2019 Schedule

[SteelBucks]

The official schedule gets released tonight. Any guesses for the opener?

The only rumor I’ve seen is the Steelers will open up on the West Coast. If true, that means either at SF, Arizona or LA Chargers.

[Steel Maniac]

I'm going to be at the Charger game regardless. But a nice trip to Frisco is always great.

Bucks, when I get down to bench with the players, any message you want me to send from the planet steeler poster guys? :smile:

[The Man of Steel]

I would prefer to open up with the Jets so I can get all of my Bell hate in early then be done with it. A torn ACL on his first carry of the season would be very satisfying.

[Steel Maniac]

I would prefer to open up with the Jets so I can get all of my Bell hate in early then be done with it. A torn ACL on his first carry of the season would be very satisfying.

Hard words..from a hard man!! Hahahahahahaha

[SteelBucks]

I'm going to be at the Charger game regardless. But a nice trip to Frisco is always great.

Bucks, when I get down to bench with the players, any message you want me to send from the planet steeler poster guys? :smile:

Ask Jordan Berry who he has pictures on to keep his job.

[Steel Maniac]

Ask Jordan Berry who he has pictures on to keep his job.

Boom!!!.......... I think he has naked photos of someone in management. Just like Brian Baluga of the Packers has on Packers management. Hahahaha. :smile:

[Oviedo]

I bet LA Chargers in Game 1

[Steel Maniac]

The NFL will release the full 2019 schedule later this evening and already a few leaks are beginning to surface regarding games the Pittsburgh Steelers will play.

According to two separate people who cover the New England Patriots, the Steelers will open their 2019 regular season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions on a Sunday night.

This year will mark the fifth-consecutive regular season in which the Steelers and Patriots have played each other. Last season, the Steelers beat the Patriots 17-10 at Heinz Field in Week 15.

The last time the Steelers opened a regular season against the Patriots was in 2015 when they played New England in Foxboro on a Thursday night. The Patriots won that game 28-21.

From Steeler Depot

[RuthlessBurgher]

I would prefer to open up with the Jets so I can get all of my Bell hate in early then be done with it. A torn ACL on his first carry of the season would be very satisfying.

I'd prefer to see Bell to run all over the Browns, Bengals, Ravens, and New England (X 2) first.

[RuthlessBurgher]

The NFL will release the full 2019 schedule later this evening and already a few leaks are beginning to surface regarding games the Pittsburgh Steelers will play.

According to two separate people who cover the New England Patriots, the Steelers will open their 2019 regular season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions on a Sunday night.

This year will mark the fifth-consecutive regular season in which the Steelers and Patriots have played each other. Last season, the Steelers beat the Patriots 17-10 at Heinz Field in Week 15.

The last time the Steelers opened a regular season against the Patriots was in 2015 when they played New England in Foxboro on a Thursday night. The Patriots won that game 28-21.

From Steeler Depot

We've been playing NE in December a lot recently, which is when they seem to be at their strongest.

If memory serves, NE tends to be roughly a .500 team in September more often than not, so this could be favorable scheduling in the grand scheme of things.

Plus, it would be a regular Sunday Night Football game, not the traditional Thursday Night stand-alone game to open the season featuring the defending SB Champs at home, since it has already been announced that the first Thursday Night game will be Chicago vs. Green Bay to kick of the NFL's 100th year celebration.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Reports: Steelers to open against Patriots on SNF

Posted by Darin Gantt on April 17, 2019, 12:24 PM EDT

The Patriots don’t get to play the first game of the season, as has become tradition. But they won’t have to wait long for their first prime time appearance.

According to multiple reports, the Patriots will host the Steelers in the NBC’s Sunday Night Football opener on Sept. 8. The full schedule will be announced tonight at 8 p.m.

The league is opening its 100th season with its oldest rivalry — Packers-Bears — in the Thursday debut, so putting the defending champions in the spotlight game of the week makes sense.

It should also provide a compelling look at two of the long-standing powers who have undergone dramatic makeovers this offseason.

