NFL schedule: The good and bad about Steelers facing the Bills in Week 1

The NFL released their schedule and the Steelers will be faced with the tall task of taking down the Bills in Week 1 of the 2021 season. 

The official 2021 NFL schedule is set to release at 8:00 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, but we already got a sneak peek into the start of the 2021 season. Early Wednesday morning, Field Yates of ESPN released the Week 1 schedule, and we found out that the Steelers will be traveling to Buffalo to face the Bills.

After an 11-0 start last season – the best in the history of the franchise – Pittsburgh fell apart late in the year. The last time these two teams met in Week 14 of the 2020 season, things didn’t quite go according to plan. T.J. Watt and the Steelers defense did an excellent job containing Josh Allen and the Bills offense in the first half, as they allowed just 3 offensive points through the first two quarters. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh’s offense struggled even worse – scoring just 7 points and throwing a pix-six before halftime.

Eventually, Allen really took off in the second half, as Pittsburgh’s secondary was shredded by Stefon Diggs. Though it looked like the Steelers were about to rally back late in the game, an interception by Ben Roethlisberger would seal the deal, as his team fell 26-15 in an all-important game with playoff seeding implications.

I rewatched that Steelers vs. Bills game this morning. I forgot how much Big Ben really struggled in that contest. After telegraphing a pick-six in the first half to give Buffalo the lead, Ben made a careless decision late in the game to shut the door on a comeback. He finished the contest completing just 21 of 37 passes for a dismal 187 yards (5.1 yards per attempt) with two touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

Obviously, we hope for better results this time around, as the Steelers will once again face the Bills on the road. This game will certainly be a challenge, but there is both good and bad to facing a great team in Week 1 of the NFL season: