The journey toward Super Bowl LII ended far too prematurely for the Pittsburgh Steelers, sending them into offseason mode before we were ready for it. But we are in it now, and are ready to move on, through the Combine, through free agency, through the draft, into OTAs, and beyond.
We have asked and answered a lot of questions over the years and will continue to do so, and at the moment, there seem to be a ton of questions that need answering. A surprise early exit in the postseason will do that to you though, especially when it happens in the way it did.
You can rest assured that we have the questions, and we will be monitoring developments all throughout the offseason process, all the way down to Latrobe. Pending free agents, possible veteran roster cuts, contract extensions, pre-draft visits, pro days, all of it will have its place when the time arises.
Question: What is your initial reaction to the Steelers’ 2018 regular season schedule?
While we have already know for some time who and where the Steelers would play this season, we didn’t know when and at what times. We now know that following last night’s schedule reveal, which paints a much more thorough picture of how things might go.
Of course knowing what teams you will be playing and when still only tells you so much. Circumstances can change from week to week in the NFL. Just look at what happened in the second half of the 2017 season and the string of backup quarterbacks they got to face that would have been unpredictable at this time last year.
Still, we know now as much as we can know. As would be expected, the Steelers were given five games in prime time. They were also given three games in the evening, which means that they are only scheduled to have eight games with afternoon kickoffs. One of the evening games is at Denver, another at New Orleans.
The Steelers have a Week Seven bye this year, which is not too early nor too late, but they come out of it playing three games in a short time, including two divisional games and then a primetime Thursday appearance.
And there are no holiday games.
The Steelers’ two games against AFC division winners this year both come in the second half of the season. Three of their four losses last season came against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New England Patriots, both of whom they will play in the final seven weeks.
They will face the Jaguars following a Thursday game, so they will have a bit more time, but the game will be in Jacksonville. The Jaguars beat them in Pittsburgh twice. And once again, the Steelers will face the Patriots in Week 15.
So what do you make of the team’s schedule? Do you like it overall? Dislike it?
