The Pittsburgh Steelers have already played nine games this season. A full six of them have come on the road. That means they have just two remaining over the course of their final seven games—which also means that five of their seven final games will be played in the comforts of home.
While it is true that the team has put together a strong road record this season, all things being equal, it is pretty much always preferable to play at home. And as the Steelers look to secure their first homefield advantage through the playoffs in over a decade, I am sure they will welcome the opportunity to do so without much travel time.
The home stead begins in two days when they host the Titans, who are winners of their past four games. They are currently 2-2 on the road this season, including an impressive blowout against the Jaguars, but the other one was a narrow victory over the Browns. They were also blown out by the Texans and lost 16-10 to the Dolphins.
After Tennessee, the Steelers will have 10 days to prepare for a Packers team led by Brett Hundley, who just won his first game, on the road, albeit to the Bears—and yes, I know the Steelers lost to the Bears. Like the Titans, Green Bay is currently 2-2 on the road, losing by 11 to the Falcons and 13 to the Vikings, but edging out the Cowboys in a high-scoring game—albeit before Aaron Rodgers was injured.
The Steelers then travel just to Cincinnati for what is currently scheduled to be a primetime game before traveling back to Pittsburgh for two consecutive home games against the Ravens and the Patriots, the latter game being the one everybody seems to dread.
The 4-5 Ravens are 2-3 on the road, losing their most recent game to the Titans, 23-20. They also lost in Minnesota and in Jacksonville—actually London, where they were demolished—but have road wins over the Raiders—without their quarterback—and the Browns—with their quarterback.
The dreaded New England monster has only taken its show on the road four times so far out of nine games. They have won all four of those games, but a couple of them not convincingly. Both the Jets and the Buccaneers had solid games against them, yet they just dominated the Broncos in Denver, thanks largely due to special teams gaffes. They also handled the Saints in New Orleans, a team that has now won seven straight since then.
Last, and decidedly least, is a home contest against the Browns to finish off the season, which seems to be becoming something of a tradition. If the Steelers haven’t locked in their playoff seeding by then, meaning the starters have to play, I would expect that to go…not so well for the road team.
