Over the last decade or so in the NFL, with less and less of an importance being put on the preseason, the month of September and early portion of the NFL schedule is viewed by most teams and coaches as extended preseason action, where teams continue to learn about themselves and build themselves up.
That’s not the case in Pittsburgh under head coach Mike Tomlin. It especially won’t be true entering the 2023 season after a tough, intense training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe and a preseason in which the starters played heavily.
Pittsburgh aims to hit the ground running in the month of September and start fast, according to star defensive lineman Cameron Heyward.
That will be key against some tough opponents, starting with the home opener against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, and then the Cleveland Browns, who come to town on Sept. 18 for a Monday Night Football showdown on the North Shore.
“The month of September, you’re building your resume and everybody is watching. It’s what everybody is going to say you are for most of the season. It’s best to start fast, not build a hole where you gotta climb out and try to fight back. You have to try to get on the right foot,” Heyward told reporters Thursday from inside the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, according to video via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Chris Adamski on Twitter.
Though the first two weeks are tough matchups, the Steelers are well-prepared due to the work put in and the physicality on display throughout training camp and the preseason. There’s a sense of urgency radiating from the Steelers entering the 2023 season. There’s no time to build up to it, as Tomlin likes to say.
After the two tough matchups to open the season, Pittsburgh travels to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders on Sunday Night Football in Week Three, and then travels to Houston in Week Four to take on the Texans. Though that’s technically an Oct. 1 matchup, it’s fair to include it in September since it’s the first quarter of the season. The schedule gets a little bit easier in that stretch.
Still, it’s important for the Steelers to start fast in September. Historically, it’s something they’ve struggled to do under Tomlin. Dating back to the 2007 season, when Tomlin took over for Bill Cowher, the Steelers are just 28-25-1 in September, tied for 11th-best in the NFL over that span.
In every other month, their record ranks fourth-best or better, including 42-19 in October (fourth), 40-22-1 in November (third), 44-26 in December (tied for third) and 9-1 in January (first), according to numbers compiled by The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly from earlier in the summer.
This year, for the Steelers to truly take that next step forward towards contention and really put themselves in the conversation of legitimate Super Bowl contenders, September is a key month.
As Heyward said, the Steelers have to start fast and avoid putting themselves in a hole again that they need to climb out of late in the year. Take care of business in September, get on a roll and give yourself some breathing room. Getting off to that great, fast start in September for the first time since 2020 (3-0 on the way to an 11-0 start) could set the Steelers up for serious contention in the AFC playoff picture.
