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It may not be football that counts, but exhibition football is better than no football. The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to kick off their 2019 preseason on Friday night when Bruce Arians and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers invade Heinz Field in Week 1.
This will be the first chance Steelers fans will have to see their beloved black-and-gold since they capped off the 2018 regular season with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17. While the team that takes the field on Friday night will be a shell of what will be playing in Week 1 of the regular season, there is plenty to be excited about!
Ben Roethlisberger has been the only player ruled out for the upcoming game, but several players, like Sean Davis, are expected to be held out for precautionary reasons. Maybe the most exciting aspect of the upcoming preseason will be the play of the team’s 2019 rookie class. Will Devin Bush rise to the occasion and be a playmaker from Day 1? How will players like Justin Layne and Diontae Johnson get acclimated to life in the NFL?
All of these questions will be answered throughout the team’s four-game preseason. Get all the information you need so you can enjoy the Week 1 showdown below:
Preseason Week 1:
Game: Pittsburgh Steelers vs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Date: Friday August 9
Kickoff: 7:30 P.M. ET
Venue: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
Weather: Live weather update
TV Channel: Broadcast locally on KDKA-Channel 2 with Bob Pompeani and Charlie Batch as commentators with Missi Matthews as the sideline reporter. Check the national broadcast map to see if the game is on in your area.
Outside of the Pittsburgh are: Broadcast LIVE! on NFL Network
Online: NFL Game Pass offers live out-of-market NFL Preseason games and replays of every game during the season with a paid subscription. NFL Game Center will update the action on a play-by-play basis. The Watch NFL Network mobile app on Apple or Andriod will carry the game live for anyone who is subscribed to the NFL Network channel. A login through you TV provider will be required.
Radio: Steeler Nation Radio with Bill Hillgrove, Tunch Ilkin, and Craig Wolfley. The broadcast will be live on WDVE 102.5 FM and WBGG 970 AM in the Pittsburgh area or check the list of Steelers Radio Affiliates. Viewers can listen anywhere in the world online via Steelers.com, but the Steelers Official Mobile App does have geographical restrictions.
You can also follow Behind the Steel Curtain on Twitter or in the game thread article to catch all of the highlights. Be sure to check back with BTSC after the game for our post-match roundup, and subscribe to BTSC Steelers Radio on YouTube to catch The Steelers Post Game Show with Jeff Hartman and Lance Williams.