The Steelers will put a couple of winning streaks on the line in the 2024 season when they host the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at Acrisure Stadium on Christmas Day in a 1 p.m. game.
Christmas falls on a Wednesday this year and the NFL scheduled two stand-alone games to take place on that day that will be broadcast on Netflix. The Steelers are 1-0 on Wednesday, having beaten the Ravens in a game moved because of COVID-19 concerns in 2020. They're also 2-0 on games played on Christmas Day.
It's all part of the Steelers' 17-game schedule that was released by the NFL Wednesday night that also includes four other stand-alone games, all in prime time.
For the Steelers, the schedule not only has them playing games on a Wednesday for Christmas, but also has the team playing on Thursday and Saturday in addition to the more traditional Sunday and Monday games.
That could be where having a veteran coach such as Mike Tomlin could be a bonus for the Steelers.
The Steelers went 4-2 in non-Sunday games in 2023.
"Yeah, I think so," Steelers president Art Rooney II said. "Mike does a good job of getting guys ready. There are no excuses in terms of what day of the week you're playing. He doesn't allow for that, or the time of the day. You just have to be ready to go when the time comes."
The true meat of the schedule comes in the second half after a Week 9 bye. The Steelers play all six of their games against AFC North rivals Cincinnati, Cleveland and Baltimore in Week 11 or after.
The Steelers went 5-1 against the AFC North last season and are the only team within the division to have a winning record in AFC North games over the past eight seasons.
"You never take anything for granted. The teams in our division are all tough," Rooney said. "Some people would say we have the toughest division in football, and I probably would agree with that. They'll all be tough games. It will be a challenge."
The Steelers will open the regular season Sept. 8 in Atlanta for a 1 p.m. game against the Falcons and new quarterback Kirk Cousins. The game will feature the return of Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to Atlanta. Smith, hired by Tomlin earlier this year, was Atlanta's head coach from 2021 through 2023.
The following week, the Steelers will travel to Denver to face the Broncos in a 4:25 p.m. game. That will mark quarterback Russell Wilson's return to Denver. Wilson, signed by the Steelers this offseason, was Denver's starting quarterback the previous two seasons.
The Steelers will celebrate their home opener Sunday, Sept. 22, when they host the Los Angeles Chargers and new head coach Jim Harbaugh before they head back onto the road for a Week 4 game at Indianapolis on Sept. 29.
Following that game, the Steelers return home for their first prime time game of the season, that coming against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, Oct. 6 at 8:20 p.m.
The following week, the Steelers make their second trip to Las Vegas in the past two seasons, visiting the Raiders on Oct. 13 for a 4:05 p.m. game.
They then return to Acrisure Stadium the following two weeks for a pair of prime time games against the Jets and Giants.
The Steelers host the Jets for a Sunday night game Oct. 20, then the Giants for a Monday night game Oct. 28 before their Week 9 bye.
"I like where the bye came. It's always good to have it more in the middle of the season," Rooney said. "That will be good. You have mini-byes in there with a Thursday game and a Wednesday game. It will be a challenge to deal with all the different days of the week we're playing. You have to be ready to adjust to anything with the NFL schedule these days."
Coming out of the bye, the Steelers travel to Washington on Nov. 10 before returning home for their first AFC North game on Nov. 17 against the Ravens.
That begins a stretch of four-straight games against AFC North foes, as the Steelers travel to Cleveland for a Thursday night game Nov. 21, then to Cincinnati Dec. 1. Finally, the Steelers host the Browns in their second meeting in three weeks on Dec. 8.
• Dale Lolley is co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio. Subscribe to the podcast here: Apple Podcast | iHeart Podcast
A Dec. 15 game at Philadelphia follows in Week 15, followed by a Saturday game against the Ravens at Acrisure Stadium Dec. 21.
That game will be played on Saturday to give the four teams playing on Christmas – the Ravens, Chiefs and Texans are the others – an additional day to prepare to play on Christmas Day.
Finally, the Steelers will wrap up their regular season schedule with a Week 18 home game against the Bengals.
Per 2023 records, the schedule is slated to be the third-toughest in the NFL, with only Cleveland and Baltimore facing more difficult schedules.
"It's probably not exactly how I would have drawn it up, but we've got to do the best we can," said Rooney. "On the positive side, we've got some high-profile, marquee games with the Cowboys and the Chiefs on Christmas Day, a couple of other prime time games. We'll be playing in front of a big audience most of the time, which is a good thing. A lot of the division games are at the end of the schedule, so it will be an interesting stretch there toward the end."
