Steelers schedule 2023: Game-by-game predictions for upcoming season
By Tommy Jaggi
It's finally here. Back in early January, the NFL released their list of opponents that every team will face. Now we have the official 2023 NFL schedule, and things are looking up for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they begin to gear up for the 2023-24 season.
Outside of their divisional rivals in the AFC North, there isn't an overload of formidable opponents that Pittsburgh will face this year (at least on paper). However, fans were waiting to see which games would be slated for primetime and when they face some of their toughest projected opponents like the San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Cincinnati Bengals.
After beginning the season with a dismal 2-6 record before the bye week last year, Mike Tomlin is looking for a much stronger start in 2023. Here's the official Pittsburgh Steelers schedule and our early predictions for each game following the 2023 NFL schedule release.
Steelers 2023 schedule:
- 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 (TNF)
- Week 15: vs Indianapolis Colts
- Week 16: vs Cincinnati Bengals
- Week 17: @ Seattle Seahawks
- Week 18: @ Baltimore Ravens
Week 1: Steelers vs 49ers, September 10th, 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
This is one of those games that I almost wish was on the road just for the fact that it could very well result in a loss anyway. The San Francisco 49ers (along with the Eagles) were the cream of the crop in the NFC last year, and it wouldn't have surprised me one bit if they had become Super Bowl champions.
Ultimately, they fell short to Philadelphia in the NFC championship game, but don't let their ugly loss fool you. This is an insanely talented team. After already having arguably the strongest trenches in the NFL, the 49ers poached DT Javon Hargrave from the Eagles this offseason. San Francisco is the opposite of Pittsburgh in that they are fantastic at designing plays to chew up yards after the catch. Head coach Kyle Shanahan deserves a ton of credit for his genius game plan, but they also have the personnel that can execute this perfectly.
Knowing who the Steelers are going to deploy in their secondary to cover players like George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, and Deebo Samuel, I don't love this matchup at all for Pittsburgh. Mike Tomlin's team could have a slight advantage considering the 49ers will be traveling from the west coast for this contest, but I don't think it will matter in the end result. The more talented team takes the cake here and the Steelers are handed a Week 1 loss.