(Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
The NFL released the first week of the 2021 schedule this morning and the Steelers will be traveling to Buffalo to face the Bills for the season opener at Highmark Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the game will air on CBS.
The last time the Steelers had a home opener in Week 1 was in 2014 against the Browns. It's by far the longest streak in the league without a home opener to start the season. The Steelers are 3-2-1 in their previous six season openers.
The Pirates host the Nationals at 1:05 p.m. on Sept. 12, so the Steelers were unable to host a day game at Heinz Field on Sunday in Week 1. The reasoning for this has a lot to do with PNC Park being in close proximity to Heinz Field, and that they share parking lots for their respective venues.
The Pirates are off on Sept. 13, so a Sunday night game or Monday night game at Heinz Field could have worked.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote on Twitter last night that he'll be shocked if most of the schedule isn't disclosed before tomorrow night at 7:45 p.m. ET when the teams are allowed to announce the full schedule.
The NFL Network and ESPN will have a schedule release show tonight at 8 p.m. ET.
The Steelers are 16-11 all-time against the Bills and have lost to Buffalo twice within the last two years. The Steelers lost to the Bills, 26-15, in Week 14 last year in Orchard Park, N.Y. The only other time that the Steelers played the Bills in Week 1 was in 1978 at Buffalo. The Steelers won the game, 28-17.
The Steelers are 8-5-1 in season openers under Mike Tomlin, who's heading into his 15th season as the Steelers head coach. On the road, the Steelers are 4-4-1 in Week 1 games.