The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the easiest schedules in 2020

The National Football League hasn’t flinched in the wake of the COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic. While other professional teams stood still, the NFL showed they are willing to make changes to keep the train moving full steam ahead.

They were advised to not have the 2020 NFL Draft as scheduled.

They simply made it a virtual draft.

People thought they should hold off on the 2020 regular season schedule release.

After a delay, the league released the full schedule with dates and times for fans to look forward to.

None of these decisions were done in a vacuum, or in an insensitive way. The NFL did cancel all in-person draft events, had all facilities closed and has been on the forefront of raising money for COVID-19 relief funds.

But they also know the importance of trying to keep a sense of normalcy throughout the offseason, so they can hopefully prepare for the regular season to be as “regular” as possible.

With all that said, with the release of the schedule it is worth taking a look at 2020 Strength of Schedule. Where do the Pittsburgh Steelers fall in regards to this metric? According to the NFL’s official graphic, they rank second-to-last.

Check it out:

This graphic is designed based on opponent’s winning percentage from the 2019 season. So, with the Steelers having a second place schedule, and paired up with the AFC South and NFC East, you find the winning percentage accompanying the Steelers in the graphic.

Pittsburgh’s .457 opponent winning percentage is second only to the Baltimore Ravens, who have a .438 opponent winning percentage.

Should fans be excited with this news? It speaks volumes about their schedule, as it pertains to last season. But it should be worth noting a lot can change over the course of an offseason. Teams who struggled last year could have made acquisitions which will alter their projections for the 2020 season. However, the opposite can be true as well.

So, when you see the New England Patriots sans-Tom Brady on the schedule, it might seem a bit less daunting; however, according to 2019 winning percentage the Patriots record remains the same.

Can the Steelers coast into the postseason due to these metrics? Fans of the team should know better, but it could mean the team will have the pieces in place to succeed. The question then becomes can they put the pieces of the puzzle together?

Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black-and-gold as they prepare for the upcoming 2020 regular season.