Pittsburgh Steelers 2021 Schedule Release: Analysis, Predictions, and More

Over at Overtime Heroics, we know that is what you like to do so we gave it to you in written form! All you need to know about each game of the Steelers" upcoming season will be in this article, from the history of each matchup to the matchup analysis, the predictions, it has it all. So without making you wait any longer, here is the ultimate guide to the Pittsburgh Steelers 2021 schedule.

Pittsburgh Steelers 2021 Schedule: First Half

Week One | 9/12/21 | Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills (Season Opener)

In case you didn"t know, Steelers 2021 schedule is rough, and their season-opener is a testament to that. In 2020, the Bills handed the Steelers their second loss after starting off 11-0. Buffalo was a personal favorite to win the AFC last year and are a contender to the No.1 seed this season. Josh Allen and his offense are elite and the front seven gained some young talent through the draft (Basham and Rousseau).

Pittsburgh didn"t have a rushing attack when they faced Buffalo in 2020 but hopefully solved this dilemma with Najee Harris. It is expected that the Steelers are going to rely on him heavily as a workhorse and Week 1 will be a test for the rookie. This should be one of the top five matchups in the first week of the season and should go down to the wire. Pittsburgh"s pass-rush should force Allen to play to his full potential and target Stefon Diggs frequently. The cornerbacks he will be playing against aren"t the same as last time and this should be the deciding factor in this game.

Prediction: Steelers lose 26-20

Week Two | 9/19/21 | Las Vegas Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers (Home Opener)

The Steelers and Raiders have an interesting history over the last few years. The Raiders have quietly built a rivalry by upsetting Pittsburgh, who usually was a strong contender at the time. 2021 won"t be much different, as Pittsburgh remains the superior team on paper. Las Vegas has great potential on both sides of the ball, but they struggle to unlock that potential. Their offensive line is average at best, which translates to their run game (even with Josh Jacobs).

Derek Carr has a decent group of receivers but they won"t win a shootout with Pittsburgh. Las Vegas will likely be down early but the Steelers have a way of allowing near-comebacks too often. They will survive another possible upset though, getting one for the fans as this is the first home game on the Steelers 2021 schedule.

Prediction: Steelers win 23-21

Week Three | 9/26/21 | Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers

The CIN-PIT rivalry has gotten some fresh heat with the addition of Joe Burrow. Burrow will likely be in just his third game back from his season-ending injury last year and might still be getting back into the groove. His offensive line wasn"t fixed but his offensive arsenal is dangerous after drafting Ja"Marr Chase (Burrow"s LSU WR).

Pittsburgh should be able to get to the QB easily in this one but the secondary could find their feet in the mud. The Bengals have new faces on their defensive line and Najee Harris will look to take advantage of that. Burrow is a great QB but his offensive line will have him scrambling to find his targets and the defense could allow over a total of 100 rushing yards. Pittsburgh"s defense could score some points themselves in this one too.

Prediction: Steelers win 24-16

Week Four | 10/03/21 | Pittsburgh Steelers at Green Bay Packers

With all the question marks surrounding Aaron Rodgers, I am going with the impression that Rodgers is still on the roster come Week 4 and continuing his “F*** You Front Office" revenge tour. With Rodgers on the other side of the field, the Steelers have another tough road game. Rodgers has successfully commanded his offense of misfits into a top unit and knows how to use them correctly (If Jordan Love was starting, Steelers win against a dysfunctional offense).

Green Bay‘s defense is better than most people think and can stuff Harris while shutting down Roethlisberger‘s deep ball. Pittsburgh on the other hand won"t be able to keep up to Rodgers" receivers and Aaron Jones is still an underrated machine. This should be one of the more fun games to watch on the Steelers 2021 schedule.

Prediction: Steelers lose 27-13

Week Five | 10/10/21 | Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers

Denver is a sleeper team for 2021 and could sneak into the playoffs if they can fix their QB position. Their defense can easily crack the top 10 and the offense can produce with the right leader under center. Like Las Vegas, the Broncos are another team that Pittsburgh seems to have struggles against while being the better team.

