The Pittsburgh Steelers 2021 schedule was recently released. Here’s why they have a very difficult road ahead of them.
The 2021 NFL schedule was officially released Wednesday night. Though we already knew the opponents the Pittsburgh Steelers would be facing this year, we didn’t learn where each team would be slated on their schedule until just recently.
In Week 1, Mike Tomlin’s team gets an incredibly daunting task as they travel to Buffalo to face the Bills for the first game of the 2020 season. While there is a stretch of potentially easy games near the middle of the season, things don’t get a whole lot easier for Pittsburgh. In fact, they have the most difficult strength of schedule this year, based on their opponents’ win percentages from 2020.
The end of the season stretch has the potential to be one of the most difficult I have seen for the Steelers, as they will face Baltimore twice, Tennessee, Minnesota, Kansas City, and Cleveland. Here are my initial game-by-game predictions for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021:
Week 1: Steelers @ Bills
This isn’t the same Bills team we saw for much of the past two decades. Josh Allen is a legitimate quarterback who was an MVP candidate last season. Counting the playoffs, Allen compiled 51 total touchdowns to go with just 11 interceptions, and he was remarkable down the stretch.
With a new offensive coordinator in Matt Canada, perhaps Pittsburgh can catch Buffalo napping and take this game on the road. The last few years have shown us that the best time to play the Bills is early in the season. However, the Steelers defense often comes out flat, and I can’t see Ben Roethlisberger outplaying Allen in this contest.
Prediction: Loss (0-1)
Week 2: Raiders @ Steelers
For some reason or another, the Steelers always seem to have trouble with the Raiders. The last time these two teams met, Pittsburgh was embarrassed in a road loss to a bad Raiders team. This year could be a different story.
While I believe that the Raiders have made great strides since the last time these two teams played, they are at a big disadvantage in Week 2. Not only do they play on the road, but they will be forced to travel to Pittsburgh after a Monday Night contest against the Ravens on a short week. Teams who travel from the west coast to the east coast on a short week have an awful win percentage, and I think that will give the Steelers a huge leg up.
Prediction: Win (1-1)
Week 3: Bengals @ Steelers
We can’t expect the Steelers to roll all over the Bengals like they have in the past. Though Cincinnati finished near the bottom of the league in 2020, there is no doubt they have a promising young quarterback in Joe Burrow. The former number one overall pick played just 10 games before an ACL tear ended his rookie campaign.
Fresh off his injury and traveling to Pittsburgh, I think the Steelers take this game. Defensively, these teams aren’t even close to comparable, and Mike Tomlin clearly has the more talented roster in this contest.
Prediction: Win (2-1)
Week 4: Steelers @ Packers
Since the NFL Draft, there has been an outlandish amount of talk about Aaron Rodgers allegedly refusing to return to Green Bay for the 2021 season, but as far as I know, those have just been rumors. I’m going to assume we are getting the returning 2020 NFL MVP in Week 4. If that’s the case, this is not going to be an easy matchup.
Like the Bills, it’s probably best to catch the Packers early in the season rather than in December, but playing at Lambeau Field is always a difficult task. Last season, Rodgers had one of the best years we have ever seen from the quarterback position – earning 51 total touchdowns and just 5 interceptions in 16 games. Even if the defense looks sharp, it’s going to be extremely difficult to contain one of the all-time greats.
Prediction: Loss (2-2)
Week 5: Broncos vs. Steelers
The Broncos were one of the worst teams in the league in 2020. Despite not having a viable quarterback last year, they were content with rolling the dice on Teddy Bridgewater – even passing up a talented quarterback prospect like Justin Fields in the NFL Draft.
Without a ton of talent to go around, Denver should once again be a bottom dweller this year in the NFL. Pittsburgh roster is pretty much better all around, it this is a game that I feel very confident Ben Roethlisberger can outperform the opposing quarterback. I have the Steelers taking this contest at home.
Prediction: Win (3-2)
Week 6: Seahawks @ Steelers
The last time these two teams met, Ben Roethlisberger left the game with what we later found out was a season-ending elbow injury, and Mason Rudolph nearly led the Steelers to a comeback win. Like their 2019 matchup, this game is also in Pittsburgh, and forcing the Seahawks to travel from the west coast should help.
Unfortunately, they will still be going up against one of the best quarterbacks and deep-ball passers in the league. With no Steven Nelson or Mike Hilton, it will be a lot to ask this cornerback group to contain DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett down the field. I think this will be a close contest, but I’d give the edge to Seattle.
Prediction: Loss (3-3)
Week 7: BYE
Week 8: Steelers @ Browns
I know Steelers fans don’t like to hear this, but the Browns are getting legitimately good. They have made some very wise decisions in recent years in the NFL Draft, and they probably have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL because of it. We can no longer expect to steamroll this team twice a year.
Having said that, the Steelers defense is still good enough to contain Baker Mayfield and Cleveland’s offense, but that rushing attack ran all over us in the playoffs last year. In addition, the Browns have a more talented defense than they did just a year ago, and they are one of the only teams in the NFL without any glaring holes. I have Pittsburgh losing a hard-fought road battle here.
Prediction: Loss (3-4)
Week 9: Bears @ Steelers
The Chicago Bears were a middle-of-the-pack team in 2020 without a quarterback. Is there a franchise that is worse at finding talent at the QB position? After giving up on Nick Foles and Mitch Trubistky, the Bears signed veteran Andy Dalton to what is essentially a one-year, $10 million deal this offseason.
If Dalton plays this Week 9 contest against the Steelers, this should be a win. However, the team also drafted talented quarterback Justin Fields, and it’s certainly possible that he could be the starter at this point. Either way, this is a primetime Monday Night game at home for Pittsburgh, and I think they are a more talented version of the Bears. I have them taking this win.
