Steelers close-proximity schedule will give them a huge advantage in 2022

Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t ever have to leave the east coast during the 2022 season. Here’s why that could give them a competitive edge this year.

Where the Steelers end up playing football games might not be a topic you would even give a second thought to. Most fans only seem to care about the opponents Pittsburgh gets matched up against. However, I would argue that they are both important.

Though the full NFL schedule won’t be released until May 12th, we do already know which teams Pittsburgh will be playing in 2022. In addition to seeing their divisional opponents twice this year as always (the Browns, Ravens, and Bengals), the Steelers will be facing the Raiders, Patriots, Saints, Jets, Buccaneers, Falcons, Bills, Panthers, Colts, Dolphins, and Eagles.

This is a somewhat daunting schedule on paper. In addition to their own division now possessing three franchise quarterbacks they will have to go up against a combined total of six times, teams like New England, Tampa Bay, Buffalo, and Las Vegas could certainly give them a run for their money.

However, not all news is bad when it comes to Pittsburgh’s schedule. They get to travel the shortest distance of any NFL team in 2022. According to Front Office Sports, the Steelers will travel a total distance of just 6,442.

Why Steelers have an advantage

Though this may still seem like a lot, it’s nothing compared to what most teams have to do. Take the Seattle Seahawks, for instance. Pete Carroll’s team must travel a whopping total distance of 29,466 miles during the NFL season this year. That’s more than 4.5 times the total distance the Steelers will be traveling.

In addition to this, Pittsburgh won’t even leave the eastern timezone in their 17-game schedule this year. Their longest flight will be due south to Miami — roughly two hours and forty-five minutes on the plane.

I know these numbers might seem rather insignificant, but here’s why it matters. When teams are forced to travel a lot during the NFL season, it causes some burnout — specifically when traveling across time zones (something the Steelers, fortunately, don’t have to do in 2022).

Studies over the years have shown that teams that travel from the west coast to the east coast are at a major disadvantage and have not fared well in the win-loss column. It makes some sense, as those teams are not only losing the hours spent on the flight but also losing multiple hours jumping across time zones.

Additionally, having multiple lengthy travels over a fourth-month span on a 17-game NFL schedule is enough to wear anyone down.

One excuse we certainly won’t be able to use for the Steelers this year is that their players aren’t well rested for each game. They will be traveling the shortest distance of any team this year. It’s an advantage that’s hard to measure objectively, but I can assure you that the team wouldn’t want it any other way.

Schedule