For the first time since 2013, they started the season with a 1–4 record through Week 5, which included a 33–3 opening loss to the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, and an injury to Ben Roethlisberger the very next game.
James, initially groomed to be the heir replacement to Heath Miller, ultimately remained a backup after the Steelers traded for Vance McDonald.
In addition to the players traded away and cut, Ryan Shazier remained out due to his 2017 spinal injury against the Bengals.
Longtime radio play-by-play announcer Bill Hillgrove did the voiceover, referring to the Steelers division rivals as their "neighbors", their Thursday night game as "speedy delivery" (in honor of Mr. McFeely), their three West Coast games as "traveling to a far-away land", and the series' closing theme to reference the team's bye week.
In the fourth quarter, the Steelers came within 2 when backup QB Mason Rudolph found TE Vance McDonald on an 8-yard pass (with a failed two-point conversion) to make it 21–19.
Longtime franchise QB Ben Roethlisberger was also ruled out for the season after suffering a non-contact elbow injury during the game.
Though, the Niners ended up winning the game when Jimmy Garoppolo found Dante Pettis on a 5-yard pass for a final score of 24–20.
In the second quarter, the Ravens pulled back ahead by double-digits as Marquise Brown caught an 11-yard pass from Lamar Jackson to make it 17–7, but a pair of Chris Boswell field goals from 41 and 29 yards out made it 17–13 going into halftime.
In overtime, the Ravens capitalized on a fumble by Smith-Schuster by nudging into field goal range to allow Tucker to kick the game-winning 46-yarder.
After losing to the Ravens at home, the Steelers traveled west to take on the Chargers in a Sunday Night duel.
The Steelers led 24–0 going into the fourth quarter, only for the Chargers to score 17 unanswered points, putting them a touchdown away from tying the game with less than 90 seconds remaining.
Although they failed with their onside kick attempt, they forced the Steelers to go three-and-out on their ensuing possession, giving QB Philip Rivers the opportunity to attempt a 99-yard, game-winning drive; however, he was picked off by CB Cameron Sutton, allowing the Steelers to kneel out the clock for a 24–17 win.
With the win, the Steelers went into their bye week at 2–4, and with the Browns' loss to the Seahawks earlier in the day, they moved into a tie for second place in the AFC North.
In the second quarter, the Colts moved back into the lead when Brian Hoyer found Jack Doyle on an 11-yard pass to make it 10–3.
The Colts regained the lead when Hoyer found Zach Pascal on a 14-yard pass (with a failed PAT) to make it 16–10.
Though, the Colts regained the lead when Chester Rogers caught a 4-yard pass (with a failed 2-point conversion) from Brian Hoyer to make the score 24–23.
The Steelers, however, tied the game up later on in the quarter when Mason Rudolph found James Washington on a 3-yard pass to make it 7–7.
In the second quarter, the Steelers took the lead when Minkah Fitzpatrick returned a fumble 43 yards for a touchdown to make it 14–7 at halftime.
In the fourth quarter, they came even closer when Aaron Donald sacked Rudolph in the end zone for a safety to make it 14–12.
Jared Goff attempted a comeback within the final seconds of the game only to be intercepted by Fitzpatrick sealing the 17–12 win for the Steelers.
After passing to Trey Edmunds, Steelers QB Mason Rudolph found himself dragged down by Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.
Browns' LB Larry Ogunjobi pushed Rudolph from behind, while Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey retaliated with throwing several punches and kicks at Garrett's head.
In the third quarter, the Steelers retook the lead when Devlin Hodges, taking over for an ineffective Mason Rudolph, found James Washington on a 79-yard pass to make it 10–7.
After a tough home win, the Steelers travelled to Phoenix, Arizona to take on the Cardinals in a rematch of Super Bowl XLIII.
After a failed fake punt attempt by the Steelers in the fourth, Murray found David Johnson on a 24-yard pass to make it 20–17.
After Chris Boswell kicked a 49-yard field goal to make it 10–3, Mason Rudolph found Diontae Johnson on a 29-yard pass to tie the game at 10–10.
On a rain soaked field, with Robert Griffin III at quarterback, the Ravens kept the ball on the ground for their first drive.
The Ravens got the ball back with 54 seconds left in the half when Matthew Judon sacked Steeler quarterback Devlin Hodges forcing him to fumble.
After the teams exchanged field goals, the Ravens defense, late in the fourth quarter, stripped the ball from Steeler's punter Jordan Berry and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown.
On the next Steelers possession the Ravens were awarded 2 points after Hodges was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, making the final score 28–10.