In 2020, the Steelers started the season with 11 straight wins. In 2021, they play nine games against teams that won 11 or more time in 2020.
As Pittsburgh goes all in to try to win Super Bowl No. 7 before the quarterback who wears No. 7 calls it quits, they won’t have an easy go of it.
Cornerback Joe Haden isn’t deterred. As he said on Twitter, “If u scared say you scared!!! I don’t give a damn who we play!!! Line it up.”
For now, we’ll line up the Pittsburgh schedule.
Last week, Steelers G.M. Kevin Colbert told PFT PM that he first looks at the Week One game. This year, he likely looked away when he saw that it’s a trip to the AFC finalist Buffalo Bills.
Next come a pair of winnable home games, against the Raiders and Bengals. The Steelers then make a trip to Lambeau Field, which will be a tough game to win -- if Aaron Rodgers is playing for the Packers.
Next come two home games against the Broncos and Seahawks, the latter of which will be a Sunday night game.
The Steelers get a Week Seven bye, with two weeks to get ready for a game at Cleveland against the “Browns is the Browns” no more. A Monday night home game against the Bears follows, with the Lions coming to town after that.
In Week 11, the Steelers play the Chargers on Sunday night. Pittsburgh follows that with their annual visit to Cincinnati.
The Steelers then face a challenging four-day stretch: Home game against Ravens followed by Thursday night game at Minnesota.
The Steelers end with a four-game murderer’s row -- vs. Titans, at Chiefs, vs. Browns, at Ravens.
It’s a long season that, this year, has gotten longer. And the Steelers have a knack for playing good, tough football. If they make it to the playoffs, they’ll be battle tested, assuming they’re not physically exhausted.
