Next season opponents could mean an easier schedule

[Texas Black & Gold]

Seems like most of the teams next season have losing records.
So if Ben is healed up and the defense is still strong they will have a good chance to go all the way.

https://www.steelers.com/news/steelers-2020-opponents

Home Texans, Eagles, Skins, Colts and Raiders or Broncos

Away Bills, Cowboys, Jags, Giants and Titans

Only the Ravens, Texans and Bills have winning records.

[StillerDownSouth]

Getting to play the NFC Least next year will help, worst division in football.

[Obviously]

Last time they won the Super Bowl their opponents made up one of the most difficult schedules ever. Five-star matchups if you will. Iron sharpens iron, obviously.

[LakecrestSteeler]

You all do realize talk about schedule difficulty is hogwash.

Every team in each division plays essentially the same 14 games. Some home and aways are different, but every team in the division plays the same 14 games, and this repeats in each division.

That leaves 2 games for the NFL to bake in schedule difficulty and uniqueness. It is a crap shoot!

So scheduling difficulty is a lot of hot air in summary!

[955876]

Seems like most of the teams next season have losing records.
So if Ben is healed up and the defense is still strong they will have a good chance to go all the way.

https://www.steelers.com/news/steelers-2020-opponents

Home Texans, Eagles, Skins, Colts and Raiders or Broncos

Away Bills, Cowboys, Jags, Giants and Titans

Only the Ravens, Texans and Bills have winning records.

We just lost to a team with a losing record last week.

A team with a losing record beat us last year in part because our coach doesn’t know how or when to call a time out.

Sorry but I’m in see before believe mode when it comes to this team “led” by this staff.

“Easy record” also means lazy game plans where we find ourselves in 4th quarter dog fights with teams we should have blown off the field long before crunch time.

[CdnSteelerFan]

Buffalo in Buffalo? I'll take it!

[Jobu]

So this is what it’s become with the Mike Tomlin led Pittsburgh Steelers...hoping for a bunch of cupcakes so they can squeak in to the playoffs!?!

[El Kabong]

I've always thought it pretty irrelevant how "hard" or "easy" the schedule is. It's more about how good your team is. As stated, we won a super bowl after playing through the toughest schedule in the league. We'll have Ben back and with this defense we could go places.

[El Kabong]

Seems like most of the teams next season have losing records.
So if Ben is healed up and the defense is still strong they will have a good chance to go all the way.

https://www.steelers.com/news/steelers-2020-opponents

Home Texans, Eagles, Skins, Colts and Raiders or Broncos

Away Bills, Cowboys, Jags, Giants and Titans

Only the Ravens, Texans and Bills have winning records.

We just lost to a team with a losing record last week.

A team with a losing record beat us last year in part because our coach doesn’t know how or when to call a time out.

Sorry but I’m in see before believe mode when it comes to this team “led” by this staff.

“Easy record” also means lazy game plans where we find ourselves in 4th quarter dog fights with teams we should have blown off the field long before crunch time.

We now have the strongest defense we've had in a very long time. With Ben back next year and this defense, I'll suggest the losses to bad teams will diminish significantly.

[955876]

Assuming Ben is back. And healthy. And not significantly rusty. And doesn’t get reinjured.

So a lot of ifs.

Hoping he’s back and solid.

Not confident that’ll be the case. So hopefully they have a plan for back-up QB because Duck isn’t it.

In any event, Merry Christmas

[Jobu]

Seems like most of the teams next season have losing records.
So if Ben is healed up and the defense is still strong they will have a good chance to go all the way.

https://www.steelers.com/news/steelers-2020-opponents

Home Texans, Eagles, Skins, Colts and Raiders or Broncos

Away Bills, Cowboys, Jags, Giants and Titans

Only the Ravens, Texans and Bills have winning records.

We just lost to a team with a losing record last week.

A team with a losing record beat us last year in part because our coach doesn’t know how or when to call a time out.

Sorry but I’m in see before believe mode when it comes to this team “led” by this staff.

“Easy record” also means lazy game plans where we find ourselves in 4th quarter dog fights with teams we should have blown off the field long before crunch time.

We now have the strongest defense we've had in a very long time. With Ben back next year and this defense, I'll suggest the losses to bad teams will diminish significantly.

This current defense is good because they’ve been able to create turnovers. That doesn’t always carry over from season to season. The turnovers could very well dry up in 2020...

[Texas Black & Gold]

Assuming Ben is back. And healthy. And not significantly rusty. And doesn’t get reinjured.

So a lot of ifs.

Hoping he’s back and solid.

Not confident that’ll be the case. So hopefully they have a plan for back-up QB because Duck isn’t it.

In any event, Merry Christmas

I hope that Ben will get to play more in the preseason to knock the rust off but I do know the team will need to figure out who his backup will be going forward. One or two series of downs is not enough in my opinion but nobody wants to get hurt especially in meaningless games.

