Pittsburgh Steelers: Game-by-game predictions for 2021 season
Week 10: vs. Detroit Lions
Detroit is in year one of a rebuild, and Pittsburgh fans will recognize a lot of faces on their new coaching staff. Both Antwaan Randle El and Duce Staley are on Dan Campbell’s staff but it’s who is on the Lions’ roster that has me strongly leaning toward Pittsburgh in this game. While they had a good draft, they are still a very young team with glaring holes on both sides of the ball. Traveling to Pittsburgh in November isn’t for the faint of heart — or for bad football teams.
The Steelers should be able to run all over Detroit in this game. Najee Harris could very well have his best game of the season in Week 10, and Pittsburgh could also have one of their most convincing wins of the season.
Final Prediction: Steelers 33, Lions 13
Week 11: at Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are one of the best young teams in the NFL. Their defense is loaded with skill on both ends and quarterback Justin Herbert has all the tools to be a future MVP.
The Steelers are going to be running into a team that, in my opinion, will be one of the hottest in the NFL. A trip out west to take on the Chargers and their young stud under center will leave them with a loss.
Final Prediction: Chargers 29, Steelers 20
Week 12: at Cincinnati Bengals
Everyone knows what happened around this same time last year in Cincinnati on Monday Night Football, and the Steelers most certainly remember it. That said, the Bengals are a team with a very good young quarterback who will get better as the season goes on.
Can we say the same about a 39-year-old Ben Roethlisberger? That will be the determining factor in a lot of these games down the stretch.
Every Steelers fan will tell you that there is at least one game later in the season that Pittsburgh will lose that they are solid favorites to win. On top of the fact that this game is a division rival and on the rise, I think the Bengals come away with a victory.
Final Prediction: Bengals 24, Steelers 21
Week 13: vs. Baltimore Ravens
It is incredibly rare that we don’t get a matchup between Pittsburgh and Baltimore before December, but here we are. The Ravens lost both matchups to Pittsburgh last season, including a Week 7 matchup that went down to the wire. The Ravens have lost a good amount on both sides of the ball. Mark Ingram, Matt Judon, Yannick Ngakoue and Orlando Brown are all gone. The Ravens are a little overrated if you ask me.
Pittsburgh is a better team than Baltimore on paper, I think that’s fair to say. They have more weapons on offense and more play disruptors on defense. Until the Ravens can develop a real passing game, I don’t think they beat Pittsburgh. We saw them rush for over 260 yards in the Week 7 matchup in 2020, and Pittsburgh was still able to come away victorious.
Final Prediction: Steelers 20, Ravens 16
Week 14: at Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota had two glaring weaknesses last season; their defense and their offensive line. They drafted Christian Darrisaw, which fans rightfully loved; he will help them up front a lot. That said, has their defense gotten much better? And aside from Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson, who is Kirk Cousins throwing to?
While I think the Vikings will be slightly better in 2021, Pittsburgh is the superior team. Does Minkah Fitzpatrick terrorize Kirk Cousins and have one of his biggest games of the season? That would be nice to see, and great late-season momentum for the Steelers defense. Expect Pittsburgh to also rely more on the run down the stretch to give Big Ben’s arm a rest.
Final Prediction: Steelers 26, Vikings 17