Drew Lock nor Teddy Bridgewater are the best QB for the future at this point but one of them could put together a nice game against Pittsburgh. Von Miller and the defense can put enough pressure on Roethlisberger to limit the passing game, giving their offense time to play catch-up. Their comeback will be too little too late but it will still be a great game to watch. This could be a sneaky loss on the Steelers 2021 schedule, so look out.

Prediction: Steelers win 30-24

Week Six | 10/17/21 | Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday Night)

With the new 17-game schedule, Seattle was the additional team and it will be an additional loss for Pittsburgh. The secondary will be the weak link for the Steelers, allowing DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and D"Wayne Eskridge to rack up the yardage. Chris Carson should be contained well and Russell Wilson will once again have words about his offensive line after this game. TJ Watt will lead the blitz on Wilson, making his throw quick passes to his playmakers rather than being the playmaker himself. Still, Russell Wilson is a one-man army on the field and will do just enough to keep his team on top.

Prediction: Steelers lose 21-19

Week Seven | Bye Week | Record 3-3

Week Eight | 10/31/21 | Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns

This game will likely define Pittsburgh"s season and the fate of the AFC North. The Browns have the upper hand after defeating Pittsburgh in Week 17 and then again in the Wild Card round. Pittsburgh enters this game with a revamped offense with a better run game while Cleveland brings a defense with new talent spread across it. That will be what this game comes down to. One of these sides will make the mistake that hands over the win. In their first meeting of the year, Pittsburgh will come away with the victory with a deep FG attempt. This is one of the more “coin-flip" games on the entire Steelers 2021 schedule.

Prediction: Steelers win 17-14

Week Nine | 11/08/21 | Chicago Bears at Pittsburgh Steelers (Monday Night)

It"s unclear whether Andy Dalton or Justin Fields will be the starter but the rest of Chicago‘s offense doesn"t spell victory. Pittsburgh"s secondary will be a thorn in their side for the whole year but should be able to shut down Allen Robinson and destroy any momentum. The defense seems legit but the Steelers still have an elite passing game as long as Big Ben holds up. If Dalton is starting, this is a 30-7 blowout. I predict Fields getting the nod by now and he shows he can be successful on the pro level and holds up well against a top defense.

Prediction: Steelers win 26-16

Pittsburgh Steelers 2021 Schedule: Second Half

Week Ten | 11/14/21 | Detroit Lions at Pittsburgh Steelers

Detroit‘s top pick was OT Penei Sewell, a solid top talent but this roster needed bigger boosts elsewhere. Jared Goff was dealt a losing hand when he was dealt to the Lions. This roster is far worse than what he was playing with in LA and he isn"t the type to take control of an entirely new team right off the bat (i.e. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning). This offense will have growing pains and they will likely be a run-first team, especially with Sewell. This is one of the easier games on the Steelers 2021 schedule.

The defense has been rebuilt and is still in the late stages of it but there"s enough talent to keep in the game against Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger will struggle downfield and the run game won"t able to gain much momentum. Call me crazy, but this game will go into OT with Pittsburgh still coming away with the win. It will be mostly from Swift and the defense, not Goff.

Prediction: Steelers win 17-14 in OT

Week Eleven | 11/21/21 | Pittsburgh Steelers at LA Chargers (Sunday Night)

Pittsburgh hasn"t faced the Chargers with Justin Herbert behind center yet. Others think the experience of Roethlisberger will trump the youth of Herbert, but I don"t believe so. LA"s offense is fantastic but they just need another starting WR (Julio Jones?) to be a legit contender. Drafting Asante Samuel Jr for the secondary and continuing to build around Herbert gives them the edge in this match. This could be the biggest loss for the Steelers this season solely because the better team won. This is also going to be the beginning of a regression of Pittsburgh, banged up from their difficult schedule and a tough stretch ahead.

Prediction: Steelers lose 24-13

Week Twelve | 11/28/21 | Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals

Cincy"s offensive line should be clicking better by now and Pittsburgh is starting to hurt from their schedule. This time around, Burrow leads his team to a defining win over their rival. Ja"Marr Chase has emerged as a contender for ROY as Burrow"s top target and Joe Mixon is having a career year. Pittsburgh"s defense still slows them down and keeps Burrow on his toes but Roethlisberger and the offense can"t keep up in this one.

