Pittsburgh Steelers schedule analysis

By Scott Brown
http://espn.go.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelers
April 23, 2014



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Breakdown: Consecutive 8-8 seasons have not taken away from thePittsburgh Steelers' broad appeal, at least to TV executives. The Steelers play five prime-time games -- that is the maximum teams are allowed unless granted a waiver by the NFL -- including two Monday night contests on ESPN. The Steelers host the Texans on Oct. 20. They play another Monday night game on ESPN a month later when they visit the Titans. Both of the Steelers’ games against the Ravens will be prime-time affairs, including Sept. 11 in Baltimore. The 8:25 p.m. game marks the Steelers’ only Thursday night game of the season. No stretch of the schedule looks particularly daunting, though the Steelers play four of their first six away from Heinz Field. Coach Mike Tomlin is probably pleased that the Steelers have 10 games scheduled for 1 p.m. and only one contest scheduled for the 4 p.m. ET slot. I’ve always gotten the sense that the players prefer early games or night ones since the latter provide a bigger stage. The schedule, in that sense, makes it a little easier on the coaches. 

Complaint department: Yo, NFL, did I not make it clear that I prefer the bye week to come somewhere in the middle of the season and not right before Thanksgiving? The Steelers and Panthers are the last teams to get a bye as each is off in late November. That is not any better for beat-up players than it is for whiny beat writers who want to catch their breath. Early back-to-back night games on the road (Ravens and the Panthers) aren’t exactly a treat either, and couldn’t you have spaced out the Bengals games a little better? The Steelers visit Cincinnati on Dec. 7 and host their AFC North rival on Dec. 28, the final day of the regular season. Props for sandwiching two home games around Christmas. 

Roads less traveled: The most favorable aspect of the Steelers’ schedule is it keeps them close to home even when they are on the road. The Steelers only play one game out of their time zone, and they are only an hour behind when they travel to Nashville, Tenn., for a Nov. 17 game against the Titans. Long-distance travel has not agreed with the Steelers under Tomlin. Since 2007, the Steelers are just 2-7 when playing outside of the Eastern and Central time zones. If minimal travel isn’t enough of a boost for the Steelers they only play two road games against teams that had winning records last season -- the Panthers and Bengals. 

Strength of schedule: 23rd, .469 | Vegas over/under : 8.5 

Steelers Regular-Season Schedule (All times Eastern) 
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 7, Cleveland, 1 p.m. 
Week 2: Thursday, Sept. 11, at Baltimore, 8:25 p.m. 
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 21, at Carolina, 8:30 p.m. 
Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 28, Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. 
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 5, at Jacksonville, 1 p.m. 
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 12, at Cleveland, 1 p.m. 
Week 7: Monday, Oct. 20, Houston, 8:30 p.m. 
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 26, Indianapolis, 4:25 p.m. 
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 2, Baltimore, 8:30 p.m. 
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 9, at NY Jets, 1 p.m. 
Week 11: Monday, Nov. 17, at Tennessee, 8:30 p.m. 
Week 12: BYE 
Week 13: Sunday, Nov. 30, New Orleans, 1 p.m. 
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 7, at Cincinnati, 1 p.m. 
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 14, at Atlanta, 1 p.m. 
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 21, Kansas City, 1 p.m. 
Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 28, Cincinnati, 1 p.m.