Prediction: Win (4-4)
Week 10: Lions vs. Steelers
The Lions are a trainwreck right now. After trading away their franchise quarterback, they didn’t really make up for it with their offseason moves, and they lost their best wide receiver in Kenny Golladay to the New York Giants. Jared Goff isn’t the quarterback everyone thought he would be coming into the league, and it stands to reason that he could look even worse without Sean McVay calling the shots.
The Steelers get Detriot at home, and a game they must take care of. The Lions have a chance to finish as the very worst team in the league in 2021, and I think Pittsburgh runs away with this win.
Prediction: (5-4)
Week 11: Steelers @ Chargers
I know everybody wants to point out the fact that Ben Roethlisberger and Justin Herbert had similar statistical production last season. From a raw stats standpoint, that is true. However, there’s no denying he had an unbelievable season as a rookie, and his yards per attempt (7.3) and quarterback rating (98.3) both easily topped Big Ben last season.
After some remarkable performances last season, I think it’s reasonable that Herbert could take another leap forward in 2021. The Steelers will be forced to travel to the west coast, but this is a primetime game. I think this could be a very close contest, but I have a much-improved Chargers team pulling out the victory.
Prediction: Loss (5-5)
Week 12: Steelers @ Bengals
Even though the Bengals are a team on the rise, the Steelers have a significantly more talented lineup. Much of this contest will be determined by what kind of second-year leap Joe Burrow can take, and how much will he be aided by his new weapon in Ja’Marr Chase?
Even if Burrow has a big game offensively against Pittsburgh’s talented defense, the Steelers offense will be plenty good enough to rack up points against what could once again be one of the worst defenses in football. Steelers take the cake.
Prediction: Win (6-5)
Week 13: Ravens @ Steelers
I know a lot of Steelers fans have ranging opinions about the Ravens, but no matter what we tend to think, these almost always end up being close contests. Pittsburgh did a great job containing Lamar Jackson the first time around last year, and they could do it again in this contest.
Baltimore will be coming off a difficult Sunday night game against the Cleveland Browns before traveling to Pittsburgh, so the Steelers may hold a slight edge here. If they can contain Baltimore on the ground, they should be able to take this contest at home against a talented and well-rounded divisional opponent.
Prediction: Win (7-5)
Week 14: Steelers @ Vikings
An uncommon opponent on the road late in the season? You better believe the Steelers are going to struggle in this contest. It’s not that I believe the Minnesota Vikings are legitimate contenders, but it doesn’t seem to matter in these types of games.
In recent years, the Steelers have dropped road games to the Jets, Raiders, and Bears – each was considered to be an inferior opponent. The Vikings are going to be fighting tooth and nail for their playoff hopes, and Pittsburgh has historically struggled down the stretch under Mike Tomlin. I think this could be another disappointing late-season loss we could add to the list.
Prediction: Loss (7-6)
Week 15: Titans @ Steelers
The Steelers were one of the only teams in the league last year that seemed to be able to contain Derrick Henry. After getting off to a huge lead early, Pittsburgh looked completely worn down by the end of the game as the Titans rallied back. Had this gone into overtime, Tennessee would have held the upper hand.
The Titans and Steelers are both quality football teams that don’t have a lot of holes. While Pittsburgh may not have as much success against the run this time around, their offense has a chance to be even better if they are able to exploit Tennessee’s weakness in pass defense. I think this could be a back-and-forth contest, but I have the Steelers claiming the ‘W’.
Prediction: Win (8-6)
Week 16: Steelers @ Chiefs
I would love to say confidently that the Steelers are going to march into Arrowhead Stadium and takedown Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, but I think that’s being overly optimistic. While I’m not saying that this can’t be done, I just don’t see Ben Roethlisberger being able to go toe-to-toe with arguably the league’s best quarterback.
A great defense can go a long way; however, they are oftentimes rendered useless against elite quarterbacks. We saw this when Aaron Rodgers shredded Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl. T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick can help slow down Patrick Mahomes, but they can’t stop him. Can Roethlisberger outperform him this year? I wouldn’t bet on it.
Prediction: Loss (8-7)
Week 17: Browns @ Steelers
There’s no denying the Browns are an improved team, and I love what they did in the draft this year. However, I just can’t get myself to believe that they will sweep the Steelers in 2021. Pittsburgh did everything they could this offseason to maintain a competitive roster. Assuming they get a little more help on the ground, everything else should start to open up.
Cleveland’s defense is improving and they have a lot of talented young players, but they aren’t quite there yet. I think the Steelers do enough to contain the Browns offense while outscoring Cleveland in an all-important game with playoff implications.
Prediction: Win (9-7)
Week 18: Steelers @ Ravens
Even if the Ravens have a playoff seed locked up by this point, they aren’t just going to roll over and let Pittsburgh have this one. We saw this in 2019. When the Steelers needed a win plus a few other games to go their way, a Robert Griffin-led Ravens offense (that was resting many of their starters) still stuck it to a desperate Steelers team in a 28-10 win.
Sitting at 9-7, the Steelers could desperately need this game, but it’s possible that Baltimore does as well. The Steelers have lost their final game over the past two seasons. Judging by the way they normally finish the year, I have them falling short in this contest.
Prediction: Loss (9-8)
With an extra seed in the playoffs, 9-8 might be a good enough record to make the tournament – depending on how things play out. However, it’s going to be hard to believe that this team will be a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and Ben Roethlisberger must take a huge leap forward at age 39 in order for that to happen in what could be his final season.