When examining the NFL schedule, CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz revealed the one team that holds the key to the upcoming season.
Jim Nantz On One NFL Team That Holds The Key To The Season
Jim Nantz believes the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to have a big season with Aaron Rodgers behind center.
Watch the full "Beyond the Booth" interview with @MooseOnAir featuring Jim Nantz and Tony Romo on the CBS Sports YouTube channel.https://t.co/PQoSGuDdBI pic.twitter.com/VF4cjdgBET
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) August 18, 2025
Nantz and Tony Romo return to the booth to headline the top NFL broadcast team at CBS.
CBS is the network that predominantly broadcasts AFC games. Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, Buffalo’s Josh Allen, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow headline the AFC Conference.
While speaking on Beyond the Booth, Nantz did not name any of those four teams when discussing the biggest question he has for the NFL season. Instead, Nantz named this iconic franchise with a 41-year-old quarterback as the key team in the second half of the NFL season.
“Just looking at our schedule, which is loaded, but it’s very Pittsburgh back-heavy at the end of the year. That’s important to us,” Nantz said.
Aaron Rodgers will be under center for a Steelers team that hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season. Unlike most of the mainstream media, Nantz believes Rodgers will have success in Pittsburgh.
“Can the Aaron Rodgers signing, and I think it’s gonna work out,” Nantz said. “I think Aaron, I know this is like, the momentum, I’m going against the popular viewpoint of what happened with the Jets. It was better than people gave him credit for, by a lot.”
Nantz’ statement is supported by solid statistical numbers from Rodgers. With the Jets, Rodgers threw for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 17 games.
Pittsburgh’s Schedule Down The Stretch
CBS could become the Steelers’ network by the end of the season.
All of this predicates on a good season. If the Steelers are out of the playoff race in November, CBS won’t send Nantz and Romo to call the games.
However, the Steelers would become one of the network’s top priorities if Rodgers has them competing for a postseason berth.
“There’s a chance at the end of the year, if they’re good, because we can always switch out of it, the way the schedule was handed out to us, we could have the Steelers, come late November, six out of seven weeks,” Nantz said. “That includes games against Chicago … we have a game against Detroit, national doubleheader game, got a Pittsburgh-Baltimore game … we could see Pittsburgh a lot if they’re good.”
Steelers Schedule Starting In Week 11
- Week 11: vs. Cincinnati Bengals – 1 p.m. ET on CBS
- Week 12: at Chicago Bears – 1 p.m. ET on CBS
- Week 13: vs. Buffalo Bills – 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS
- Week 14: at Baltimore Ravens – 1 p.m. ET on CBS
- Week 15: vs. Miami Dolphins – 8:15 p.m. ET CBS
- Week 16: at Detroit Lions – 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS
- Week 17: at Cleveland Browns – 1 p.m. ET on CBS
- Week 18: vs. Baltimore Ravens – TBD
