Steelers 2020 strength of schedule is meaningless
By Eric Hassel
The Steelers may have to rely on the defense to rise to the occasion in the last four games of the season
The final four games of the 2020 season are seemingly easy games as the Steelers will face only one playoff team from 2019; however, at this point in the season, any team we face may be vying for a playoff spot or may be vying for a division championship. I hope we are in that boat.
In Week 14, the Steelers will travel to Buffalo to face the Buffalo Bills in a Sunday night contest. The Bills are coming off a playoff appearance in 2019. I have no reason to believe that they will not be in the playoff mix in the AFC in 2020; therefore, this game may prove to be a tough one.
It is at this stage of the season where the Steelers defense needs to impose its will on our opponents. This may or may not happen against the Bills. If it does happen, I think we beat the Bills; if it does not happen, I think we go into the next game having taken the ‘L’.
In Week 15, the Steelers will be on the road against the Bengals on Monday night. I think this game will tough solely because it is a Monday night game on the road. Similar to the Bills game, if the defense is playing at a high level, I believe we have a good shot at winning this one.
The Indianapolis Colts come to town in Week 16. The Colts finished the 2019 season with a 7-9 record. Again, that means nothing. Last season was last season. The 2020 season will be a new season. I think the fact that the Steelers are at home will give us the edge in this game.
The 2020 regular season will culminate in a contest against the Browns in Cleveland. I really don’t know how this one might go. If one team is in the playoff mix, but the other is not the non-playoff team would love nothing more than to ‘put a dent’ into the playoff hopes of the other team.
If both the Steelers and the Browns are in the playoff mix, this game will be a ‘wild one’. In the end, I think we will best the Browns and finish the season with a win.
Let’s wrap up this particular discussion, shall we?