I like that they don't have to travel too far too often. I hope they don't go to London or play Dallas in Mexico.

[SteelerDayTrader]

If we split the Ravens and Browns and take 2 from the Bengals that would be 4-2 in the North. The rest I would tend to see like this.....

Home
Texans, Eagles, Skins, Colts and Raiders or Broncos
All of those look winnable but Im gonna say 3-2

Away Bills, Cowboys, Jags, Giants and Titans
Same as above 3-2

That would put them at 10-6 competing for a WC.

My outlook on draft needs has changed. I want a C/G capable OL....an impact RB .....and an impact WR with picks 2 3 3......

David DeCastro at RG might be the most consistently good to better player we have on offense when Ben isnt playing.

Let that sink in.

The Steelers wont cut Connor. Or Nix. Or Samuels. Or Snell. Thats a problem. I like all those guys. Good football players. None of them make defenses adjust. None of them are mismatch backs. They are all kinda the same guy. Slower try hard guys that will gain some yards when defenses make mistakes outside goal to go territory.

The Steelers need a legit threat at RB if they arent gonna be a pass first offense.

The Steelers might cut Whyte if they draft a legit RB which would be a shame. He has been the only RB on the roster with the ability to be a threat at all levels on every down.


WR is just a nightmare right now. If the Steelers had even one guy defenses had to adjust for it could be much different. I like JuJu. Good football player. He is never gonna be a game changer against good defenses.

If I was running things I would look to draft a rookie center in Rd 2 that could start right away and move Pouncey to LG. It would add a good 5-6 years to his career at minimum and allow him to really play to his strengths in addition to likely cutting way back on injuries for him. Name a center in the last 10 years who has been worse snapping the ball ??

Randy ?? I wouldnt mind seeing him walk .....but damn the players he has had to work with have been horrible....i tend to agree when you have less than great players you need to open it up more.....when the players are this damn bad im not sure it makes much difference.....

I cant think of one game im really convinced a more wide open offenses wouldve won this year....

Ben will make things better. WR is deep at least well into the 3rd this year. A threat at RB will easily be had in the 3rd. Upgrade starting rookie capable centers will be there in the 2nd.

Will the Steelers make bold moves while Ben can still play or will they hedge their bets at every turn ??

We all know what they usually do. The Ravens and Browns have both taken leaps. The Steelers need to be bold before Ben is gone for good

[Kodiak]

That leaves 2 games for the NFL to bake in schedule difficulty and uniqueness. It is a crap shoot!

So scheduling difficulty is a lot of hot air in summary!

It matters less to the division, although if you get NE instead of MIA, that's an advantage.

But for wildcards and seeding, it makes quite a big difference. Against a more typical schedule of years' past, this is probably a 6-10 team.

[Jobu]

My outlook on draft needs has changed. I want a C/G capable OL....an impact RB .....and an impact WR with picks 2 3 3......

The Steelers don’t have a 3rd round pick.

[steeledge]

Assuming Ben is back. And healthy. And not significantly rusty. And doesn’t get reinjured.

So a lot of ifs.

Hoping he’s back and solid.

Not confident that’ll be the case. So hopefully they have a plan for back-up QB because Duck isn’t it.

In any event, Merry Christmas

^this.
...add in Good Ben or Bad Ben or ANY Ben behind what's quickly become a clusterfuck of an OL, and I don't have a lot of faith in a miraculous turnaround for this offense..

...regardless of the "Strength of Schedule"

[R_S]

Hopefully Ben is under 3 bills by camp. His girth looks a bit Matt Patricia like

[LakecrestSteeler]

Hopefully Ben is under 3 bills by camp. His girth looks a bit Matt Patricia like

His weight is fine! I will admit to being alarmed, but it is clearly beard, bulky clothes, seeds and radio equipment making him look like a suicidal Grizzly Adams.

8D6094F3-8F19-4EBB-A816-6A05BD8D6F71.jpeg (1.41 MiB) Viewed 3207 times

[El Kabong]

We just lost to a team with a losing record last week.

A team with a losing record beat us last year in part because our coach doesn’t know how or when to call a time out.

Sorry but I’m in see before believe mode when it comes to this team “led” by this staff.

“Easy record” also means lazy game plans where we find ourselves in 4th quarter dog fights with teams we should have blown off the field long before crunch time.

We now have the strongest defense we've had in a very long time. With Ben back next year and this defense, I'll suggest the losses to bad teams will diminish significantly.

This current defense is good because they’ve been able to create turnovers. That doesn’t always carry over from season to season. The turnovers could very well dry up in 2020...

Maybe, but I think the D is being constructed to create turnovers. It's not just random, the talent on D has a lot to do with it.