By Jonathan Clark
SteelerNation.com
Going into this season, the expectations are at an all-time high. The Pittsburgh Steelers defense was ranked 5th overall last season by Profootballreference.com, a season in which Pittsburgh was just one game out of the playoff race in a season where we lost our Hall of Fame quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. Many believe that our defense is bound for another solid year, so the main focus this off-season has been questioning if our offense is going to be able to keep up on the other side of the ball in 2020; a task that should be easier to accomplish having Roethlisberger back behind center. CBS ranks the Steelers as having the second easiest strength of schedule, which combines the 2019 winning record of all opponents and their combined winning percentage, ranked at a .457 just in front of the Baltimore Ravens at a .438. This could be our year to raise banner number seven.
Week One: Steelers @ NY Giants:
Score: 31-14 Steelers
I just don’t see Pittsburgh losing here. I think when you match both teams up face to face, the Steelers outmatch the Giants on almost every level with the exception of Saquon Barkley at the running back position. Although the Giants defense did improve this off-season with the additions of LB Blake Martinez and CB James Bradberry, I can’t see a situation where this defense holds Big Ben and company to under 20 points. I think the Steelers defensive front will be too much for this young NYG offensive line to handle, holding QB Daniel Jones and company to under 20, giving the Steelers their first win of the season.
Week Two: Broncos @ Steelers:
Score: 27-21 Steelers
This Denver team is going to be an exciting one this season. They solidified their defensive front by trading for Jurell Casey from the Tennessee Titans this off-season, pairing this Pro Bowler with the likes of Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, this defensive front is going to give our o-line a huge test in week 2. While this Denver offense also improved immensely by adding RB Melvin Gordon this off-season and drafting WR Jerry Jeudy from Alabama and WR K.J. Hamler from Penn State. This is going to be a much improved team this upcoming season. That being said, I still think this battle goes the Steelers way. Denver’s young offense will have to overcome a veteran Steelers secondary, who were much improved going into 2019. Back to back weeks facing young QB’s help the Steelers go 2-0.
Week Three: Texans @ Steelers:
Score: 34-17 Steelers
Honestly, Houston has not really done anything to help themselves this off-season in my opinion. They traded away one of the best WR's in the game in DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals for RB David Johnson, and replaced him with Brandin Cooks, who is no DeAndre Hopkins. While I do like the pairing of DeShaun Watson and David Johnson behind center, they are the only reason why I am even keeping this game somewhat close. This Houston team, in my opinion, is a downgrade from last season. This is a game where I think our offense could possibly go wild and take advantage of a poor Texans secondary. T.J. and Derek win this battle of the Watts. Steelers improve to 3-0.
Week Four: Steelers @ Titans:
Score: 21-13 Steelers
This is an intriguing game this season for me, simply because Tennessee is an intriguing team. We all saw what they did last season, squeezing into the playoffs and taking down two AFC powerhouses in the process. The big question going into this season is if this was just a one-hit wonder, or is this team going to be for real. It’s always a tough test to go into another team's stadium and get a win, especially one who you aren’t familiar with. It’ll be hard to stop Derrick Henry and the running game, but I think our front four can get to QB Ryan Tannehill, costing in some turnovers going our way. I think the losses of Jurrell Casey and Logan Ryan are going to have effects on this Titans defense. Although Tennessee is a good team, they are young and have too many question marks to give them the edge.
Week Five: Eagles @ Steelers:
Score: 20-17 Eagles
It’ll always pain me to give Pittsburgh any loss, but the point of this is to be realistic, right? This next four-game stretch is probably the hardest consecutive games we have all season. This is going to be a great game regardless. Carson Wentz vs Big Ben, Javon Hargrave making his return to the 'burgh, plus these two cross state rivals are going to be battling it out for bragging rights. As much as it pains me to say, I think the major downfall for the Steelers here is going to be the lack of speed on the defensive side of the ball. Not to say the Steelers don’t have any, but just that the Eagles have so much. With the addition of Jalen Reagor this NFL Draft, the Eagles added speed to an already speed filled WR room. I think pairing Reagor with Desean Jackson gives them the advantage against most teams one on one. Adding second year RB Miles Saunders to the mix won’t help either, likely taking Devin Bush out of slot coverage and into man situations out of the backfield. I just think Philly has someone to match us at each position, it really could go either way. I give the Eagles the slight edge. Steelers start out 4-1.
