5 hardest Steelers games after NFL 2021 schedule release
By Andrew Falce
Kansas City Chiefs (Week 16)
For those keeping count at home, three of the hardest games for the Steelers come within a three-week period. No matter the circumstances, playing the Chiefs would never be an easy game. Patrick Mahomes has inserted himself as the best player in the game and it will never be an easy game as long as he is leading this team.
Surprisingly despite a plethora of big names under contract, the Chiefs significantly improved their team this year. The line got a facelift when they signed Joe Thuney to a mega-deal and traded for Orlando Brown. Add in the fact that they got one of the best centers in the draft in Creed Humphrey and a mega steal in Trey Smith in the seventh round and suddenly it seems impossible that teams will be able to sack Mahomes.
The weakness of this team is still the defense, but there were some improvements made there as well. Jarren Reed will give their defensive line some more beef next to Chris Jones. While that is still the weakness of the team, it shouldn’t matter how dynamic the offense will be. Add in the Steelers’ brutal stretch before this and the fact that the team wouldn’t have had a rest week since their bye in week seven, and this game seems like a likely loss. Any game against the Chiefs would be a difficult one, but given the other factors around this game, and it seems like a tough prospect for the Steelers to win this one.
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The Steelers were already handed one of the toughest schedules at the end of last year, and the layout of the season did them little favors. While there are quite a few hard games upcoming next year, these five stick out as the hardest. The losses this team suffered in the offseason were going to be tough to overcome. These five games won’t do the Steelers any favors either.