Steelers schedule release: Which game odds were impacted the most?

Game #2: Steelers @ Indianapolis

We’ve discussed a strong opponent that has been weakened by the schedule layout, now let’s discuss a weak one that’s been strengthened by it—Indianapolis.

The Colts have one of the shakiest futures in the entire NFL, coming off of a 4-12-1 season and sitting with a quarterback situation that is far from ideal. To make matters worse for them, they have to face the Steelers this year.

There’s no delicate way to put it: The Steelers have historically owned the Colts. With an all-time series record of 27-6, only two meetings have gone Indy’s way since 1984. So, combining their current inferiority with their historical inferiority makes for what would normally look like an easy Pittsburgh win. However, the Colts are in a spot that instead makes them look like a disaster waiting to happen.

For starters, just because Indianapolis can’t seem to grasp what it takes to beat the Steelers doesn’t mean it can’t compete with them. In each of their last four encounters, Pittsburgh has failed to win by more than seven points. In other words, the Colts have already proven that they can be more than meets the eye.

Throw that in with the fact that the trip to Indy has been placed between a tough rivalry game with New England and a brutal stretch that ends the regular season (vs Cincinnati, at Seattle, at Baltimore), and the Colts are a squad that could stun the Steelers upon being overlooked to even the slightest degree.

I’m not aiming to promise any specific outcome in either of these matchups, but it cannot be denied that where particular games are placed on a schedule matters. To anyone out there who’s absolutely positive that Pittsburgh’s 2023 slate is going to unfold a certain way, I would say that the 49ers and Colts have the best odds of proving you dead wrong.