Between the Steelers parting ways with both Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell, and the Patriots losing Rob Gronkowski to retirement, both teams have significant work to do to keep their offenses performing at traditional levels.

But they’re also two of the most consistently successful teams in the league, who have stayed that way through many such changes, making it an interesting way to kick off the season for NBC.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/04/17/reports-steelers-to-open-against-patriots-on-snf/

[Oh wow]

I'd prefer to see Bell to run all over the Browns, Bengals, Ravens, and New England (X 2) first.
Right? I want him to break records vs the Pats.

[The Man of Steel]

Excellent opener.

[RuthlessBurgher]

The Bungles apparently now have one less West Coast trip on their docket, but it's now a pain in the @$$ in the opposite direction.

Sounds like Cincy will be making the trek across the pond to play the Rams at Wembley in late October for the London series.

[SteelBucks]

So it’s the Pats? Bring it. I’d rather open up in NE than the West Coast.

[Steel Maniac]

Our new and improved secondary will be tested right from the start. I like that.

[SteelBucks]

I would prefer to open up with the Jets so I can get all of my Bell hate in early then be done with it. A torn ACL on his first carry of the season would be very satisfying.

Rumor is Week 16

[Steel Maniac]

Yes...we are at the Jets week 16

[RuthlessBurgher]

Rumor is Week 16

Perfect...let's see him perform well in the 5 games against BAL/CIN/CLE/NEX2 in weeks 1-15 before we beat him up in week 16.

[RuthlessBurgher]

So we open up on the road in Foxboro, and our first trip out West appears to be in week 3 vs. the Niners (which would appear to make week 2 our home opener...opponent TBD).


49ers open at Tampa Bay, will face Steelers in home opener in Week Three https://t.co/d95hoxGjch

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 17, 2019

[RuthlessBurgher]

Perfect...let's see him perform well in the 5 games against BAL/CIN/CLE/NEX2 in weeks 1-15 before we beat him up in week 16.

According to the NY Daily News, three of those games should be in prime time (Week 2 MNF vs. CLE, Week 7 MNF vs. NE, and week 15 TNF at BAL). The other two games will be Week 3 @ NE and Week 13 @ CIN, before facing us in Week 16.


http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/ny-sports-jets-schedule-2019-20190417-4uu47xbjqbbvna3kfqzoesiqba-story.html

[RuthlessBurgher]

We are apparently hosting the Fins on MNF on Week 8:


Dolphins get a Monday night game! At Steelers on Oct. 28, per source.

— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) April 17, 2019

[RuthlessBurgher]

To sum up what we know so far:

Week 1: at New England Patriots (SNF)
Week 2:
Week 3: at San Francisco 49ers
Week 4:
Week 5:
Week 6:
Week 7:
Week 8: vs. Miami Dolphins (MNF)
Week 9:
Week 10:
Week 11:
Week 12:
Week 13:
Week 14:
Week 15:
Week 16: at New York Jets
Week 17:

[Oviedo]

To sum up what we know so far:

Week 1: at New England Patriots (SNF)
Week 2:
Week 3: at San Francisco 49ers
Week 4:
Week 5:
Week 6:
Week 7:
Week 8: vs. Miami Dolphins (MNF)
Week 9:
Week 10:
Week 11:
Week 12:
Week 13:
Week 14:
Week 15:
Week 16: at New York Jets
Week 17:

I bet Week #2 is a home game against an AFC North foe

I also think we play the other two AFC North foes in Weeks 4-7

I also think Week #17 will be against Cleveland. AFC North opponent to end the season and the Browns are the media darlings this year so they create a good TV event

[Eddie Spaghetti]

I like opening up in NE. I believe this team will have a heightened sense of purpose after all the nonsense since last season and this game will only magnify it

[Oviedo]

I like opening up in NE. I believe this team will have a heightened sense of purpose after all the nonsense since last season and this game will only magnify it

I agree. May also require us to take the pre-season more serious and play starters more

[Steel Maniac]

I like opening up in NE. I believe this team will have a heightened sense of purpose after all the nonsense since last season and this game will only magnify it

I'll go with you on that; they should have a burr up their @ss and a real sense of purpose this coming season. And no need to worry about seeing Bell in week # 16 because he'll be injured by that time and out for the year.

