There isn't much for NFL fans to look forward to this time of the year. Free agency is mostly done, the NFL Draft is complete, and we're all just waiting for the preseason to get underway. The fact that not much is going on right now is why fans got so excited to see the schedule release on Wednesday.
The NFL schedule release gives fans the opportunity to make predictions, whether realistic or not, going game by game. That's what we'll be doing here with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers are a team many will watch with amusem*nt this season as they completely revamped their quarterback room. Out are Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Mitchell Trubisky, and in are Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. While their new quarterback room might not be the most exciting one, things can't get much worse offensively for this Steelers team compared to what they've been in recent years on that side of the football.
With Mike Tomlin at the helm, we know that they'll be in the mix for a playoff spot, but the AFC North is incredibly difficult and their schedule is one that makes it tough for them to finish strong. Can their strong defense and new-look offense figure out a way to make it? Let's find out.
Not only will the first week of the season feature Russell Wilson's Steelers debut, but Kirk Cousins will presumably be under center for the first time in a Falcons uniform, and it'll be when he's at his best. The early window on a Sunday. It'll be tough for Kirk to get things going super quickly, learning a new offense with new personnel working his way back from his Achilles injury. The Steelers take this one in a defensive battle (we might be hearing that a lot this season), and Arthur Smith gets his revenge against the Falcons.
Prediction: Steelers 24, Falcons 20
Week 2: at Denver Broncos (Sunday, Sept. 15, 4:25 p.m. ET)
Steelers Nation, let's ride. We saw Arthur Smith get his revenge win against the Falcons in Week 1, and now we'll see Russell Wilson get his much-needed revenge over the Denver Broncos in Week 2. Wilson did not come close to living up to his contract, obviously, but wasn't all that bad last season, yet he was treated as if he was. Wilson will find a way to put up some points against his old team while the rebuilding Broncos will struggle to put up much of a fight against a stout Steelers defense.
Prediction: Steelers 28, Broncos 10
Do I smell 3-0? I sure think so. Russell Wilson makes his home debut against a Los Angeles Chargers team undergoing a fresh start of its own with Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines. Justin Herbert is electric, but he doesn't have much to work with on the offensive side of the ball. The Steelers should be able to take advantage and keep the good times rolling.
Prediction: Steelers 27, Chargers 21
Week 4: at Indianapolis Colts (Sunday, Sept. 29, 1:00 p.m. ET)
Here's where the Steelers will take that first loss of the season. The Colts shocked the NFL world by finishing over .500 last season and just narrowly missing out on a postseason berth. Anthony Richardson is healthy now and should take the NFL world by storm if he can stay on the field. The Colts will find a way to win this one.
Prediction: Colts 27, Steelers 17
The Steelers will host the Dallas Cowboys in their first primetime game of the year in Week 5 and will get back on track with a win. Yes, the Cowboys have star power with guys like Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons, but they didn't do much to address offseason departures and lack depth in several areas.
Prediction: Steelers 28, Cowboys 24
Week 6: at Las Vegas Raiders (Sunday, Oct. 13, 4:05 p.m. ET)
The Steelers will improve to 3-0 against the AFC West in the first six weeks of the season after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. The Raiders played well under Antonio Pierce to finish off last season but are without a clear-cut solution at quarterback. Whether it's Gardner Minshew or Aiden O'Connell under center, the Steelers should win comfortably.
Prediction: Steelers 31, Raiders 18
The Steelers will find themselves back on primetime in Week 7 of the season against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets. Assuming Rodgers is healthy, the Jets are by far the toughest team on the docket for the Steelers in their first seven weeks of the season as they have an elite defense and should be great offensively too with good quarterback play. Ultimately, the Jets will be too much for the Steelers to handle.
Prediction: Jets 21, Steelers 13
Week 8: vs. New York Giants (Monday, Oct. 28, 8:15 p.m. ET)
One week after their toughest matchup to date, the Steelers will face arguably the easiest opponent through the first half of the season, the New York Giants. The Giants finally got themselves a No. 1 receiver of the future in Malik Nabers, but have a lot of work to do to be competitive. The Steelers should take care of business easily.
Prediction: Steelers 27, Giants 10
The Steelers enter the bye feeling great about themselves, going 6-2 in their first eight games and likely holding onto first place in the AFC North. Getting off to a good start is crucial for the Steelers, because their schedule after the bye is as challenging as it gets.
Week 10: at Washington Commanders (Sunday, Nov. 10, 1:00 p.m. ET)
Jayden Daniels is going to be good under center for the Commanders, but there will likely be a bit of an adjustment period for him. This Steelers defense should be able to get the job done against the Commanders, especially with them having an extra week to prepare.
Prediction: Steelers 24, Commanders 9
Here's where things get difficult. The Steelers finally play a divisional opponent, and will have to really kick things into gear. Fortunately, the first divisional opponent that they'll face off against is one that they've dominated in recent years. The Steelers will continue to give Lamar Jackson and the Ravens trouble, and will beat them again on their home field.
Prediction: Steelers 21, Ravens 16
Week 12: at Cleveland Browns (Thursday, Nov. 21, 8:15 p.m. ET)
This one's tough. The Steelers will travel to Cleveland on a short week to face a tough Browns team. As good as 9-2 sounds, they'll have a tough time winning this rivalry game in what will surely be a nailbiter.
Prediction: Browns 19, Steelers 16
Another AFC North battle will take place in Week 13, and the Steelers will have to deal with Joe Burrow and the high-powered Bengals offense. While Burrow might get off to a bit of a slow start coming back from his injury, he should be back in gear and playing some of his best football of the season by this time. The Steelers will have trouble containing him.
Prediction: Bengals 34, Steelers 17
Week 14: vs. Cleveland Browns (Sunday, Dec. 8, 1:00 p.m. ET)
Four straight AFC North matchups in the back half of the schedule is just brutal, but the Steelers will find a way to even up their divisional record and their season series with the Browns by pulling off a win to guarantee that Mike Tomlin finishes above .500 once again. It won't be pretty, but they'll get it done.
Prediction: Steelers 21, Browns 20
The battle of Pennsylvania will not go Pittsburgh's way this time around. The Philadelphia Eagles will be looking to finish strongly after they failed to do so this past season, and they'll be able to beat an exhausted Steelers team in the midst of an absolute gauntlet of a schedule.
Prediction: Eagles 28, Steelers 20
Week 16: at Baltimore Ravens (Saturday, Dec. 21, 4:30 p.m. ET)
Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens will finally find a way to beat the Steelers. It won't be pretty, it never is with these two teams, but the Ravens will get the monkey off their back and the Steelers will continue their late-season nosedive.
Prediction: Ravens 27, Steelers 24
The brutal finish to their schedule continues with a matchup against the team that has won back-to-back Super Bowls. Facing off against Patrick Mahomes on Christmas Day with the entire country watching is unfair, and the Steelers will learn that the hard way.
Prediction: Chiefs 26, Steelers 17
Week 18: vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Saturday, Jan. 5, 1:00 p.m. ET)
The end of the season is usually when the Bengals kick things into gear and go on a crazy run, but the Steelers will come in as desperate as any team in the NFL thanks to their late-season rut. With extra time to prepare and the Bengals having a short week, the Steelers will find a way to end the regular season with a win.
Prediction: Steelers 23, Bengals 20
The Steelers will start the season hot and finish it cold, and that has everything to do with the schedule. They'll finish 10-7 and nab one of the three AFC Wild Card spots. That'll be a tough pill to swallow after an 8-2 start, but for Steelers fans in this division, they'd take a Wild Card spot.
Final record prediction: 10 wins, seven losses, and a playoff spot.
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