexperienced due to sitting behind Aaron Rodgers for a while and playing in the NFC North, Mike Tomlin’s crew has only faced off with the Nevada product once in his career, with the Steelers coming out on top. Because of his unorthodox playing style, his accuracy can be a bit scattershot, leading to some takeaway chances. That’s where Pittsburgh should look to capitalize. Green Bay’s offense surrounds him with quality players, but it remains to be seen if Matthew Golden can become the go-to guy they’ve been missing versus man coverage.
4) Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
The lack of postseason success is the primary thing keeping Herbert out of the league’s elite tier of quarterbacks. He’s got a bazooka for an arm that gives him the capacity to drill a ball through a keyhole and throw his receivers open, but it’s the finer aspects of his game that make him such a consistent force. From a mechanics perspective, his entire operation is extremely clean, with him essentially operating as a supercomputer-level processor that rarely makes mistakes. He dices up zone coverage by manipulating defenders with his eyes, and there’s no one better at hitting the hole shots versus cover-2.
Herbert exited last year’s bout early with an injury. Back in 2021, his primetime coming-out party came at the Steelers’ expense, with him hurling three touchdown passes in a high-scoring affair. For someone this physically gifted, Herbert isn’t the most aggressive or creative player outside of structure. To this point, a defense’s best bet is to force him into playmaker mode early and often. Under Greg Roman and Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers’ offense will be run-first, but his ability to hit haymakers off play-action makes playing him a dangerous proposition.
3) Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Among the many reasons that the Steelers need to be aggressive in finding their next franchise quarterback is that, unfortunately for them, they exist within the same division as two of the game’s best. Burrow’s uber-efficient passing game ranked second in the NFL in success rate in 2024, nearly single-handedly willed the team to the postseason. Despite not having the most powerful arm, he more than masks that with pristine timing, excellent anticipation, and surgical accuracy. Throughout his career, he’s made a killing outside the numbers, but he made a noticeable leap last season in terms of attacking the middle of the field.
So far, the Steelers are 3-4 against him over the first six years of his career, forcing a whopping 13 turnovers in those contests. It’s been a battle. He’s a pocket passer that’s entering the prime of his career, with a preference to play from the shotgun. His bias towards under-center quarterbacks does somewhat hinder the offense’s flexibility, but he’s a machine that makes it work anyways. Now that both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are inked to long-term contracts, that trio is going to pose problems for the foreseeable future. Luckily, Cincinnati hasn’t figured out how to field a competent defense in recent years.
2) Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
For quite some time, it seemed like the Steelers had the only defense in the league that could give Lamar Jackson problems, but his recent performances have quieted the noise. Simply put, he’s one of the most dynamic athletes that we’ve ever seen in the NFL, with joystick-like movements and innate spatial awareness. His dual-threat skill set and capacity to generate explosive plays make life easier for whoever is in the backfield with him. As a passer, Jackson’s lethal in the intermediate areas of the field, particularly over the middle, and is even more proficient throwing on the run after escaping the pocket.
To the Steelers’ credit, they’ve had some impressive individual game plans in place for their matchups against Jackson, but both he and the Ravens coaching staff had answers in 2024. It’ll be very interesting to see how they learn from those mistakes and what their course of action will be moving forward. Otherwise an outstanding passer, he’s not the most accurate deep ball thrower in the world. So forcing him to take deep shots and living with the results can have advantages. The Ravens won the AFC North and knocked Pittsburgh out of the playoffs with an offense that ranked first in EPA/play. This is who they’re chasing for contention.
1) Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
This is more of a 1A and 1B situation, but the primary reason that Allen gets the nod for the top spot here is how often he’s elevated his play during the postseason, noted by his 25-4 TD/INT ratio in the playoffs. He’s basically the exception for quarterback development with how vast his improvement has been since entering the league. Once an inaccurate passer that was incapable of playing in structure has now turned into an assassin that can effectively toggle throwing speeds and avoid sacks at a best-in-class level. At 6-foot-5, 237 pounds, he’s a handful to slow down on second reaction plays and his power is an asset down near the goal line.
The Steelers last two showdowns with Allen haven’t gone well to say the least, with the three-time Pro Bowler ripping off eight touchdowns in wire-to-wire victories. Because of his natural physical gifts and affinity for chaos, he’s a big play hunter that can give defenses occasional opportunities for takeaways. As a unit, it’s imperative to capitalize on those. Buffalo’s bully ball identity stems from their quarterbacks mentality, which is admirable. In order for Pittsburgh to reclaim their stake as playoff contenders, they’ll need a formula that gives them a chance at competing with aliens like Allen.