NFL schedule shows opener at home for first time since 2014

We've known the Steelers' opponents for the 2023 season since the offseason began. But now, we know when they'll play each of those opponents.

The NFL released its 2023-24 schedule Thursday night, and the Steelers will open the season with two home games. The Steelers will host the 49ers in the opener on Sept. 10 for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff on Fox. Then, they'll welcome the Browns to Acrisure Stadium in Week 2.

This is the first time since 2014 that the Steelers will not open the season on the road.

"I'm really excited, especially for our fans," Omar Khan said on Steelers.com. "It's going to be a lot of fun. It's a treat for everyone. To be able to start the season at home and set the tempo, it's exciting."

Pittsburgh's bye will take place in Week 6.

The Steelers' 2023-24 schedule features five primetime games. The Week 2 matchup against Cleveland will be the Steelers' lone game on Monday Night Football. 

Pittsburgh will play two games on Thursday Night Football on Prime Video, hosting both of them. The first will be against Tennessee in Week 9, and the second will be against New England in Week 14.

This is the first time teams are capable of playing two Thursday night games in a season. 

"We try to see it as an advantage," Khan said. "We have a couple extra days on the back end to recover. It's always nice to be the biggest show on TV on a given night."

The Steelers will also appear twice on Sunday Night Football. They'll travel to Las Vegas in Week 3, then host Cincinnati in Week 16 at 4:30 p.m. on Sat., Dec. 23.

The Steelers will also travel to the West Coast three separate times to face the Raiders, Rams and Seahawks, and all three games are spread out throughout the schedule. That's a far cry from what the Steelers faced in 2022, when they never left the Eastern Time Zone.

"We can't control when we play," Khan said. "We just control how we prepare to play the games. Whenever they schedule us, that's above our heads. We have a lot of great fans on the West Coast. Whenever we get a chance to play in front of them, it's awesome. We've had some great games out there. Our fans have shown up, and that's a great feeling for our club."

Here's the full 2023-24 Steelers schedule, including the preseason:

This season, flexible scheduling for Sunday Night Football may be used up to twice between Weeks 5-10, and in the NFL’s discretion during Weeks 11-17. This is also the first season there will be flex scheduling for Monday Night Football, which will be decided in the NFL’s discretion between Weeks 12-17. 

During the Flex scheduling windows, the games initially scheduled for Sunday Night Football (on NBC) and Monday Night Football (on ESPN or ABC) are tentatively scheduled and subject to change. Only Sunday afternoon games (or those listed as TBD) are eligible to be moved to Sunday night or Monday night, in which case the initially scheduled Sunday/Monday night game would be moved to Sunday afternoon. Sunday afternoon games may also be moved between 1 p.m. and 4:05 p.m. or 4:25 p.m. 

As in prior seasons, the scheduling of the Saturday, Sunday afternoon and the Sunday night games for Week 18 is not assigned. In Week 18, two games will be played on Saturday, with the remainder to be played on Sunday afternoon and one matchup to be played on Sunday night. As it was last season, specific dates, start times and networks for Week 18 matchups will be determined and announced following the conclusion of Week 17.

Chris' Take: Starting at home is a big plus for the Steelers, especially with the first two being at home. Closing with two road games is a bit rough, but that makes the middle of the schedule a bit easier.

Remember, this is the season in which the AFC teams host nine games while the NFC hosts only eight. Having a three-game stretch from Weeks 8-10 where the Steelers play at home is a nice advantage to have. 

Based on a very, very quick reaction, I think this schedule is more favorable than a season ago. I don’t know if I’d predict more than 10 wins at this point, but I could see it happening. Again, it’s very early. 

Corey's Take: If we're looking at the strength of schedule based on last year's records, the Steelers' 2023 slate is pretty favorable. Adding to that is the idea that the two short weeks -- Thursday nights against Tennessee and New England -- are home games that follow home games, and I see a huge plus in that. 

The Bye in Week 6 is a little unforgiving, but having that trip to Los Angeles to immediately follow it, and then having three home games to chase it is another plus. Plenty of time to prepare for the distance roadtrip and then come right back home for nearly a month.

I always love looking at Week 1 and Week 18. The start and the finish. The matchup against the 49ers is going to be a rock-solid test for Kenny Pickett to begin the year, and that duel with the Ravens to close out the season is juicy for so many reasons, namely with the potential for playoff implications to be attached to it.

One Monday Night game? That's whatever. Those 1 p.m. kickoffs are my favorites, anyway, just as I prefer noon college football kickoffs over primetime games.