Steelers news: NFL schedule release, primetime games, and more

The suspense is finally over. While NFL schedule release day doesn't quite have the same appeal as the NFL Draft, fans always seem to show up, as they are eager to see how their team's schedule will shape up and where the hardest stretch of games will fall. For Pittsburgh Steelers fans, their schedule release came with a bag of mixed emotions.

Fans have to be optimistic about the slate of opponents Pittsburgh will face in 2023, but there are a few questionable stretches and an early bye week that could really make things difficult this year. Here's the latest Steelers news regarding the NFL schedule release.

Steelers news:

After much speculation and a day filled with early schedule leaks, we now know the official Steelers schedule, courtesy of the Pittsburgh Steelers Twitter account. Here's a quick look at every game Mike Tomlin's team will play in 2023:

• Week 1: vs San Francisco 49ers
• Week 2: vs Cleveland Browns (MNF)
• Week 3: @ Las Vegas Raiders (SNF)
• Week 4: @ Houston Texans
• Week 5: vs Baltimore Ravens
• Week 6: BYE
• Week 7: @ Los Angeles Rams
• Week 8: vs Jacksonville Jaguars
• Week 9: vs Tennessee Titans (TNF)
• Week 10: vs Green Bay Packers
• Week 11: @ Cleveland Browns
• Week 12: @ Cincinnati Bengals
• Week 13: vs Arizona Cardinals
• Week 14: vs New England Patriots
• Week 15: vs Indianapolis Colts
• Week 16: vs Cincinnati Bengals
• Week 17: @ Seattle Seahawks
• Week 18: @ Baltimore Ravens

The Steelers schedule includes an early Week 6 bye, which means this team will be forced to play twelve straight games to close out the 2023 season. If injuries strike, they could be in for a bumpy ride.

More Steelers news:

In the hours leading up to the full NFL schedule release, we learned of every primetime game the Pittsburgh Steelers would play in 2023. Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan leaked all four of Pittsburgh's primetime games for the 2023 season.

Pittsburgh's first primetime game will come early in Week 2 on Monday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns. They will then turn around in Week 3 for back-to-back primetime -- this time on Sunday Night Football against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Steelers also have two Thursday Night Football games in 2023. These will come in Week 9 against the Titans and Week 14 against the Patriots.

NFL news:

It was a big day for NFL news following the schedule release. In addition to learning about each team's schedule, we now know exactly which teams will be playing on Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.

As usual, there will be three games on Thanksgiving this year. The Lions always play the early slate, followed by the Cowboys, per tradition. They will be playing the Packers and Commanders, respectively. On Thanksgiving Night, the Seahawks will host the 49ers.

On Christmas Day, things will kick off with the Raiders vs Chiefs at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, followed by the Giants and Eagles at 4:30 p.m. ET, and the Ravens and 49ers on Christmas night at 8:15 p.m. ET. For the first time ever, there will also be a Black Friday game this year as well, that contest will be between the Jets and Dolphins.