3 games to watch in Week 1 which give perspective on the Steelers future opponents

With the Pittsburgh Steelers kicking off their season on Sunday, there will be a multitude of games going on at the same time. When the smoke clears and Steelers Nation looks to see what else has gone on around the NFL, there are a few matchups between two teams the Steelers will face later in the season.

In the future, we’ll recap these game during next week’s article. For Week 1, here are the three games which could give the most perspective on what the Steelers can expect with some of their future opponents. When it comes to the betting lines for the game, the following information is the current consensus spread this week as reported by DraftKings Sportsbook.

Baltimore Ravens at New York Jets

Sunday at 1:00 PM on CBS
Spread: BAL (-7)

Even though the Steelers do not face Baltimore until December, they will be squaring off twice the season and the results of their games will be important in the AFC North standings. More importantly, the Steelers hosts the New York Jets in Week 4. Although there is the possibility of Zach Wilson returning to face the Steelers, for now the Jets are captained by Joe Flacco as he goes against his former team. The result of this game will likely show the strength of one team, the weakness of the other, or possibly both.

Cleveland Browns at Carolina Panthers

Sunday 1:00 PM on CBS
Spread: CAR (-1.5)

This is a tough game to call. The reason the line is so close is because it’s difficult to see how this will play out. Is Christian McCaffrey back? Will Baker Mayfield be able to pull off the game against his former team? Can Cleveland overcome their 1–21–1 record in Week 1 since they returned to the league in 1999? With the Steelers facing the Browns in Week 3 and the Panthers in Week 15, this will be an interesting one to watch.

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins

Sunday at 1:00 PM on CBS
Spread: MIA (-3.5)

With two of the next three opponents by the Steelers already covered, it made sense to look at the team who they play merely a week from now. Some may be surprised to see the Dolphins are favored by more than a field goal hosting the Patriots. But New England has struggled in Miami even when there is a large disparity between these two teams. Some people are sold on New England, while others are sold in Miami. I’m not sold on either one of them. There will be more time to figure out what’s going on with the Dolphins by the time the Steelers travel there in Week 7, the bigger team to watch is New England as they come to Acrisure Stadium next week.

So there are the three main matchups which can give Steelers fans an indication as to the quality of upcoming opponents in 2022. Not always knowing what to expect for Week 1, the first glimpse of teams playing a full 60 minutes may change some narratives.

Obviously the Steelers game itself will tell fans the most about the season. But which of these other games will be the most telling as it pertains to the 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers? Make sure you vote in the poll and give your thoughts in the comments below.