Pittsburgh Steelers 2011 NFL Schedule: Breaking Down Every Game

Now that the NFL lockout is over, the Pittsburgh Steelers can start worrying about the games that will be played (as opposed to might be played). 

The Steelers are coming off an awesome season which saw them lose a close game in the Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers. 

Much of the roster has stayed the same (so far), and quite a few players on the team are still in their prime. That should amount to a ton of success, but nothing is guaranteed. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a pretty easy schedule, but considering the parity NFL freaks saw last season, nothing's guaranteed, including a Steelers' playoff berth.

Here are all of the Steelers' 16 regular season games broken down. 

Week 1: Steelers at Baltimore Ravens

In case you guys didn't know, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens don't like each other.

The teams are practically identical in their football philosophy: Both rely on abusive, physical, bone-jarring defense, while on offense, they rely on run-heavy drives, killing time, while their quarterbacks act as check-down passers, occasionally tossing one up for their decent receiving corps to nab, opening up a big play.

It's always World War III when these guys play, but the Steelers have had the upper hand, winning six of eight (including the playoffs) since 2008. That's mainly due to Ben Roethlisberger's presence, who is a better quarterback than Joe Flacco right now.

Expect a low-scoring game (like always), but don't expect a boring one. Even if the score ends up at 9-6, we get to see a lot of hard hits and a hell of a lot of drama.

Preliminary Prediction: Steelers 23, Ravens 16 ... Home field never matters when it comes to these guys playing, even if Heinz Field is one of the toughest places to play.  

Week 2: Seattle Seahawks at Steelers

The Seattle Seahawks were obviously the Cinderella story last season, sneaking into the playoffs and upsetting the World Champion New Orleans' Saints. 

But let's not forget that this team was 7-9 last season, and six of those wins were almost fluke-like. 

The Seattle Seahawks did right by themselves by drafting to address their issues at the offensive line, but other than that (and a minor quarterback switch, with the recent signing of ex-Viking Tarvaris Jackson), not much has changed with this team, meaning they're liable to not be awesome. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers could toy with these guys. Their defense should have no problem containing Jackson or running back Marshawn Lynch, and their defensive front should dominate the Seahawks' shoddy and inexperienced O-line. 

The Seahawks defense isn't that great either, as they ranked 25th in the league in points allowed.

Ben Roethlisberger shouldn't have issues hooking up with Mike Wallace (the Seahawks allowed nearly 4,000 yards passing last year), nor should Rashard Mendenhall have problems getting between the tackles and breaking through for yardage (considering the 'Hawks allowed almost 2,000 yards rushing in 2010).

Prediction: Steelers 38, Seahawks 10 ... The Seahawks may surprise the Steelers by jumping early, but it's unlikely Pittsburgh shouldn't take too long to respond. 

Week 3: Steelers at Indianapolis Colts

The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't played the Indianapolis Colts since 2008, so there isn't much history between the two. 

Regardless, this matchup should be intriguing for both teams.

Where the Steelers like to pound-and-ground and rely on their defense to stop opposing offenses and get them off the field, the Colts like to air everything out and rely on their Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. 

Figuring out a way to stop Peyton Manning will definitely be key to a Steelers' victory, but that's easier said than done. Manning still threw for 33 touchdowns and 4,700 yards, despite having a "down" year (by Manning's standards), thanks to a couple of awful games and 17 interceptions.

It's unlikely that the Steelers' offense is going to have major problems with the Colts' defense, which ranked 13th in passing yards allowed and 25th in rushing yards allowed.

If the Colts want to make it a shoot-out, the Steelers won't keep up, but most likely, the defense will make Indy one-dimensional, and the Colts don't do well against great teams when that happens.

Preliminary prediction: Steelers 24, Colts 20 

Week 4: Steelers at Houston Texans

The Houston Texans are always a few steps behind from making the playoffs, and though it looked like they had made a breakthrough in 2010, they faltered late and missed the postseason. 

The Houston Texans aren't much of a match for the Steelers. The Texans ranked nearly dead last in yards allowed, despite having a not-so-bad offensive season. 

Pittsburgh has a potent enough offense to tear up the Texans' defense. Wide-out Mike Wallace will have a ball against the Texans' subpar corners, and Rashard Mendenhall can easily break the Texans' linebackers' tackles.

The only thing the Steelers will have to concern themselves with is the Texans' now-balanced offensive attack, since Arian Foster's emergence as an elite running back in Houston. Foster might have issues with the Steelers' run defense, which is always the team's best aspect.

Matt Schaub is obviously a solid starter, but he isn't the kind of player that'll tear up a Steelers' secondary with Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor patrolling, even if Andre Johnson is on the receiving end.

