The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the largest fan bases in the NFL. That much is quite obvious if you have ever been to a game where Steelers fans take over opposing stadiums. For that reason, they have been a mainstay of the primetime slate of games each season for a very long time. They still received four primetime matchups this season, but times are changing and not everyone is excited for those matchups to be featured in front of a national audience.
CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani ranked all of the Sunday Night Football games on the schedule in order from least to most anticipated and the Steelers’ pair of games are toward the bottom of the list.
At No. 15 on the list, Dajani had the Steelers hosting the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5. Here is what he wrote:
“An old NFL rivalry goes down in Week 5, with Prescott taking on Russell Wilson. These are two of four franchises that have won at least five Super Bowl titles, but times have changed for the two clubs. The Cowboys maybe had an underwhelming offseason, but they are still expected to be a contender in the NFC. As for the new-look Steelers with Russ, we’ll see.”
This list is obviously subjective, and if you had 10 different people rank the list you would probably get 10 different results. The NFL would probably rank this classic rivalry as one of the better primetime matchups on the schedule. Two of the biggest fan bases in professional sports facing off against each other will likely have great television and streaming ratings.
But I do get his logic behind the placement. The Steelers have been a disappointing team for the last few seasons, and the Cowboys have been slowly regressing after being one of the better teams in the league recently. Still, the Cowboys’ offense still has some firepower and will be an excellent matchup against the Steelers’ defense. This game will also feature two of the best defensive players in the sports in T.J. Watt and Micah Parsons. Both players are early favorites to win 2024 Defensive Player of the Year.
In the very next spot, at No. 14 on the list, Dajani had the Steelers hosting the New York Jets in Week 7. Here is what he had to say of the matchup:
“Two quarterbacks over the age of 35 will face off, as Aaron Rodgers travels to Pittsburgh to take on Wilson. Remember when these two played each other in that infamous “Fail Mary” matchup in Seattle? The 2012 season sure feels like a long time ago. The Jets have a whopping six primetime games this year, so hopefully Rodgers can stay healthy.”
This is the matchup between the “old guard” of NFL quarterbacks. Two Super Bowl-winning QBs in the twilights of their career, trying to revive their magic with new teams. Aaron Rodgers is a sure thing for the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday, and Russell Wilson has a solid case of his own, especially if he can finish his career on a high note. Anytime you have two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks facing off against each other, it makes for a good matchup. It admittedly would have been more exciting a few years ago than it is today.
