Five night games on schedule, including two Monday night contests
Thursday, April 12, 2007
By Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Even though the Steelers followed up their Super Bowl championship with an 8-8 record last season, they remain one of the National Football League's most popular teams.
2007 Steelers schedule
The NFL released team schedules for the 2007 season yesterday, and the Steelers will play a club-record five night games, including three at Heinz Field. The Steelers play night games Oct. 21 at Denver, Nov. 5 against Baltimore, Nov. 26 against Miami, Dec. 2 against Cincinnati and Dec. 20 at St. Louis, the only Thursday night game of the season for the Steelers.
The Baltimore and Miami games are on Monday nights. The game against the Dolphins will be a homecoming for former Steelers linebacker Joey Porter, who told ESPN's NFL Live yesterday afternoon that he is coming to Heinz Field to take care of some "unfinished business."
When he was asked what that unfinished business was, Porter replied: "I didn't get a fair shot to stay or whatever."
The Dallas Cowboys are scheduled to play the most night games of any NFL team with seven. The Steelers played four night games last season, in 2002 and in 1993. Under the NFL's flex scheduling policy, there is the possibility that more night games could be added in the final seven weeks of the season to accommodate the television networks. More prime-time television appearances would be determined by whether the Steelers are in playoff contention.
"We're excited to have five nationally televised games this season," Steelers president Art Rooney said in a statement. "This year marks our 75th anniversary and Mike Tomlin's first season as our head coach. The three prime-time home games provide us with several opportunities to celebrate this special season in front of a national audience."
Getting off to a good start will be important if the Steelers want to return to the playoffs, and the schedule could help them. They don't play a team that advanced to the playoffs until Seattle in the first week of October.
That game begins a challenging stretch in the final three months that includes four games against playoff teams from a year ago: Baltimore (twice), the New York Jets and New England.
The New England game is the first of three road games in the final four weeks of the season.
After the New England game, the Steelers play host to Jacksonville and then finish the season at St. Louis and at Baltimore. It's the first time since 1997 that the Steelers have to play three of their final four games on the road.
Other highlights of the schedule include:
* A Sept. 30 game at Arizona against Ken Whisenhunt's Cardinals. Whisenhunt and his assistant head coach Russ Grimm were passed over for the Steelers' head coaching position in favor of Tomlin.
* Another coach not as popular in Pittsburgh will be coming to Heinz Field Oct. 7 when Seattle arrives for a rematch of Super Bowl XL. In the aftermath of the Steelers' 21-10 victory in February 2006, Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren complained that the Seahawks got a raw deal from the officials and that it cost them a Super Bowl championship.
* The Steelers open the season at Cleveland, marking the first time they begin against a division rival since 2003, when they beat the Ravens at Heinz Field. The previous time the Steelers opened a season at Cleveland was 1999, the Browns' first season back in the NFL. The Steelers won, 43-0.
* The game against New England marks the fourth time in six years that the Steelers and Patriots will meet in the regular season. It will be the Steelers' first visit to New England since 2002.
For those looking for some variety at Heinz Field: Buffalo and San Francisco visit Pittsburgh for the first time since 1996.
(Ray Fittipaldo can be reached at rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1230. )
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