As long as the Steelers don't get wrapped up in a shoot-out (which is rare), then the team shouldn't have an issue beating the Texans.

Preliminary prediction: Steelers 20, Texans 10    

Week 5: Tennessee Titans at Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense tends to do extremely well against some of the best running backs in the league and even have an easier time against elusive and fast running backs. 

That's the kind of back the Steelers get to play when the Tennessee Titans come over armed with Chris Johnson. 

The Titans are in a transition year after scrapping Vince Young and firing head coach Jeff Fisher. At the helm, rookie Jake Locker will take over on offense, and no one knows how NFL-ready the dude really is. 

The Steelers have their way with rookie quarterbacks (just ask Colt McCoy), and the rest of the Titans' offense is nothing to gawk at. 

Defensively, the Titans don't pose much of a threat to the Steelers, either, even if they are a physical team (though much of that is attributed to Jeff Fisher's philosophy of punking the opposing offense).

As long as the Steelers don't fall asleep, they should beat the Titans in Week 5.

Preliminary predictions: Steelers 24, Titans 16 

Week 6: Jacksonville Jaguars at Steelers

The Jacksonville Jaguars had one of the best running games in the league last season but had little else to back that up. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers had the best run defense in the NFL. 

What's that mean for the Jaguars? Bad news for the Jaguars.

Maurice Jones-Drew is an animal, and he plays the type of run game that can do OK against the Steelers' stingy defense. He'll go right down the middle and use his strength and (lack of) size to squeeze through the defensive front.

The Steelers will need to be ready for a run-heavy Jaguars' offense, now that Blaine Gabbert—the Jags' rookie quarterback—has taken over for David Garrard.

The Steelers match up well with the Jags in other ways. Jacksonville lacks the defense to stop some of the least-potent offenses in the league, let alone a half-way decent Steelers' offensive squad.

The Jaguars will be surprisingly difficult to beat, if Blaine Gabbert gets his sea-legs by the sixth week of the season. Regardless, the Steelers are still a great team, and the Jaguars didn't do anything insane to pump their status way up.

Preliminary Prediction: Steelers 17, Jags 15 ... This should be a low-scoring game, with all the running going on between these two.  

Week 7: Steelers at Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals don't have much to offer the Steelers in terms of a challenge, seeing as how the team was an absolute disappointment last year. 

However, that's as of right now, and since the team is practically the same from their 2009 campaign, when the team made the playoffs with Kurt Warner, things can change quickly. 

Right now, the Cardinals are a front-runner to nab Kevin Kolb, but the point here is, that the Cards are one decent quarterback away from becoming a contender again.

Larry Fitzgerald will cause a lot of problems for the Steelers because no corner they have can match up with Fitz's size and speed; offensively, if all the cards are in place, the Cardinals could have a decent time with the Steelers' defense.

Regardless, the Steelers can still dominate the Cardinals' defense more than the Cardinals can have their way with the Steelers' defense.

As long as the Steelers capitalize on a bottom-10 defensive unit's mistakes, they should come away with a "W."

Preliminary Prediction: Steelers 31, Cardinals 21 

Week 8: New England Patriots at Steelers

The New England Patriots became the league-favorite to get to the Super Bowl in late-2010, and the Steelers were the team that actually made it to the Super Bowl in February. 

The New England Patriots' young defensive unit pulled quite a few things together as the 2010 season went on, and now that they can start legitimately practicing together with guidance from the coaching staff, the Pats' defense could do wonders. 

The Steelers' offense will have problems with the Pats' defense if New England can continue to develop -- the Pats definitely have the youth to keep up with Mike Wallace, and they have a coach whose philosophy involves enough physicality to throw Rashard Mendenhall off his tracks. 

Defensively, there might not be a way for Pittsburgh to stop Tom Brady, who went on a tear last season, ripping defenses at will. Wes Welker is far too difficult to cover because of his quickness, while everyone else is made ten times better, thanks to just Brady's presence. 

Unless the Steelers can both stop Tom Brady and run well on a stingy Patriots' run defense, they may not walk away with a win. 

Preliminary Prediction: Patriots 31, Steelers 24

Week 9: Baltimore Ravens at Steelers

It'll be hard for the Pittsburgh Steelers to play the Patriots one week and then play their rival Baltimore Ravens the very next week. 

That's going to happen, though, and the Baltimore Ravens could capitalize on a probably tired Steelers' defense. 

We've gone through just how much of a rivalry this is and why these teams are fun to watch together on the field. 

This time, though, considering the circumstances, the Steelers might not come away with the victory against a Ravens' team that is catching up with the Steelers in terms of competence.