Week Six: Browns @ Steelers:
Score: 27-17 Steelers
Just like we say every year, the Browns look good on paper this year. They added offensive weapons to a team already filled with them, and added young pieces to this defense in the draft that could help them long-term. TE Austin Hooper was their big addition this off-season, adding him to an already deep pass catcher room can be a dangerous sight for opposing teams. The reason I give the Steelers the edge is turnovers. Baker Mayfield is prone to them it seems like, and this Steelers defense just seems to always have a knack for where the ball is. I think Mayfield's decision making and consistency hurts him in this one. I think Pittsburgh runs the ball a lot in this one and takes advantage of the matchup against Cleveland's front four. The drama of last season's match up will roll over into this game being Myles Garrett's first game back to Pittsburgh since the incident. The Steelers have to win this one and they do. Starting out hot at 5-1.
Week Seven: Steelers @ Ravens:
Score: 28-23 Ravens
First matchup of the year goes the Ravens way. Obviously, Lamar Jackson is a lot to handle in itself. The addition of RB J.K. Dobbins this off-season adds speed to an already “run friendly” football team. Ravens/Steelers games are always some of the best of the season. We usually get one game a year where the games are just back and forth throughout, this year is no different. The Steelers put up points running the ball and trying the short passing game to try and overcome that dominant ravens secondary. The Ravens linebacking core got better with the addition of LSU LB Patrick Queen who can, hopefully for them, replace now NYJ LB CJ Mosley. Lamar Jackson and company are just too much to overcome on offense in this one, Ravens capitalize on the home field advantage in this one. Steelers drop to 5-2.
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Week Eight: BYE
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Week Nine: Steelers @ Cowboys:
Score: 34-27 Steelers
This Cowboy offense is dangerous, and this to me is a game that can go either way. Ezekiel Elliott has been doing his thing since he has been in the league and us Steeler fans got a taste of that a couple years ago at Heinz Field. Dak Prescott might be in an important “prove yourself” year if he and the Cowboys can reach a long-term agreement this off-season which can give him a whole other level of motivation. That plus the addition of WR Ceedee Lamb to pair up with Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, this offense can hurt you in many ways and I think they certainly make their plays against the Steelers tough defense. The main reason I give the Steelers the edge here is because of the matchup against this Dallas defense. It lost Byron Jones this off-season to the Miami Dolphins and DE Robert Quinn to the Chicago Bears who were both key contributors to this defense last year, who struggled in itself. Defense has always been a question for Dallas and the losses of these two don’t help the cause. JuJu Smith-Schuster and company have a field day against this depleted Dallas secondary. Steelers improve to 6-2. Steelers finish the tough four game stretch 2-2.
Week Ten: Bengals @ Steelers:
Score: 38-20 Steelers
We have heard so much hype paired with Joe Burrow this whole off-season and rightfully so, seeing what he did in college, there is a lot of optimism as to his ceiling in the pro’s. The Bengals are all in with this guy, they drafted WR Tee Higgins with the first pick of the second round to solidify those two as the staples of the future offense, but this is their first test of what Steeler football is. I think defensively, the Steelers will try and dial up a lot of blitz packages in order to get in the face of Burrow, forcing him to make young rookie decisions on the fly; ones that likely lead to turnovers. I think this new and improved Bengals offense impresses and puts points on the board, but is countered by a red hot Steelers offense against a struggling Cincy defense. Taking advantage of a young secondary, Big Ben has a huge day. Steelers improve to 7-2.
Week Eleven: Steelers @ Jaguars:
Score: 28-13 Steelers
In previous years, the Steelers have struggled in games against the Jaguars, but specifically games that were played in Jacksonville. Throughout the past couple of seasons, we watched the Jaguars kick us out of the playoffs on our own field, and just two years ago, we witnessed one of the craziest games when Ben led the team to a 16-point comeback to finish the game at the wire with a diving rush into the end zone. That was a different Jaguars team. Pretty much all the pieces to that special Jaguars defense years ago are gone and this team is in more of a rebuilding stage heading into 2020. Led by Gardner Minshew, this team is young and inexperienced. They have playmakers at positions, but don’t look to have a good solid foundation for a team. The Steelers defense takes advantage and provides great field position for the offense throughout the game. Holding the Jags to under two touchdowns here should be more than enough. Pittsburgh heads into week twelve 8-2.
