Black and Gold South

Big Games Ahead

By HARVEY "MR. STEELER" ARONSON

By now, every National Football League fan can probably tell you each and every opponent their team must face in the 2008 season. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, they own the toughest schedule in the NFL including yet another matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 5. Is that 

Mr. Steeler

ESPN Sunday Night Game of the Week the biggest game on the Black and Gold schedule? Perhaps. But the Jags game is just one of eight games that finds all eight of those opponents coming off playoff seasons in 2007.

Many Steelers fans fear the rugged schedule, but I for one, like it. My belief is with such a difficult schedule that means Mike Tomlin's team MUST be on their toes every week. There can be no room for a letdown, and usually, the best teams in the league bring out the best in their opponents.

So outside of the Jacksonville game, what might be the best game on the Steelers' schedule?

September 14: Steelers at Cleveland. This too is a Sunday night game, and despite the game on the second of the season on both team's schedules, this game is HUGE. It will set the tone for who might win this division. With a win at home, the Browns can avoid losing twice to the Steelers when they must travel to Pittsburgh in the last game of the season in what might be a division-deciding game. Many experts have tabbed the Browns to challenge the Steelers for the AFC North crown, so we'll find out early if they are ready to do just that.

October 26: Steelers Vs. New York Giants. If you don't like the Pittsburgh Steelers you will dislike them more this season as they will consistently be on television, be it on Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Game of the Week, NFL Network Thursday Night Game of the Week, or games that start at 4:15 p.m. like this one that allows the Steelers to see what they can do with the world champion Giants and their ferocious pass rush defense. Both teams are built the same way, so this should be a doozie as it marks the first meeting of two of the biggest named quarterbacks drafted in 2004. Big Ben vs. Eli.

November 9: Steelers vs. Indianapolis. The last time these two teams met, the Steelers knocked the Colts out of the playoffs when they were heavy favorites and Pittsburgh went on to win the Super Bowl. Now Indianapolis gets a taste of Heinz Field where a lot of teams don't like playing, and the Colts who play at home on artificial turf will not enjoy playing on the often bad field in Pittsburgh.

November 16: Steelers vs. San Diego. Could the Steelers find themselves on national television two consecutive weeks? How can the networks keep this game off TV? Yet another 4:15 start finds these two teams battling it out and what were the NFL Gods thinking giving the Steelers two straight difficult games like this? It almost doesn't seem fair.

November 30: Steelers at New England. The big question here is "will Anthony Smith keep his mouth shut this time?" Last year, as many of you might remember, Smith GUARANTEED a victory over the Patriots when they were making their undefeated run, and it came back to smack him in the face as the Patriots manhandled the Black and Gold and took Smith to school.

December 7: Steelers vs. Dallas. What used to be a great rivalry in the 1970's when these two teams met in the Super Bowl twice, then met again in 1996 in Super Bowl XXX, gets a renewal with the "new look" big bad 'Boys come to town. Should be a barn burner.

December 28: Steelers vs. Cleveland. In the season finale, this game could either mean everything to both teams or perhaps just one of the two, or it could be a meaningless game for either or both depending on the division status and playoff picture.