Steelers kick off season on road for 8th year in row, face Bengals for 1st time in opener

The 2022 NFL season begins for the Pittsburgh Steelers with a game against the defending AFC champion, and it ends with back-to-back matchups against their other two division rivals.

The Steelers will open on the road Sunday, Sept. 11, at Paul Brown Stadium where they will face the Cincinnati Bengals in a 1 p.m. kickoff.

“It will be a challenge,” Steelers president Art Rooney II told the team’s website.

It is the eighth consecutive season the Steelers will open on the road, but it is the first time the Steelers will face the Bengals in the season opener. The Steelers end the season with games at Baltimore and against Cleveland.

The schedule is highlighted by five prime-time appearances, the feature game being a Christmas Eve showcase against the Las Vegas Raiders at Heinz Field. Kickoff is 8:15 p.m.

The matchup comes one day after the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception when the Steelers stunned the then-Oakland Raiders in an AFC playoff game at Three Rivers Stadium. Franco Harris’ shoestring catch off a deflected pass, and his subsequent run for a 60-yard touchdown in the final seconds stunned the Raiders, 13-7.

“We’re excited about it,” Rooney II said. “We’ve been talking about that for a while. Franco has been talking about it for a while. We’re going to have some celebrations to mark the occasion on Friday, the 23rd.”

The Steelers will play two games on Sunday night this season: Oct. 23 at Miami and Nov. 20 against Cincinnati. The lone Monday night game on the schedule is Nov. 28 at Indianapolis.

The Bengals, who lost in the Super Bowl to the Los Angeles Rams, have gotten a rare upper hand against the Steelers in recent seasons, winning the past three matchups. The last time that happened was from 1988-90 when the Steelers lost six in a row to the Bengals.

The Steelers don’t play the Baltimore Ravens until Week 14 and will face them twice in a four-week span.

The Steelers will play their home opener Sunday, Sept. 18, against the New England Patriots in a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Steelers last played the Patriots at Heinz Field in 2018, a 17-10 victory.

The annual Thursday night game comes early this season. The Steelers will visit Cleveland on Sept. 22 in Week 3. The game will be televised by Amazon Prime.

The New York Jets visit Heinz Field on Oct 2 before the Steelers head to Buffalo for a game against the Bills on Oct. 9. Tampa Bay and quarterback Tom Brady, who came out of retirement to play in a 23rd season and third with the Buccaneers, visit Pittsburgh on Oct. 16 before the Steelers play back-to-back road games: at Miami on Oct. 23 and at Philadelphia on Oct. 30.

The bye week follows in Week 9 — at the midpoint of the 17-game schedule.

After the bye, the Steelers get consecutive home games: vs. New Orleans on Nov. 13 and vs. Cincinnati on Nov. 20. That is followed by another prime-time matchup when the Steelers visit Indianapolis on Monday, Nov. 28.

After a game at Atlanta in Week 13, the Steelers get their first matchup with the Ravens on Dec. 11 at Heinz Field. They travel to Carolina on Dec. 18 before facing the Raiders six days later.

The Steelers close the regular season with a New Year’s Day game at Baltimore and a home game against Cleveland that will be either Jan. 7 or Jan. 8.

“In general, the schedule is fairly balanced,” Rooney said.

The preseason schedule also was revealed Thursday. For the first time since 2002, it does not include a game against the Carolina Panthers.

The Steelers will have home preseason games against the Seattle Seahawks on Aug. 13 and the Detroit Lions on Aug. 28. The lone road preseason game is Aug. 20 at Jacksonville.

A look at the Steelers regular-season schedule:

Week 1: Sun., Sept. 11 at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Week 2: Sun., Sept. 18 vs. New England Patriots, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Week 3: Thurs., Sept. 22 at Cleveland Browns, 8:15 p.m. (Amazon Prime)

Week 4: Sun., Oct. 2 vs. New York Jets, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Week 5: Sun., Oct. 9 at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Week 6: Sun., Oct. 16 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. (FOX)

Week 7: Sun., Oct. 23 at Miami Dolphins, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)

Week 8: Sun., Oct. 30 at Philadelphia Eagles, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Week 9: Sun., Nov. 6 Bye week

Week 10: Sun., Nov. 13 vs. New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. (FOX)

Week 11: Sun., Nov. 20 vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)

Week 12: Mon., Nov. 28 at Indianapolis Colts, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Week 13: Sun., Dec. 4 at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Week 14: Sun., Dec. 11 vs. Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Week 15: Sun., Dec. 18 at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Week 16: Sat., Dec. 24 Las Vegas Raiders, 8:15 p.m. (NFL Network)

Week 17: Sun., Jan. 1 at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Week 18: Sat./Sun., Jan. 7/8 vs. Cleveland Browns, TBD