NFL does the Steelers a huge favor with subtle schedule adjustment

The front half of the Steelers' schedule is nothing to sneeze at, as it includes three of the team's five primetime games against the Cowboys (Week 5), Jets (Week 7), and Giants (Week 8). 

But a Week 9 bye comes just at the right time. Because after playing the Commanders in Week 10, the schedule is absolutely brutal. 

Starting in Week 11, Pittsburgh will play every divisional game, meaning they square off against three potential playoff teams via Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Cleveland two times each, with juggernauts like Philadelphia, and Kansas City also mixed in there. 

And sure, maybe Pittsburgh would prefer a bye week somewhere in the middle of that gauntlet, but Week 9 is a heck of a lot better than Week 5 or 6, especially when you come off the bye against the Commanders. 

Pittsburgh will be tasked with loading their players like never before. We know Coach Tomlin likes to run a physical camp and even practice schedule, but there is a fine line between building a callus and running players into the ground before their biggest stretch of the season. 

Pittsburgh typically does an excellent job of that, as they largely mitigate soft tissue injuries that often come due to overuse. But they have also never been tasked with managing a team that faces this hard of a schedule in the last two months of the season. 

I'll put it to you this way, if Pittsburgh can make it through that gauntlet with a playoff spot, there is no doubt in my mind they can win a Super Bowl unless the team is so banged up that it won't matter. 

That puts an onus on preparation that starts in the coming weeks with OTA's minicamp and training camp, as this team will need to be one of the most conditioned in the league in order to make a run.