The Pittsburgh Steelers' offseason is in full swing now that the NFL Draft and free agency are out of the way. From this point on, it's all about making the 90-man roster as good as it can be via OTAs, workouts, and training camp.
One key offseason aspect is hurling itself towards us over the coming weeks, as well, and that's the NFL's schedule release. We already know the Steelers' 2024 opponents, but when and where they play the opposition is far more valuable then simply knowing who they play.
So, let's not waste any more time and go over everything we currently know about the Steelers' 2024 schedule and more.
Steelers' Schedule Release Date
The NFL teased during the draft that schedules will be released in May, although it didn't give us an exact date. Based off the last couple of years, however, it should come out around the middle of May, as it was released on May 12 in 2022 and May 11 in 2023.
Once that comes out, we will update this with the Steelers' exact schedule.
Home and Away Opponents
Games played at Acrisure Stadium: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants, New York Jets
Away games: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders
Biggest Games on the Steelers' 2024 Schedule
Every divisional game: Playing in the roughest division in the NFL, the AFC North saw every team finish above .500 with only the Bengals missing out on the playoffs. A healthy Joe Burrow and they will look to get back to the team that made two straight AFC championships.
Steelers vs. Chiefs: Does it get any bigger than hosting the reigning, defending, undisputed back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs? I think not.
Steelers vs Cowboys: A blast from the past, the two titans that embody American Football will be squaring off. This has a holiday theme like Christmas Eve or Christmas written all over it.
Predicting Primetime Matchups and Week 1/Week 18 Opponents
Which games will be primetime viewing?
Including Thursday night, the Black Friday game, Thanksgiving/Christmas, Sunday night, and Monday Night Football my guess is the Steelers get five primetime slots, including the regularly scheduled TNF matchup.
Steelers/Cowboys get the first nod because the two boast the biggest fanbases in the sport and will draw a number that rivals any regular season game in NFL history since it's been four years since they last played.
After that, Steelers vs. Chiefs is worthy of a primetime slot as the NFL knows putting the face of their league on vs. one of the biggest franchises is good business.
The remaining three in my estimation come from a couple of MNF-SNF games with divisional opponents, followed by a Thursday night game against the Chargers, Eagles, Jets, or teams of similar ilk.
Who are the Week 1 and Week 18 opponents?
With Joe Burrow back in the mix as a healthy QB, I think Pittsburgh opens the season against the Bengals, mimicking the opener from the 2022 season.
As for the closer, I feel like a Steelers-Eagles matchup is a ripe way to close out the 2024 season.
Strength of Schedule (based off Vegas win totals, not 2023 record)
Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis does this cool thing every year where he ranks teams' strength of schedule based off Vegas' projected win totals for the upcoming season. He doesn't base it off the standard last-year's-record model and it makes a lot more sense, because of all the change teams go through during the offseason.
At the time of this publication, he hasn't updated it to reflect Vegas' updated, post-draft totals and I'll update this once the information becomes available. Regardless, Sharp has the Steelers' SOS as the hardest in the league . One look at the opponents proves as much, with the home stretch alone including seven potential playoff teams.
Revenge Games on the Steelers' 2024 schedule
- Patrick Queen and the Baltimore Ravens: Queen will be facing off against his former team for the first time, and with it being arguably the most bitter rivalry in the league, that bears watching.
- Russell Wilson returns to Denver: The split between Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos was not exactly a clean one, with he and Broncos HC Sean Payton not seeing eye to eye. His return will be much anticipated.
- Rober Spillane and the Las Vegas Raiders: Spillane has leveled up his game since joining the Raiders, and he played a big role in last year's Sunday Night Football game, something I expect him to continue when he matches up with Pittsburgh this year.
5 Must-watch Matchups
- George Pickens vs. Marlon Humphrey: Pickens got the best of Humphrey last year when the Steelers beat the Ravens with a walk-off TD that saw Pickens burn Humphrey down the sideline. We'll see if that happens again when the two face off this year.
- Steelers defense vs. Patrick Mahomes: Facing off against arguably the best QB to ever play the sport, Pittsburgh's defense will have their hands full.
- Joey Porter Jr. vs. Malik Nabers: The sixth overall pick in the draft and arguably one of the more explosive wideouts to enter the league in some time, watching JPJ match up with the Giants WR will be intriguing.
- Russell Wilson vs. Broncos Defense: Assuming Wilson is the starter when the team travels to the mile-high stadium, how he plays against his former team will be a must-watch.
- DeShon Elliott vs. Derrick Henry: When Elliott was on the Ravens, he laid one of the biggest hits ever seen on Derrick Henry, and now Henry is on the Ravens, with Elliott on the Steelers, just adding to the brutality of the rivalry.
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