Preliminary Prediction: Ravens 10, Steelers 9

Week 10: Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals are in quite a squeeze, and they addressed their quarterback and wide-out issues in the draft, taking a quarterback and wide receiver in the first two rounds. 

The Steelers should take advantage of a young team that's pretty much in rebuilding mode after Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco voiced a ton of concerns. 

The Bengals can't defend (still), and the Steelers are going to run circles around the Bengals' defense, primarily on the back of Rashard Mendenhall. 

Offensively, there isn't a way for the Bengals to get through the Steelers' stingy defense. 

However, this game should be pleasantly close considering the Steelers are coming off the Baltimore Ravens' beating, and the Bengals will want to capitalize to save Marvin Lewis from getting canned. 

Preliminary Prediction: Steelers 27, Bengals 20

Week 11: Bye

This will be an awesome time to rest for the Steelers, coming off a relatively rough few weeks starting in Week 8.

Week 12: Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs turned out to be pretty good last season while looking like a relatively complete team. 

The Chiefs managed to turn into an OK defensive team, while Jamaal Charles helped to keep the clock ticking while averaging nearly six yards per carry. 

The Steelers could have issues with Charles, because he's quite possibly the most elusive back in the game. Furthermore, Matt Cassel could be a solid game manager and avoid issues the Steelers could present. 

Either way, Pittsburgh are an elite—not just good—defensive team, and the Chiefs won't stand much of a chance with the Steelers swarming. 

Preliminary Prediction: Steelers 29, Chiefs 14

Week 13: Cincinnati Bengals at Steelers

Now that the Steelers are rested, it's doubtful that the Bengals are going to be a major issue for the Steelers. 

At this point in the season, the Steelers tend to play a little better, and the Bengals begin to falter, which is shocking because they falter almost all season long. 

Preliminary Prediction: Steelers 35, Bengals 17

Week 14: Cleveland Browns at Steelers

The Cleveland Browns were actually a surprising team last year, despite their record. In fact, 10 games the Browns played in were decided by a touchdown or less, and the team went 5-11. 

The Steelers are going to have problems with the Browns' running game; Peyton Hillis is a big, strong dude who can plow through defensive units really well. The Steelers' linebackers are physical enough to keep up, but Peyton Hillis is going to be a tough drag-down. 

Colt McCoy may or may not develop enough to help his team beat the Steelers, but as long as he can keep the game in check, he might not need to play spectacularly. 

Defensively, the Browns can't match up with the Steelers' wideouts or Rashard Mendenhall.

Regardless, the Steelers will have issues with the Browns, mainly because they're a division rival but more so because Peyton Hillis has anchored a decent Browns' offense.

Preliminary Prediction: Steelers 17, Browns 15 

Week 15: Steelers at San Francisco 49ers

The Pittsburgh Steelers know that the San Francisco 49ers could make a splash this season. 

That's because the 49ers have a really great run defense, which ranked in the top five last season. Add the fact that Jim Harbaugh will get to work with both Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick, and San Francisco might get the push they need to win the NFC West. 

The Steelers might not be able to stop Frank Gore effectively, and if a light goes off in Alex Smith's head while working with Harbaugh, things could be troublesome for Pittsburgh. 

Rashard Mendenhall will have a really hard time running against the Niners, and once the Steelers become one-dimensional, things get iffy. 

If the Niners develop decently throughout the season, and the Steelers lock up a playoff spot, the Niners may capitalize with a significant win. 

Preliminary Prediction: 49ers 27, Steelers 20

Week 16: St. Louis Rams at Steelers

The St. Louis Rams made huge strides last season, and though overall, the team's still kind of not great, Sam Bradford had one of the best rookie seasons by a quarterback in recent memory. 

The Steelers aren't going to have a difficult time, though. The Rams are a terrible defensive team, and the Steelers' wideouts (particularly Mike Wallace) could have a lot of fun with the Rams' secondary. 

The Rams don't have an awesome O-line either, and the Steelers will get a ton of pressure on Bradford. Expect a slaughter-fest.

Preliminary prediction: Steelers 39, Rams 14

Week 17: Steelers at Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns' fans are, in case you didn't know, a rabid bunch. So much so, that the stadium is nicknamed the "Dawg Pound."

The Browns are likely to have a surprising season, further helping their fanbase cheer them on like no other. Normally, the Steelers don't care too much for loud noise, but in this case, it'll be tough to get away from. 

The Browns have the offensive pieces to keep up with the Steelers, and the defensive unit is usually way better at home. 

If the Steelers have a playoff berth clinched, the Browns may sneak away a win. 

Preliminary Prediction: Browns 20, Steelers 17