Last year's schedule for the Pittsburgh Steelers was pretty brutal early in the season. Prior to the Week 9 bye, Mike Tomlin's team had some pretty daunting challenges against teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and the Buffalo Bills. In these two games, the Steelers lost with a combined score of 73-13.
In addition to a schedule that saw them going 2-6 in their first eight games, Pittsburgh split with all three AFC North rivals -- going 3-3 against their own division in 2022. This year, things are looking a bit more optimistic. Kenny Pickett has a rookie season under his belt, and after a pretty strong free agency, the Steelers could really bolster their roster with three picks inside the top 50 selections of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Now that the dust has settled on free agency when we look at the opponents on the schedule in 2023, things aren't looking so grim. Though the official schedule hasn't been released yet, here's a list of every opponent the Pittsburgh Steelers will face in 2023:
Pittsburgh Steelers full list of 2023-24 opponents
Home opponents (9):
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Cleveland Browns
- Arizona Cardinals
- Green Bay Packers
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- New England Patriots
- San Francisco 49ers
- Tennessee Titans
Away opponents (8):
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Cleveland Browns
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
The AFC North isn't going to be a cakewalk. In fact, for the second year in a row, the Steelers currently have the lowest odds to win their division. However, even if the Steelers can split with their rivals in 2023 like they did last year, they may stand a great shot at making the playoffs.
Let's start with their home opponents. The Cardinals have a new regime and Kyler Murray has been trending in the wrong direction. Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers don't seem as intimidating as they are likely to deal Aaron Rodgers to the Jets this offseason. Playing Jordan Love at home may prove to be more challenging than it sounds, but it's a pretty favorable situation for Pittsburgh.
The Jaguars are one of the fastest-rising NFL teams right now, so this one could definitely be difficult, as will the San Francisco 49ers. However, the Titans and Patriots have taken a step back in recent years. These are two more winnable games at home.
The away schedule looks even easier. Outside of their divisional opponents, the Steelers have games against 2022 bottom-dwellers like the Texans, Colts, Raiders, and Rams. We will find out if Geno Smith and the Seahawks are for real, so this game on the west coast could be an issue.
Overall, Pittsburgh's 2023-24 schedule seems very manageable. Stay with us as we will have detailed schedule breakdowns and predictions following the official NFL schedule release.