[Steel Maniac]

I agree. May also require us to take the pre-season more serious and play starters more

I hear ya but I'd like to get a good look at MR and see how he's developed.

[AzStillers1989]

Lmfao... what’s the damn point of waiting to release the schedule if there are all these leaked reports?

[SteelBucks]

Lmfao... what’s the damn point of waiting to release the schedule if there are all these leaked reports?

Worst kept secret. Owners saw it on Monday and word is getting out.

[NorthCoast]

I like opening up in NE. I believe this team will have a heightened sense of purpose after all the nonsense since last season and this game will only magnify it

Or the opposite and demoralize the team. On the road, slow starting Steelers, NE, .... not a good projection for a win.

[Eddie Spaghetti]

why the hell would they be demoralized?

that doesn't make any sense. these guys are professional athletes

[SteelBucks]

Bye in Week 7.

[SteelBucks]

Week 2 is the home opener. Seattle.

[hawaiiansteel]

Week 2 is the home opener. Seattle.

looks like we're starting 2-0!! :tt2:tt2

[RuthlessBurgher]

Wednesday, Apr 17, 2019 08:01 PM

Steelers release 2019 schedule

Teresa Varley
STEELERS.COM

The Steelers and primetime football go hand in hand, so it’s no surprise that once again the team will be playing numerous games under the lights. The 2019 schedule was released and it includes five nationally televised primetime games, tied for the most with any team in the league, and includes the season opener.

The team kicks off the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots on Sunday, Sept. 8 in a primetime matchup on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, with kickoff at 8:20 p.m.

Things get rolling at Heinz Field on Sept. 15, when the team hosts the Seattle Seahawks at 1 p.m. on FOX, one of six 2018 playoff teams they will face.

It’s back on the road for a Week 3 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 22, with kickoff at 4:25 p.m. on CBS.

The Steelers will be back in the primetime spotlight in Week 4 of the season when they host the Cincinnati Bengals and new head coach Zac Taylor on Monday Night Football on Sept. 30 at Heinz Field in a classic AFC North rivalry. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. on ESPN.


The focus will remain on the AFC North the following week with the Baltimore Ravens visiting Heinz Field for a 1 p.m. showdown on Oct. 6 on CBS.

The team’s third primetime game will be on the road when the Steelers take on the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 13, returning to NBC’s Sunday Night Football for an 8:20 p.m. game. The game will feature some brotherly love with T.J. Watt facing his brother, Chargers fullback Derek Watt, and Maurkice Pouncey playing against his twin brother, Chargers center Mike Pouncey.

The bye week comes a little early in the season, falling on Week 7, but gives the team a break before they hit a stretch of 10 straight games.

Heinz Field will be home to three-straight games coming off the bye, including another Monday Night Football contest against Miami Dolphins on Oct. 28, with kickoff at 8:15 p.m. on ESPN. It will be the first time facing new Dolphins head coach Brian Flores.

Home sweet home will continue to be the theme in Weeks 9-10. The Indianapolis Colts visit the Steelers on Nov. 3 at 1 p.m. (CBS) and the NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams come to Heinz Field on Nov. 10 for a 4:25 p.m. game (FOX).

Say hello to some AFC North football in the next few weeks with three straight games against divisional foes.


The Steelers will be at the Cleveland Browns in Week 11 for a Thursday Night Football matchup on Nov. 14. Kickoff will be at 8:20 on FOX/NFLN/Amazon. It’s then off to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals in Week 12 on Nov. 24 for a 1 p.m. game (CBS).

The trifecta of AFC North games has the Steelers facing the Browns just a little over two weeks after their first meeting, hosting them at Heinz Field on Dec. 1 with a 4:25 p.m. kickoff on CBS.

It’s back on the road in Week 14 to face the Arizona Cardinals and new coach Kliff Kingsbury on Dec. 8. Kickoff will be at 4:25 on CBS.