Prediction: Steelers lose 21-12

Week Thirteen | 12/05/21 | Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

These two teams usually don"t wait until December for their first game together, but that"s the plan for the Steelers 2021 schedule. Baltimore has made strides since last year and are giving Lamar Jackson every opportunity to thrive as a passer (adding Sammy Watkins and reworking the offensive line). Their defense was already stacked in the secondary and added some help with the pass rush. Pittsburgh is going to struggle and have to lean on their own defense to stay relevant in this one. The Steelers get the edge with a last-minute GW FG off of a turnover.

Prediction: Steelers win 17-16

Week Fourteen | 12/09/21 | Pittsburgh Steelers at Minnesota Vikings (Thursday Night)

The Vikings get dealt a great hand here with Pittsburgh coming off a tough battle against the Ravens and then having to travel to Minnesota four days later. Kirk Cousins and the Vikings aren"t a perfect team but the offense can compete at a high level with Cousin is at his best. The defense has some new pieces (Patrick Peterson and Chazz Surratt) to improve from last year. Dalvin Cook should run up and down the field, whether Cousins is playing well or not, and the defense should shut down Roethlisberger for a season-low game.

Prediction: Steelers lose 21-16

Week Fifteen | 12/19/21 | Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Titans and Steelers usually have hard-fought brawls when they meet and this one won"t disappoint. Tennessee now has former Steeler Bud Dupree on their side and Derrick Henry continues to be a freak athlete. Ryan Tannehill doesn"t have the best group to throw to outside of AJ Brown though. This will come down to which RB can carry their team to the win and my money is on Henry. Najee Harris is still a young rookie and will be used heavily already by now. The experience and grit of Derrick Henry gives the edge to the Titans as they take advantage of a weary Pittsburgh defense late in the season.

Prediction: Steelers lose 23-16

Week Sixteen | 12/26/21 | Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs

Yes, the Kansas City Chiefs are the reigning AFC Champions and they fixed their weakness with the offensive line. Still, this Pittsburgh defense can rise up at big moments and this is one of them. TJ Watt will lead the charge and force Mahomes to make quick passes to his speedsters.

Mike Tomlin‘s game plan will be to lock down Travis Kelce and play strong man coverage to counter the quick passes. That won"t shut down Mahomes but it will slow him down. Roethlisberger will have one of his last outings as a true gunslinger and keep up the pace in a shootout. The Steelers will rely on Chris Boswell to boot a long FG for the upset here, this game will probably get the most TV views of any game on the Steelers 2021 schedule.

Prediction: Steelers win 33-31

Week Seventeen | 1/3/22 | Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers (Monday Night)

After the battle against the Chiefs, Cleveland will pounce and steal the win. Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb have over 150 rushing yards between them and each score a touchdown. The Steelers" passing game will have little fuel in the tank and Roethlisberger will likely throw a few picks in desperation. The rough and tough Steelers 2021 schedule is just laid out to keep them out of the playoffs.

Prediction: Steelers lose 17-9

Week Eighteen | 1/9/22 | Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens

Both of these teams will meet in the season finale after a long stretch of tough opponents and a playoff spot on the line. This will likely be Ben Roethlisberger"s last regular-season game against Baltimore and he leaves it all out on the field. He doesn"t play pretty but plays like a veteran field general. I can see Dwayne Haskins getting a few snaps in on special packages to keep Baltimore guessing late in the game. Why not? In the end, Minkah Fitzpatrick does what he does best and picks off Lamar Jackson in the endzone to seal the win.

Prediction: Steelers win 27-23

This will put the Pittsburgh Steelers 2021 record at 9-8. Mike Tomlin keeps the winning season streak alive with some hard-fought victories. I feel many see the Steelers around nine wins. The Steelers 2021 schedule is wicked hard this year and nine wins seems like a good season. The AFC West and NFC North are both potentially loaded and many of these matchups can go either way. Their final stretch of the season will be the ultimate testament for Pittsburgh and can easily end their playoff hopes.

Ben Roethlisberger will walk off the field for the last time, being remembered as a tough field general more than anything. He doesn"t play pretty all the time but he can get the job done his way. Thank you for reading this article on the Pittsburgh Steelers 2021 schedule release.

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