Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers bye week couldn't come fast enough. With Mitch Trubisky beginning the season as the starting quarterback, Mike Tomlin's team underwhelmed early in the season before facing a brutal slate of games after Kenny Pickett was thrown to the wolves.
Starting in Week 5, the Steelers had consecutive games against the Bills, Buccaneers, Dolphins, and Eagles. Eventually, they entered their Week 9 bye with a dismal 2-6 record. Obviously, Pittsburgh will be hoping for much better results this time around.
So when is the Pittsburgh Steelers bye week and does it adequately break up their schedule? Here's what we know following the official 2023 NFL schedule release.
When is the Steelers bye week 2023?
According to the team's official Twitter account, the Pittsburgh Steelers will have their bye in Week 6 this year. This is one of the earlier bye weeks in the NFL in 2023.
Prior to the bye, the Steelers will have contests against the 49ers, Browns, Raiders, Texans, and Ravens. Unfortunately, because of the way the schedule worked out this year, it's going to make for a remarkably long stretch without a break to close the 2023 season.
Following the bye, the Steelers will play twelve straight games. This includes a difficult three-game stretch against the Bengals, Seahawks, and Ravens to close out the regular season (with back-to-back road games in Week 17 and Week 18).
This probably wasn't the ideal scenario that Mike Tomlin and his crew were hoping for prior to the 2023 NFL schedule release. Still, Pittsburgh has to be able to make do with what's in front of them. The most challenging aspect of the schedule is the fact that they have to hammer out a dozen games without a break. If injuries strike after the Week 6 bye, the Steelers could be in for a rough patch.
There are certainly some things I would like to change about the Pittsburgh Steelers schedule in 2023 if given the chance, but at least they have a manageable slate of opponents this year. An early bye week isn't ideal, but it certainly doesn't mean that Mike Tomlin's team can't make the playoffs this year.