The final home game of the regular season will be against the Buffalo Bills in Week 15 at Heinz Field, with a 1 p.m. kickoff on Dec. 15. It will be the first opportunity for Terrell and Trey Edmunds to face their brother, Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.


The regular season will end with back-to-back road games, the first time since 2015 the team’s final two games have been on the road and only the third time under Coach Mike Tomlin the team has closed out the regular season with two road games.

In Week 16 the Steelers will be on the road against the New York Jets and new coach Adam Gase for a 1 p.m. game on CBS on Dec. 22.

The regular season will close out on Dec. 29 with a Week 17 matchup against the Ravens, the 10th straight year the team will face an AFC North rival in the final game. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on CBS.

In addition to the regular season schedule announcement, the team also announced that the kickoff time for the Steelers preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday, Aug. 29 at Bank of America Stadium has been changed to a 7 p.m. kickoff. It was originally scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

All Steelers preseason and regular season games can be heard on the Steelers Radio Network on WDVE-FM (102.5) and WBGG-AM (970) as well on Steelers.com.

* * *

“Flexible scheduling” will be used in Weeks 11-17. Additionally, in Weeks 5-10, flexible scheduling may be used in no more than two weeks. In Weeks 5-16, the schedule lists the games tentatively set for Sunday Night Football on NBC. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to an afternoon start time. A flexible scheduling move would be announced at least 12 days before the game in Weeks 11-16 and at least six days notice for Week 17. Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games airing on Thursday or Monday nights.

Date Opponent Time (ET) TV
Sept. 8 at New England Patriots 8:20 PM NBC
Sept. 15 Seattle Seahawks 1:00 PM FOX
Sept. 22 at San Francisco 49ers 4:25 PM CBS
Sept. 30 Cincinnati Bengals (Mon.) 8:15 PM ESPN
Oct. 6 Baltimore Ravens 1:00 PM CBS
Oct. 13 at Los Angeles Chargers 8:20 PM NBC
BYE
Oct. 28 Miami Dolphins (Mon.) 8:15 PM ESPN
Nov. 3 Indianapolis Colts 1:00 PM CBS
Nov. 10 Los Angeles Rams 4:25 PM FOX
Nov. 14 at Cleveland Browns (Thurs.) 8:20 PM FOX/NFLN/AMAZON
Nov. 24 at Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 PM CBS
Dec. 1 Cleveland Browns 4:25 PM CBS
Dec. 8 at Arizona Cardinals 4:25 PM CBS
Dec. 15 Buffalo Bills 1:00 PM CBS
Dec. 22 at New York Jets 1:00 PM CBS
Dec. 29 at Baltimore Ravens 1:00 PM CBS

[RuthlessBurgher]

Wednesday, Apr 17, 2019 08:05 PM

Art Rooney II on his team's 2019 schedule

Bob Labriola
STEELERS.COM

The Pittsburgh Steelers were not a playoff team in 2018, and during this offseason they have lost two All-Pro players from their high-powered offense. A number of prognosticators already have decided they’re going to end up being an afterthought in the AFC North Division in 2019, with an increasingly popular opinion being that both Cleveland and Baltimore have overtaken them.

The NFL released its 2019 regular season schedule today, and based on what the league and its television partners announced at 8 p.m., those two entities still see the Steelers as one of the marquee teams in professional football.

As has become typical for them, the Steelers have been scheduled for the full complement of five primetime games, with one of those being the showcase of Opening Weekend, that being a matchup against the defending champion New England Patriots.

“We had some hints that this could happen, so it wasn’t a surprise. We’ve been there before, we’ve done this before,” said Rooney about opening in Gillette Stadium, which the Steelers also did in 2015. “It’s always a challenge, but we certainly know the scene up there. We’ve played in New England, we’ve played the Patriots a lot over the last few years, and so it’s almost as though they’re becoming a division opponent. It’s familiar territory for us, and we’ve got to be ready to go in primetime against the champs on opening weekend. What better way to test where you are?”

