Steelers Schedule: Breaking down both Thursday Night Football games in 2023

Week 14: Steelers vs Patriots @ Acrisure Stadium

In Week 14 the Pittsburgh Steelers will have the chance to make up for last season's late-game catastrophe that ultimately contributed to an 0-4 record against AFC East teams and played a huge factor in the Steelers missing the playoffs.

Bill Belichick's Patriots walk into Acrisure Stadium looking for a repeat of the two team's 2022 matchup where former New England Patriots Gunner Olszewski muffed a third-quarter punt return, gifting the ball to his former team. New England's offense would proceed to score as the Patriots hung on to a 17-14 lead.

Both teams will likely be making a late push for the playoffs as the regular season nears its conclusion. While this is a home game for the Pittsburgh Steelers, having already played on Thursday night just a few weeks prior is quite concerning. For the Patriots, Week 14 will be their only Thursday Night Football game.

We won't know how big of an effect this new rule will have on teams until we see it play out, but it certainly does not sound good for the Steelers players who will already be feeling the effects of a grueling season.

It will be interesting to see how this new rule change affects the game, and how long it will stick around. My guess is that the NFL will fight to keep it in place as it is beneficial to their bottom line which is profit, and not player safety. Look for this to be a hot topic when the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement expires in 2030.

The Steelers are not alone in this situation as the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington Commanders will all be tasked with two short weeks in 2023.