Ryan Clark Scorches Steelers Schedule: ‘Who Made This?!’

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ schedule is one of the NFL’s hardest, with some pundits already proclaiming it the league’s toughest stretch this upcoming year. Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark was not happy with how the schedule was constructed with a brutal back half to the schedule, including six divisional opponents in the final eight games.

“Who made this schedule?” Clark said on Get Up. “What dude from Cleveland all of a sudden got a job in the league office? To think you have to play the Ravens twice, the Bengals, the Cleveland Browns, and then the Eagles and the Chiefs? A team that won the Super Bowl two years in a row. A team that was in the Super Bowl the year before. You have to play those teams to finish the season when the end of the season is where we’ve seen the Steelers find ways to compete. It’s the beginning of the season when they suck. Coach Tomlin has a saying- ‘I try to make things as uncomfortable as possible.’ Guess what my dog? You ain’t gotta try hard this year. Because the NFL did it for you.”

Strength of schedule is based on opponents records from 2023. Vegas’ forecasted win totals is probably a better indication, as teams can drastically change from year-to-year. The boost that head coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud gave to the Houston Texans is a prime example.

The Steelers have a brutal schedule down the stretch, as they have eight straight games against teams expected to have winning records, 6-of-8 expected to win over 10 games. On paper, it’s the hardest final eight games in the NFL, according to Warren Sharp. All six of their AFC North divisional games come in that span, too.

The Steelers will play three games in 11 days, all against teams that won 11 or more games in 2023.

Week 15: Steelers at Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, 4:25 p.m.
Week 16: Steelers at Baltimore Ravens, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, 4:30 p.m.
Week 17: Steelers vs. Kansas City Chiefs, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, 1 p.m.

President Art Rooney II said earlier this offseason that teams needed to commit to playing on holidays, because that’s where the fan interest has shown to be. He cited the team’s solid attendance for a Christmas Eve game in 2022 against the Las Vegas Raiders, even with frigid temperatures, as evidence.

“We played at home on Christmas [Eve] two years ago and had a great crowd,” Rooney said to Steelers.com. “Hopefully, that’ll be the case. Obviously, we’re hosting a big-time team. That’ll be a game with a national audience. That’ll be an exciting time.”