In the past that game against the reigning defending champions was played on the Thursday night leading into Opening Weekend, but as part of its 100th season, the NFL instead decided on Green Bay at Chicago for Thursday, Sept. 5, with Steelers at Patriots being the primetime game on Sunday, Sept. 8.

“It is exciting that we’re going to be celebrating the 100th season of the NFL this year, and there are some changes to the schedule related to that,” said Steelers President Art Rooney II. “One of those changes is the opening game of the season on that first Thursday night is a Bears-Packers matchup, and those are two of the oldest franchises in the league. I think that’s a nice way to open the 100th season. For us, we are affected by that in the sense that the traditional game hosted by the defending champs will be on Sunday night, and so we will be playing at New England for our opener on the first Sunday night of the season. It’ll be a big game, and of course it’s always a challenge to go and open against the defending champions.”

In addition to that primetime game on NBC, the Steelers also are scheduled for two Monday night games at Heinz Field – on Sept. 30 against Cincinnati and on Oct. 28 against Miami – with the other primetime games coming on Sunday, Oct. 13 in Los Angeles against the Chargers and on Thursday, Nov. 14 in Cleveland.

“We have the normal number of primetime games, and the one good thing I’ll say about that is we don’t have back-to-back night games at home, which we had a couple of years ago and we like to try to avoid that,” said Rooney. “I think it’s a good schedule, particularly in that the night games at home are spread out. One interesting thing is that for the first time in a long time that I can remember is we’ll be playing the Cleveland Browns in a primetime game. It’s kind of different to see that on the schedule.”

Actually, the Steelers’ having two Monday night games at home in the same season is more rare than a primetime game against the Browns, because on Dec. 10, 2009 the Steelers visited Cleveland on a Thursday night and lost, 13-6, in a game marked more by the bitter cold created by winds blowing off Lake Erie than by anything that happened on the field that night. The last time the Steelers had two Monday night games at Heinz Field in the same season came in 2007, when they defeated the Ravens, 38-7, on Nov. 5, and then the Miami Dolphins, 3-0, on Nov. 26.

“It’s the first time we’ve had two Monday night home games in a while, and as long as they tend to be earlier in the season, and these do fall earlier in the season, that’s OK with us,” said Rooney. “You don’t want to have too many Monday night games, but because they’re earlier in the season, that should help.”

Rooney long has been opposed to having a bunch of night games at Heinz Field late in the season, and his preference has more to do with fans’ comfort than anything that’s football-related. Nights in November and December can be harsh late in any year, and the combination of sitting outside on a winter night and having to get up for work the next day often entice ticketholders to stay home.

But with this schedule, while the Steelers end with five of their final seven games on the road, they have no night games scheduled for Heinz Field after Halloween.

What they do have this season are three games on the West Coast, and Rooney considers it lucky that those are spread out over the course of the 17-week regular season.

On Sept. 22, the Steelers visit San Francisco for a 4:25 p.m. kickoff against the 49ers, and that trip is followed by a home game on the following Monday night, which will give the team an extra day to recuperate from the long flight home. On Oct. 13, the game in Los Angeles against the Chargers is a scheduled 8:20 p.m. kickoff, but the following week the Steelers are on their bye. Their third West Coast trip is scheduled for Dec. 8 with a 4:25 p.m. kickoff against Arizona, and that game is to be followed by a 1 p.m. game at home against Buffalo.

Sometimes a team looking at multiple trips across country will ask the NFL to schedule two of those games back-to-back so that it could get away with one fewer cross-country trip, but Rooney said the Steelers didn’t make such a request.

“We’ve talked about it internally before, but the truth of the matter is that the odds of the league doing that for you are pretty slim,” said Rooney. “It’s just so hard to make these schedules up, and so we didn’t even bother to try to get that done. We just felt like it was something that didn’t have much of a chance of happening. If you can’t do the back-to-back thing, then I think you’re better off to have them spread out. Our night game against the Chargers in Los Angeles is followed by a bye week, and we appreciate that. It sets up pretty well.”

