2018 Pittsburgh Steelers Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info

The Pittsburgh Steelers are, essentially, getting the band back together.

Le'Veon Bell isn't showing up anytime soon, but he'll be there Week 1. Ben Roethlisberger will be under center, and Antonio Brown will be his top target. Juju Smith-Schuster should ascend to even greater heights in his second season; Jesse James could be ready for a breakout year at tight end.

The changes even involved internal promotion. Randy Fichtner is replacing Todd Haley as the team's offensive coordinator, but he's been with the Steelers since 2007. 

That said, it's hard to argue against the Steelers keeping things together. They were 13-3 last season and could have made the Super Bowl if it weren't for injuries. The Steelers' current core has not had a fully healthy campaign, and they might be one away from capturing a seventh Lombardi Trophy.

Here's a look at the likelihood of that happening following Thursday's schedule release, per NFL.com.

Steelers' 2018 Schedule

Week 1: at Cleveland Browns on Sep. 9 at 1 PM ET on CBS

Week 2: vs. Kansas City Chiefs on Sep. 16 at 1 PM ET on CBS

Week 3: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sep. 24 at 8:15 PM ET on ESPN

Week 4: vs. Baltimore Ravens on Sep. 30 at 8:20 PM ET on NBC

Week 5: vs. Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 7 at 1 PM ET on FOX

Week 6: at Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 14 at 1 PM ET on CBS

Week 7: BYE

Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns on Oct. 28 at 1 PM ET on CBS

Week 9: at Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 4 at 1 PM ET on CBS

Week 10: at Carolina Panthers on Nov. 8 at 8:20 PM ET on FOX, NFL Network

Week 11: at Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 18 at 8:20 PM ET on NBC

Week 12: at Denver Broncos on Nov. 25 at 4:25 PM ET on CBS

Week 13: vs. Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 2 at 1 PM ET on CBS

Week 14: at Oakland Raiders on Dec. 9 at 8:20 PM ET on NBC

Week 15: vs. New England Patriots on Dec. 16 at 4:25 PM ET on CBS

Week 16: at New Orleans Saints on Dec. 23 at 4:25 PM ET on CBS

Week 17: vs. Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 30 at 1 PM ET on CBS

Analysis

Using a previous season's record to assess schedule strength is always a bit shaky, but it appears the Steelers are a lock for another playoff appearance. Pittsburgh is tied for the fifth-easiest schedule in the sport. No 2017 division winner has an easier slate. 

That's thanks in part to having two games against the 0-16 Cleveland Browns, who appear vastly improved heading into 2018. They're expected to draft their next franchise quarterback later this month with the top overall pick and have made a number of roster improvements, including adding Jarvis Landry to an already-solid receiving corps.

The Bengals and Ravens will be, essentially, who they always kind of are—teams that hover in that 7-10 win range but don't appear to be a threat. Cincinnati is essentially Pittsburgh in its desire to keep things together, minus a few wins every season. Baltimore's ceiling is limited as long as Joe Flacco is its starting quarterback—and there's no historically great defense backing him.

The most difficult game on the schedule is a Dec. 16 matchup with the New England Patriots, which is always the most difficult game on Pittsburgh's slate. The Steelers and Patriots have played in four straight and five of the last six seasons.

Pivotal Matchups

Winning in the division is the most important thing any team can do. The Steelers could play like hot garbage against other teams, but if they go 6-0 against AFC North teams, they're probably winning the division. A 3-7 plus 6-0 mark probably gets it done in this division.

Luckily, the Steelers aren't about to do that. This is one of the best teams in football, fully capable of winning a Super Bowl if everything falls right.

Things have done the polar opposite in recent seasons. Roethlisberger, Brown and Bell have all been intermittently hurt; it seems like they can't play a full stretch of even eight games without one going down. Odds are at least one of them will miss some time in 2018.

The Steelers are Super Bowl contenders and could potentially have home-field advantage if they avoid any of those injuries coming in the playoffs.