Week Twelve: Ravens @ Steelers:
Score: 27-20 Steelers
I think these two teams are just too good this year to not split these games. In my opinion, both of these matchups between these two are going to be close games, and possibly ones that could come down to the wire. I gave the Ravens the advantage in the previous matchup because of the home field advantage, so I will give the same to the Steelers here. This is a home game in Pittsburgh on Thanksgiving. This crowd hype will be at an all-time high, and it’s another primetime matchup between these two dominant organizations. Defense is the story of this game, as both defenses forces stops, but the Steelers get the ball last and take advantage, beating the Ravens with seconds remaining. They improve to 9-2 on the season.
Week Thirteen: Redskins @ Steelers:
Score: 31-13 Steelers
This game wraps up our in-season division game series vs the NFC East at this point, leaving us at 3-1. We don’t know a lot about this team other than that they are young. They have a young QB in Dwayne Haskins, who first year head coach with the Redskins, Ron Rivera has been relatively quiet on this off-season. We know they have a rising star in WR Terry Mclaurin and they just drafted a stud of a pass rusher in Chase Young. But having one or two good players is not enough to beat this Pittsburgh team. In my opinion, the Steelers cause turnovers in this one and many of them. Their defense just takes over this one. Offensively, our weapons out weigh theirs by many, and in this game it shows. Steelers dominate this one, improve to 10-2, and have a five-game winning streak going into week fourteen.
Week Fourteen: Steelers @ Bills:
Score: 24-21 Bills
A rematch of a great game last year, the Steelers travel to Buffalo to take on Josh Allen and the Bills. The Bills are in prime position this year to make a deep playoff run, and with Tom Brady gone from the AFC East, that might just be the case. The Bills defense is going to be pretty much the same going into 2020. They have a lot of the same stars coming back for the next campaign and defensively, that just means dominance. The Bills have been known for their defense for the past couple of seasons, the offense has always been lacking. The defense has stayed stagnant but their offense has improved dramatically with the addition of Stephon Diggs this off-season. I see this game as being close, I just think Buffalo's defense has too many playmakers at each position to overcome. This could end up being a game of the year candidate. Steelers fall to 10-3 and head into the last three weeks looking playoff bound.
Week Fifteen: Steelers @ Bengals:
Score: 28-14 Steelers
Steelers go into Cincinnati and take care of business a second time. I just don't see a situation in which Cincinnati can beat us. Matchup wise, when you pair our guys one on one by position, we take the cake. This Bengals team is young and talented, and we know sometimes teams like them surprise veteran teams towards the end of the season, but I just don’t see that being the case. The Bengals are built for the future but need to focus on the now first. Steelers sweep the series and take care of business in Cincinnati. They'll be 11-3 going into the last two games of the season.
Week Sixteen: Colts @ Steelers:
Score: 27-24 Steelers
With the addition of QB Phillip Rivers this off-season, the Colts automatically improve. They are, in my opinion, clear cut favorites to win the AFC South and I think this is a team with a lot of confidence going into 2020. Adding rookies Michael Pittman and Johnathan Taylor to this offense make it just that much more dangerous. Defensively, they are still led by Darius Leonard and Malik Hooker, they have standout defensive players to matchup with any team. Coming to Pittsburgh is never easy, so I give the slightest edge to the Steelers. I think our offense is much better than their defense which will ultimately give us the advantage in this one. It will be a classic Rivers vs Roethlisberger matchup that will go down to the wire. I still see the Steelers coming out on top in the slightest of fashions, going into week seventeen with a 12-3 record.
Week Seventeen: Steelers @ Browns:
Score: 21-17 Browns
At this point, it would look like the Steelers would be in a good position to wrap up the AFC North title with a 12-3 record going into this one. In this hypothetical situation, the Steelers would be playing their backups which in this one leads to a Browns victory at home. Although I still think the Steelers can keep it close with Mason Rudolph behind center, I think Cleveland's offensive star power of Odell Beckham and Jarvis Laundry amongst others will be just a little too much for our defense to lock down twice in one season. Browns take the series finale. Steelers finish the season 12-4.
What is your prediction for the Steelers record this year? Comment below!
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