How do you feel about the Pittsburgh Steelers playing on Christmas?
Arguably the most significant quirk of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 schedule is the fact that they play on Christmas Day. This isn’t new territory for the Steelers, who did so in back-to-back seasons in 2016 and 2017.
However, it is a part of a new NFL initiative; it seems the league plans to play games on Christmas every year from now on. Christmas falls on a Wednesday this year, so it’s not exactly a random coincidence. They really, really went out of their way to make this happen, and the Steelers are an obvious choice.
The Steelers host the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, so they’re not the headliners even as the home team. But they’re always a draw for ratings whether they’re successful or not. And the NFL already knows how they fare on Christmas since they’ve done it twice in the past decade.
But the league doesn’t really take fandom into consideration with these things. Granted, many fans will be thrilled to have the opportunity to watch the Steelers on Christmas Day. Others may feel differently, including those who hold season tickets, for example.
I’ve expressed my thoughts on Christmas Day games before so I’m not going to rehash them once again. Everybody has a different experience, perhaps with different traditions, and different priorities and responsibilities. Adding the opportunity to watch the Steelers with your family is only a bonus for many people, I’m sure.
At the end of the day, the NFL is a business, and it wouldn’t put the Steelers on a Christmas Day schedule if it didn’t think it would mean profits. Reportedly, Netflix is paying the league $150 million just to host the two Christmas Day games this year. That’s a stunning package that just shows how much money is behind all of these reasons. No matter if it interferes with the one day of the year more than any that people plan to spend with their loved ones.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wild Card Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? Will he play just one season in Pittsburgh before moving on, or the Steelers moving on from him? How will the team address the depth chart?
The Steelers are past free agency and the draft and their roster for the 2024 season is coming into focus. They made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
