The Steelers will play one nationally televised preseason game during the 2011 preseason, a Thursday night matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, and will also host the Atlanta Falcons, the team announced today.
The Steelers will open the 2011 preseason on the road vs. the Washington Redskins, the fifth straight preseason matchup between the teams at FedEx Field. The Steelers are 5-13-1 all-time in the preseason against the Redskins in the preseason series that started in 1967. The game will be televised locally on KDKA-TV.
The Steelers host the Eagles in a nationally televised contest on Thursday, Aug. 18 (Week 2), at Heinz Field. The game will kick off at 8 p.m. and will be televised on FOX (locally WPGH-TV). It marks the first preseason matchup between the teams since 2008.
Pittsburgh plays its second of back-to-back preseason home games with a Week 3 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, which will be televised on KDKA-TV. The two teams have not played a preseason game in Pittsburgh since 1978. The Steelers hosted the Falcons in the 1998 preseason in a game played in Morgantown, W.Va.
The Steelers will conclude the preseason on the road vs. the Carolina Panthers, the ninth consecutive year the two teams will play in the preseason finale. The game also will be televised locally by KDKA-TV.
The times and dates for the three games to be televised on KDKA-TV have yet to be finalized.
Thanks for all the information you give us on a daily basis. I really enjoy reading this blog. What position is the Steelers "greatest" need in the draft?
ReplyDeletedale,
ReplyDeletehow are preseason games determined. can teams request who they would like to play? just curious.
lets hope there are dull preseason games to watch
ReplyDeleteIn my estimation, CB. But RG is also a big need.
ReplyDeleteAs for the preseason games, the teams used to make their own preseason schedules. But now, with the NFL network and such, I believe the league does a lot of it with some input from the teams on who they'd like to play.
I've always assumed the preseason matchups were mostly based on two factors: 1)Relative geographic proximty, and 2)Not matching teams in the same division.
ReplyDeleteThat's why we always seem to play Washington and Philly, but never, say, Cleveland or Baltimore. Also why we never seem to play a West Coast team in preseason.
When the teams made the schedule, they picked close trips who weren't in their division. Hence, Buffalo, Washington, Philly and Carolina being the Steelers' preseason opponents so often.
ReplyDeleteThat's why the Steelers weren't happy with the NFL for scheduling Denver for them last year.
We should play Philly every pre season. It's an "in state rivalry" but we barely see them during the season. Plus it's a close trip, as close as it gets. Dunno why it's not an annual thing yet....
ReplyDeleteActually, Philly is farther away than Cleveland, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Baltimore and, believe it or not, Washington - depending on how you drive.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, a few years ago, a few of us media types were walking into a bar in Denver and the guy at the door asked to see our IDs. When he saw we were from Pennsylvania, he said, "We just kicked your baseball team's ass." Indy is pretty much a wash with Philly in terms of distance.
It took me a minute or two to realize he was talking about the Phillies. Didn't have the heart to go back over and tell him that Philly is another world away from Pittsburgh and nobody in Pittsburgh cares are about the Phillies.
I drove to Pittsburgh and back (from Philly) for the Jets regular season game.
ReplyDeleteIts far and the drive is incredibly boring. I almost think I'd fly Southwest next time for a cheap rate.