(Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the schedule for the first week of the 2021 NFL schedule will be released early. Florio wrote that via multiple reports and accounts, the various network partners will release their Week 1 schedules tomorrow morning.
Florio also wrote on Twitter that based on the number of unsolicited leaks he's already gotten regarding the 2021 schedule, he'll be shocked if most of it isn't disclosed before tomorrow night at 7:45 p.m. ET, when the teams are allowed to announce it.
The NFL Network and ESPN will have a schedule release show tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET, but the Steelers will know their Week 1 opponent well before then.
According to Danny Parkins of 670 The Score in Chicago, the Bears open their season in Los Angeles against the Rams on Sunday Night Football. So, SNF is out of the equation for the Steelers in Week 1. It also means the Steelers won't play the Bears in Week 1, as Chicago is one of their opponents in 2021.
Either Sunday, Sept. 12 or Monday, Sept. 13 will be the date of the Steelers season opener this year, and looking at the Pirates' schedule they host the Nationals at 1:05 p.m. on Sept. 12 and are off the next day on Sept. 13.
So, unless the Steelers host a Monday night game, they'll be on the road for the seventh consecutive year 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 last time the Steelers had a home opener in Week 1 was in 2014 against the Browns.
The Steelers will play the Ravens, Browns, Bengals, Broncos, Bears, Lions, Raiders, Titans and Seahawks at home in 2021. On the road, they will play the Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Chiefs, Packers, Vikings, Chargers and Bills.