And from a fan-friendly perspective, so does a stretch in late-October-to-mid-November that contains three straight home games, which means six of the Steelers’ home games will be played before Nov. 11. And two of those games will offer teams that visit Pittsburgh infrequently.

“We have the NFC Champions, the Los Angeles Rams, coming to Pittsburgh in the middle of the season (Nov. 10),” said Rooney. “Seattle is here for our home opening weekend of the season (Sept. 15), and so some of the high-profile teams from the NFC will be in town and those should be exciting days at Heinz Field.

“That’s one of the good things about the way the NFL does the schedule. Players like Russell Wilson eventually get to Pittsburgh, and this year we also will have Rams quarterback Jared Goff coming here, so some of the high-profile young quarterbacks in the league will be making the rounds through Pittsburgh this year. It’s always exciting to see those high-profile players come to town.”

And when it comes to a Steelers’ schedule, nothing is as consistently high-profile as the annual home-and-home bar brawl with the Baltimore Ravens. In 2019, those teams are to square off in the regular season finale in M&T Bank Stadium.

“The Baltimore game is always a battle, and no matter where it falls on the schedule it’s always a significant game for us,” said Rooney. “These days the schedule makers have division games on the last week of everybody’s schedule, and so everybody has to deal with that. Hopefully, we’ll have clinched by then, but more than likely it’ll be a meaningful game, and it’s always a battle down in Baltimore.”

[Northern_Blitz]

I like opening up in NE. I believe this team will have a heightened sense of purpose after all the nonsense since last season and this game will only magnify it

Me too.

New England typically starts a bit slower and peaks going into the playoffs.

Maybe playing them earlier gives us a better shot at winning.

[Ghost]

ESPN has record predictions for all teams. Here's how they see the AFC North:

Steelers: 9 - 7
Bengals: 8 - 8
Ravens: 9 - 7
Browns: 11 - 5

[SteelBucks]

ESPN has record predictions for all teams. Here's how they see the AFC North:

Steelers: 9 - 7
Bengals: 8 - 8
Ravens: 9 - 7
Browns: 11 - 5

People are definitely on the Browns bandwagon. IMO, both the Browns and the Bengals predictions are overly optimistic; the Steelers will be better than 9-7. The Ravens prediction sounds about right.

[Ghost]

People are definitely on the Browns bandwagon. IMO, both the Browns and the Bengals predictions are overly optimistic; the Steelers and Ravens will be better than 9-7.

Agreed. The bandwagon if full!! I know he showed potential but it feels as if the assumption that Mayfield will take a huge leap in season 2 is a foregone conclusion. He might make that jump but it's a bit early to write it down in pen.

[Steel Maniac]

As long as Andy Dalton is your starting QB, I don’t see how anyone can feel that good about the Bengals.

[RuthlessBurgher]

ESPN has record predictions for all teams. Here's how they see the AFC North:

Steelers: 9 - 7
Bengals: 8 - 8
Ravens: 9 - 7
Browns: 11 - 5

I think I'll go with:
PIT 10-5-1
CLE 9-6-1
BAL 9-7
CIN 6-10

We have a tie game against the Browns again...just because. ;)

[Oh wow]

10-6 or 6-10

First half of the schedule is brutal.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Jeremy Fowler
ESPN Staff Writer

In 2019, the Steelers will open on the road for the fifth straight year. The Week 1 matchup with New England on Sunday Night Football is Pittsburgh's third primetime road opener during that span. The Steelers also finish the season with back-to-back road games for the first time since 2015.

1h

[SteelBucks]

Jeremy Fowler
ESPN Staff Writer

In 2019, the Steelers will open on the road for the fifth straight year. The Week 1 matchup with New England on Sunday Night Football is Pittsburgh's third primetime road opener during that span. The Steelers also finish the season with back-to-back road games for the first time since 2015.

1h

And meanwhile in NE, the Pats first 8 games are against non-playoff teams. Their second half schedule better be a killer.

