When do the steelers play again

The Steelers begin life without Ben Roethlisberger in the 2022 NFL season. 

Pittsburgh squeaked into the playoffs with a 9-7-1 record in 2021, and will gear up for another run through a hyper-competitive AFC North division. Coach Mike Tomlin enters his 16th season, and there is a three-way quarterback battle among Mitchell Trubisky, Mason Rudolph and rookie Kenny Pickett, who was selected with the No. 20 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. 

The 2022 schedule isn't easy outside of the division. A few old rivals will visit Heinz Field, and Pittsburgh will have an extra road game with the 17-game schedule. The Steelers are currently picked to finish last in the division, according to odds at Sports Interaction. 

How will the Steelers respond? Sporting News takes a closer look at their schedule: 

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Steelers schedule 2022

Pittsburgh has a second-place schedule after reaching the AFC wild-card round last season. The AFC East and NFC South are on the schedule this year, and the extra game is the in-state battle at Philadelphia. That second-place schedule means games against AFC playoff teams in Las Vegas and Indianapolis. 

The Steelers have 10 games against teams that won at least nine games in 2021. 

Steelers strength of schedule

The Steelers have the 12th-most difficult schedule in the NFL. Their 2022 opponents finished with a 148-141 record, a winning percentage of .512. 

Pittsburgh has four of the other six AFC playoff teams from last season on the schedule. The Steelers get Cincinnati in a home-and-home series, New England and Las Vegas at home and a road game at Buffalo. 

Toughest tests: It's not just the AFC playoff teams on the schedule. Pittsburgh has to play fringe contenders from last season in Indianapolis and Miami on the road. The Colts will be an improved team with Matt Ryan under center.

Pittsburgh has lost nine straight games at Philadelphia, a streak that dates back to 1965. Tomlin also is 0-3 against the Saints. 

Of course, there is also the matchup against Tampa Bay. Tom Brady had a 9-3 career record as a starter against the Steelers during his time with New England. 

Biggest breaks: The Steelers are 6-0 against the Falcons and Panthers under Tomlin, and those road games could have a large contingent of Steelers fans in attendance. 

The home schedule isn't easy, but the Jets are another one the Steelers have to get. New York was 1-6 on the road last season. 

Heinz Field was a decisive advantage with Roethlisberger at quarterback. Whoever starts at under center will need to establish that in his first year as a full-time starter. 

Bottom line: Roethlisberger also was dominant within the AFC North. He had a 67-22-1 record as a starter against the Ravens, Browns and Bengals, a .750 winning percentage that won't be easy to match. 

The Steelers did finish 4-2 in the division last year despite getting swept by the Bengals. Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson have combined for a 4-5 record against Pittsburgh, but that was with Big Ben on the other sideline.

If Pittsburgh wants to stay in the AFC North race, it has to be .500 or better in the division again. Tomlin has a knack for overachieving with his teams, and they've never had a losing season under his watch. Will this be the first one? It's right on the line either way. 

Record prediction: 9-8

• Steelers vs Bengals point spread: Bengals -6.5
• Steelers vs Bengals moneyline: Steelers (+225)
• Prediction: Bengals 24, Steelers 17

Even with the Cincinnati Bengals expected to take a step backward in our NFL predictions, this is still a better team than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Quarterback Joe Burrow should have enough time to throw to the elite receiving corps headlined by Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. It might be a close game, but the better roster and quarterback wins.

Dive further below for the entire 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers schedule, including their remaining preseason games.

• QB – Mitch Trubisky (or) Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph
• RB – Najee Harris, Benny Snell Jr, Jaylen Warren
• WR – Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, George Pickens, Calvin Austin III, Myles Boykin, Gunner Olszewski, Steven Sims
• TE – Pat Freiermuth, Zach Gentry, Connor Hayward
• Defense – 20th NFL defense rankings

Future Hall of Fame selection Ben Roethlisberger is gone and while he might not be happy about it, the right decision was made. Early expectations are Mitch Trubisky will be the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback in Week 1, entering the summer with experience and momentum. However, we’d expect Pickett to make several starts in 2022.

At running back, it will be the Najee Harris show once again. He served as the workhorse (307 carries) in his rookie season and played extremely well. Pittsburgh hopes an improved offensive line and a more athletic quarterback make things even easier for the second-year rusher.

There is also plenty of excitement about the receiving corps. Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool already complemented one another nicely. Now, rookie George Pickens enters the mix. He profiles nicely as a No. 3 receiver immediately and could step up as the No. 2 wideout next season.

Defensively, we’re not expecting greatness. Pittsburgh’s front seven should be healthy in 2022 and that offers room for improvement. However, concerns in the secondary give us serious pause when evaluating this unit compared to the top-10 defenses in the NFL.

Related: 2022 NFL power rankings

Pittsburgh Steelers schedule 2022

Week 2: vs New England Patriots

• Prediction: Steelers 20, Patriots 17

Week 3: @ Cleveland Browns

• Prediction: Steelers 24, Browns 21

Week 4: vs New York Jets

• Prediction: Steelers 27, Jets 20

Week 5: @ Buffalo Bills

• Prediction: Bills 34, Steelers 24

Week 6: vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Prediction: Buccaneers 31, Steelers 21

Week 7: @ Miami Dolphins

• Prediction: Dolphins 27, Steelers 24

Week 8: @ Philadelphia Eagles

• Prediction: Eagles 27, Steelers 21

Week 9: BYE WEEK

Week 10: vs New Orleans Saints

• Prediction: Saints 20, Steelers 14

Week 11: vs Cincinnati Bengals

• Prediction: Steelers 27, Bengals 24

Week 12: @ Indianapolis Colts

• Prediction: Colts 23, Steelers 17

Week 13: @ Atlanta Falcons

• Prediction: Steelers 31 Falcons 20

Week 14: vs Baltimore Ravens

• Prediction: Steelers 17, Ravens 14

Week 15: @ Carolina Panthers

• Prediction: Steelers 28, Panthers 17

Week 16: vs Las Vegas Raiders

• Prediction: Raiders 27, Steelers 24

Week 17: @ Baltimore Ravens

• Prediction: Ravens 31, Steelers 27

Week 18: vs Cleveland Browns

• Prediction: Browns 28, Steelers 24

Pittsburgh Steelers projected record: 7-10

Click here to see which teams we think will make the postseason in our NFL playoff predictions