Fans of the NFL have known since the end of the 2023 regular season that the Pittsburgh Steelers schedule will be one of the most difficult in the league this upcoming season.
But with the schedule officially released on May 15, Steelers fans truly saw just how difficult it will be. NFL Network’s Gennaro Filice ranked it the toughest schedule in the entire league.
What that means, though, is the Steelers should have a lot of exciting showdowns with plenty of riveting storylines. Here are the three most intriguing matchups for the Steelers in 2024:
Week 2: @Denver Broncos, September 15
Four words can summarize why this matchup will be very intriguing — Russell Wilson revenge game.
For that reason, it’s surprising this one won’t be in primetime. But Wilson will have an opportunity to beat Sean Payton and his former team in the 4 pm ET window on the second Sunday of the season.
The Broncos are paying Wilson $39 million in 2024 to play for Pittsburgh.
But Wilson won’t be the only reason to tune in. Throughout history, Steelers-Broncos matchups have often been juicy contests. They’ve met in the playoffs eight times, and the winner of those matchups went on to win the Super Bowl on four occasions.
The Steelers don’t really have any “cupcakes” on the entire 2024 schedule. However, they open the campaign with four straight non-playoff opponents from last season. Furthermore, the only 2023 playoff team Pittsburgh plays before Veteran’s Day will be the Dallas Cowboys.
Conversely, six of Pittsburgh’s final eight games of the 2024 season will be against 2023 playoff teams. The only two contests that won’t be are a pair of matchups versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
While the tough stretch run will make or break Pittsburgh’s 2024 season, it is critical that Mike Tomlin’s squad get off to a fast start this fall. That makes an early season matchup in the Mile High City very vital.
Week 15: @Philadelphia Eagles, December 15
The battle for Pennsylvania is always intriguing. As it has often been when the two franchises have met during this century, both the Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles will enter 2024 hoping to make deep playoff runs.
Speaking of “deep,” this will be the latest in a season Pittsburgh and Philadelphia will meet since 1970. The Steelers will be trying to win in the City of Brotherly Love for the first time in 59 years.
Since 1966, the Steelers are 0-10 at Philadelphia. Pittsburgh’s last visit to Lincoln Financial Field ended in an embarrassing 35-13 defeat on October 30, 2022.
The Steelers’ six division games in November and December will be more critical than this cross-conference matchup. But the Steelers-Eagles showdown could have playoff implications for both the AFC and NFC.
Week 17: Kansas City Chiefs, December 25
This is a fairly obvious choice for multiple reasons. It’s a Christmas Day matchup with the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs that will take place on a Wednesday.
This will be just the second time the Steelers play on Wednesday since 1937. The only other time was the originally scheduled Thanksgiving matchup with the Baltimore Ravens that moved to a Wednesday in 2020. The NFL rescheduled that showdown because of COVID-19.
The Steelers-Chiefs matchup will also be historic from a broadcasting standpoint. Except in local markets, it will be exclusively available on Netflix.
Of course, the matchup is also intriguing because Patrick Mahomes will be in Pittsburgh for the second time in his career.
In his only previous visit to Acrisure Stadium, Mahomes completed 23 of 28 passes for 326 yards and 6 touchdowns.
The Steelers will face the Ravens four days prior to Christmas and then finish the season against the Bengals. Those division showdowns are likely to have a bigger impact on Pittsburgh’s playoff fate.
But the Chiefs matchup has national intrigue because of its historic relevance.