[hawaiiansteel]

I think I'll go with:
PIT 10-5-1


https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ujji569VL._SX326_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

[Sword]

We for several years now have started slow and unprepared compared to other teams....what makes this year any different? no bell or Brown? Maybe, without Bell and Brown we will be a new team that changes that....

[Steel Maniac]

For us to get to where we want to go, we will need to upgrade the defense. Period. We look to be a team that can run the ball and play good defense which is how we've historically found success.

But the formula won't work if we don't fix the linebacker corps and add a safety and a cornerback.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Joe Haden: We’re right in it when the season starts

Posted by Josh Alper on April 19, 2019, 7:02 AM EDT

The Steelers found out their schedule for the 2019 season on Wednesday night and they’ll be in a high-profile spot right off the bat.

They’ll be in New England for the first Sunday Night Football game of the season, so the first look at their post-Antonio Brown offense will come against a Patriots team that will be kicking off a title defense. They’ll move on to host the Seahawks the next week and Steelers cornerback Joe Haden knows that the team will have to be sharp right off the bat.

“We have to make sure when we go into camp that we are prepared for something serious when we get started,” Haden said, via the team’s website. “When the season starts we are right in it. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter who we are playing, we just have to be ready.”

The Steelers host the Ravens in Week Five and then travel to face the Chargers the next week, so they have four 2018 playoff teams in their first six games and one of the other games is another trip to California to meet the 49ers. A bye in Week Seven will provide a chance to reflect on how they handled that opening stretch.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/04/19/joe-haden-were-right-in-it-when-the-season-starts/

[RuthlessBurgher]

We open the season in New England. They just cut TE Austin Sefarian-Jenkins today. TE Rob Gronkowski retired in the offseason. TE Ben Watson is suspended for the first 4 games of the season. The TE's on their roster right now who will be available for week 1 are Matt LaCosse, Stephen Anderson, Ryan Izzo, and Andrew Beck. They make Xavier Grimble and Zach Gentry sound like household names by comparison.

It will be rookie Devin Bush's NFL debut, and I figured we'd be using his athleticism to cover some TE's. Maybe it will be more covering RB's out of the backfield like Sony Michel, James White, Damien Harris, Rex Burkhead, and Brandon Bolden.

[Northern_Blitz]

We open the season in New England. They just cut TE Austin Sefarian-Jenkins today. TE Rob Gronkowski retired in the offseason. TE Ben Watson is suspended for the first 4 games of the season. The TE's on their roster right now who will be available for week 1 are Matt LaCosse, Stephen Anderson, Ryan Izzo, and Andrew Beck. They make Xavier Grimble and Zach Gentry sound like household names by comparison.

It will be rookie Devin Bush's NFL debut, and I figured we'd be using his athleticism to cover some TE's. Maybe it will be more covering RB's out of the backfield like Sony Michel, James White, Damien Harris, Rex Burkhead, and Brandon Bolden.

Wasn't Chris Hogan a no name receiver before he played us too?

I don't think they'll have anyone at Gronk level, but Brady can make anyone dangerous.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Wasn't Chris Hogan a no name receiver before he played us too?

Hogan's stat lines for his last 2 seasons in Buffalo (41-426-4 in 2014 and 36-450-2 in 2015) are quite comparable to his 3 seasons in New England (38-680-4 in 2016, 34-439-5 in 2017, and 35-532-3 in 2018).

[RuthlessBurgher]

Hogan now plays for the Panthers, though. In week 1, I imagine that we'll have Joe Haden covering rookie N'Keal Harry outside, newcomer Steven Nelson facing off against Philip Dorsett on the other side, and Mike Hilton in the slot vs. Julian Edelman.

[NJ-STEELER]

they signed demaryious thomas

[RuthlessBurgher]

they signed demaryious thomas

Thomas was a shell of himself last season, and the Broncos unloaded him to the Texans at the trade deadline. Then he blew out his Achilles on Christmas weekend. That's not an injury that easy for anyone to come back from, nevermind a 31 year old entering his 10th NFL season. He's no guarantee to make this team, especially after Belichick used his first round pick on a big wideout.