Absolutely brutal.
That’s really the only way I can fully describe the 2024 schedule for the Pittsburgh Steelers, which the NFL officially released Wednesday night.
The opponents on the schedule weren’t a surprise, and the strength of that schedule from a matchups standpoint was always going to be quite difficult. But the gauntlet that the Steelers have from Weeks 11-18 is quite discouraging with all six AFC North matchups in that span along with matchups against the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs mixed in.
That’s a make-or-break stretch there for the Steelers.
While the Steelers’ opponents have been known since the end of the 2023 regular season, we now have a clear picture as to how it all shakes out weekly. Outside of the six usual divisional games with home and road matchups against the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Cincinnati Bengals, which games stand out as the most intriguing due to overall matchup, spot on the calendar and more?
Glad you asked!
Below, I break down my four most intriguing non-AFC North games on the 2024 schedule for the Steelers, going No. 4-1.
No. 4 — Week 15 at Philadelphia Eagles
Many will jump to the storyline of this potentially being a matchup against former Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett should Jalen Hurts go down with an injury for the Eagles. That is certainly a juicy storyline as Pickett felt scorned by the Steelers following the signing of Russell Wilson, leading to his trade request and unceremonious trade to the Eagles.
But that’s not why I’m putting this game on here. The last time the Steelers and Eagles matched up in the regular season, Pittsburgh traveled to Philadelphia in Week 8 of the 2022 season and got absolutely drubbed, 35-13. The Eagles did whatever they wanted to do in that game on both sides of the football.
It’s a different Steelers’ team now — and a different Eagles team, too, to be fair — but there is a sense of pride there for many of the remaining faces for Pittsburgh that experienced that embarrassing beatdown.
This season’s matchup will come in the middle of a downright brutal stretch and after four straight AFC North matchups for the Steelers, so they could be significantly banged up entering the matchup with the Eagles. It’ll be a big one though as it can serve as a springboard into a tough four-day span against the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day, or it could be another hole punched into the bottom of the boat for the Steelers’ season.
No. 3 — Week 2 at Denver Broncos
What a juicy revenge game this is! I love that the NFL put this matchup between the Steelers and the Denver Broncos early in the season. New Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson can ride back into Denver with his new team and get a chance to put one on his former coach in Sean Payton, who poorly treated Wilson in their one year together and then quickly pushed him out the door.
There have been some leaks that have come out recently about Wilson, too, from allegedly needing play calls to be two words or less, and more, that seem to be coming from one place and one place only: Payton. Wilson, to his credit, has taken the high road and is locked in with his new team, but there is no doubt he has this matchup circled on the calendar, aiming to go back to Denver, into a hostile environment with a fan base that turned on him, and stick it to them.
No. 2 — Week 5 vs. Dallas Cowboys, Sunday Night Football
Steelers-Cowboys. Two iconic franchises and historic rivals matching up again on Sunday Night Football on the North Shore. Sign me up!
Dak Prescott, Russell Wilson. Mike McCarthy, Mike Tomlin. CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens. Micah Parsons, T.J. Watt. The star power is everywhere in this matchup, and all eyes will be on it.
It will be just the second home game of the year for the Steelers, who open with two games on the road against the Atlanta Falcons and Broncos, have their home opener in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers, and then hit the road again for Week 4 against the Colts.
The last time the Steelers and Cowboys played was during the 2020 season, which was a 24-19 win for the Steelers. Four years later, a lot has changed. But it’s still Cowboys-Steelers, which make this a must-watch game, one that should be an early-season matchup between two playoff teams.
No. 1 — Week 17 vs. Kansas City Chiefs, Christmas Day
Come on, did you really think any other game on the schedule would be here at No. 1?
Christmas Day football, the Steelers hosting the back-to-back Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs late in the season, when the weather should be frigid, and hopefully with some snow involved.
On paper, it looks quite daunting, especially coming off an AFC North matchup against the Ravens just four days prior. A bit unfair from the NFL, but such is life.
The last time the Steelers hosted the Chiefs on the North Shore, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce carved up the Steelers in a 42-37 shootout. Mahomes, early in his first season as a starter back in 2018, threw for six touchdowns, dicing up the Steelers’ secondary on the way to a win. It was a major springboard into his MVP season, putting him on the map as a superstar in the NFL.
The Steelers are much better defensively now, but they haven’t had any success against Mahomes. In the last two matchups against Mahomes and the Chiefs, the Steelers have lost 36-10 and 42-21, the latter coming in an AFC Wild Card matchup after the 2021 season.
Hopefully this time is different and Steelers fans don’t get coal in their stockings on Christmas courtesy of Mahomes and the Chiefs.
