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2020 Pittsburgh Steelers Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info
May 7, 2020
The Pittsburgh Steelers enter 2020 in their most precarious position in recent memory.
Memories of Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown have faded into the background, and Ben Roethlisberger will attempt to come back at age 38 after missing 14 games last season because of elbow surgery.
While the Steelers loaded up on a strong defense, they'll enter 2020 with arguably their worst skill-position group in over a half-decade. The team attempted to address the issue by selecting receiver Chase Claypool and Anthony McFarland Jr. in April's draft.
With the 2020 NFL schedule being released Thursday, here's a look at what to expect from the Steelers next season.
Schedule
Analysis
Based on their opponents' 2019 records, the Steelers have the second-easiest schedule in football next season. Most of that is by virtue of two games against the Cincinnati Bengals; a pair of games against a 2-14 squad will do wonders for lowering strength of schedule.
But the AFC North as a whole has the cushiest on-paper slate. No team in the division ranks higher than 27th in strength of schedule. Common opponents for the division include the AFC South and NFC East, arguably the two worst divisions in the NFL.
In terms of non-common opponents, the Steelers will play the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills. The Bills are among the best bets to regress in 2020 from last season; it's hard to see Buffalo's defense being as historically dominant. Josh Allen remains one of the worst passers in football, so the only logical window for an ascent comes from him making a leap we're yet to see.
Despite their own shaky roster composition, the Steelers should wind up favorites in nine or 10 of their games on paper.
Pivotal Matchups
There's a talent gap separating Baltimore from Pittsburgh. The Steelers don't have much hope of winning the division with Lamar Jackson electrifying the sport over 16 games.
So with that in mind, their best bet is finishing second in the division and getting one of the three wild-card spots. Their best avenue to do so is finishing with a better record than the Cleveland Browns, who laid a dud as one of the most overhyped teams in football last season.
The Browns fired coach Freddie Kitchens and general manager John Dorsey in hopes of reinvigorating their talented roster. If the Browns live up to their potential, Pittsburgh is a clear third place in the division and will have to do most of its damage against a weak non-divisional schedule.