The Pittsburgh Steelers and the rest of the NFL received the official NFL slate during the schedule release on Wednesday, and the Steelers, by far, have one of, if not the hardest one. Pittsburgh and the rest of the AFC North have extremely difficult tasks ahead, facing off against the AFC West and NFC East teams, groups that are arguably a part of the best two divisions in the NFL.
%202023%20Camp%20Final%20with%20Logos/2L9A5529-544x306.jpg "Steelers Mike Tomlin")
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Steelers Head Coach, Mike Tomlin watches his players practice during 2023 training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin has gone 17 straight seasons without a losing record, and former wide receiver Plaxico Burress believes a playoff appearance with the 2024 schedule should lock him in the Hall of Fame.
Each and every season, the NFL community continues to expect a losing season from the Steelers. Tomlin has continued his streak, even going through seasons with questionable quarterback play aside from that of Ben Roethlisberger. Now, Tomlin will have a quarterback room with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, with both having a significant amount of more talent and experience.
Despite the quarterback upgrade, many NFL analysts, even Ryan Clark, suspect that the Steelers won't win above 10 games in 2024. After Week 10, the Steelers will face the entire AFC North twice, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs on a Christmas Day special. With that, the Steelers will go eight weeks straight to finish the season facing teams who finished with a winning record last season.
USA Today
Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with one of his favorite targets Plaxico Burress.
The news about the Steelers' brutal schedule has spread like wild fire, and Burress explained on Fox's The Carton Show how another winning season and a playoff victory for Tomlin would help him earn a spot in the Hall of Fame.
"Based off this schedule, if Mike Tomlin finds a way to get this team to the playoffs, all you can do is just tip your hat to him and say this man is a h*ll of a coach and a Hall of Fame coach,"
Tomlin, to this point, has most likely already earned himself a spot in the Hall of Fame, however some more playoff wins would be nice. Tomlin and the Steelers don't have a postseason victory since the 2016 season. Tomlin and the front office have put notice on the playoff win drought and plan to do something about it.
Burress spent 11 years in the league and caught for over 1,000 yards in a season four times, twice with Pittsburgh. The 2024 season will be another one where the Steelers are counted out and will have to prove the world wrong, but that's where Tomlin likes to be.
Steelers Have Favorable Matchups Early In Season
In order for Pittsburgh to have a chance at the postseason before entering the November and December gauntlet, the team will have to take advantage of the matchups ahead of the bye week. To kick off the season, the Steelers will go out on the road to face off against the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos for a revenge tour. While it is two games on the road to start off the year, they are both winnable games for the Steelers.
ESPN
Steelers' quarterback Russell Wilson talks with former HC Sean Payton.
For the Steelers' home opener in week three, they will host Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers. The following week they will be back on the road for the Indianapolis Colts. The Steelers are going to need at least three but ideally all four of these games to be wins in order to put themselves in a good spot down the road. A winning season in 2024 should give the respect that Tomlin and the Steelers deserve for finding a way through adversity.
What do you think? Would a playoff victory with the brutal schedule confirm Tomlin's future induction to the Hall of Fame? Could he hang 'em up right now and still head to Canton one day? What will the Steelers record be in 2024? Let us know in the comments below.
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