On Thursday evening, the Pittsburgh Steelers and 31 other teams in the NFL found out when and what time they would be playing in 2023. Franchises across the league already knew their opponents since the 2022 season ended, but finding out how many primetime games and when divisional contests would come up was finally revealed. It's hard to say that Pittsburgh got one of the more favorable handouts. Head Coach, Mike Tomlin and his team can't be very pleased with how the NFL decided to shape up their 2023 season.
Pittsburgh is slated to have an early bye in Week 6 and will have a daunting schedule ahead of them afterwards. Not to mention, the organization will take on one of the best teams in the league in Week 1 as the San Francisco 49ers will come to Acrisure Stadium. There is no reason for players and coaches to complain now as nothing can be changed, but that's not stopping some from criticizing the league for giving the Steelers two Thursday Night Football matchups.
Former linebacker for the team, Vince Williams, took to Twitter on Saturday morning to rip the NFL. He seemed genuinely confident that the top members of the league office are against Pittsburgh.
Williams, who played for the Steelers during all eight of his career seasons, didn't mince his words. Each team in the NFL has the potential to play up to a pair of Thursday Night Football games in 2023 and beyond, but it's not ideal given the toll it takes on players' bodies.
Williams didn't stop there on Saturday morning. He gave a vivid description of what it feels like to play in simply one game on a short week, nonetheless, the Steelers getting two Thursday Night games in 2023.
Pittsburgh will host the Tennessee Titans in the middle of a three-game home stretch in Week 9. Then, after playing the Arizona Cardinals at Acrisure Stadium in Week 13, the New England Patriots will come to town for the second Thursday Night matchup. Williams didn't even mention the third short week the Steelers have to play in, either. The team has a Saturday game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16.
Steelers Don't Get Handed Ideal Schedule For 2023
It could be worse, but it's definitely not ideal. The fact that the Steelers have an early bye and then two separate Thursday Night Football games afterwards could put players at more of a risk to get injured. Williams is an eight-year NFL veteran and if he describes it as like being in a car crash, two such occurrences are bound to take a significant toll on these guys' bodies. It surely doesn't seem like the league is on Pittsburgh's side with the recently-released schedule.
Do you agree with Williams' opinion of the NFL having a negative bias against the Steelers?
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