Predicting Wins and Losses for the 2014 Pittsburgh Steelers

Predicting Wins and Losses for the 2014 Pittsburgh Steelers
By Chris Alderson
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The Pittsburgh Steelers, the only NFL franchise with six Super Bowls, are one of the NFL’s most notable teams in not just football, but all of sports. The Steelers have a following like few other teams have in America and with that come huge expectations each and every season. Pittsburgh is a hardworking city full of hardworking of people who love their Steelers.
The 2013 season for the Steelers was a disappointment as they missed the playoffs with a record of 8-8. Pittsburgh went 4-2 against their divisional opponents in the AFC North, but weren't able to get the job done outside of their division. The 2014 season for the Steelers will be one about staying healthy and getting their vicious defense back on track.
The 2014 Pittsburgh Steelers will look for another outstanding season by their two time winning Super Bowl quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger seems to get overlooked when discussions of the NFL’s top quarterbacks begin, but he has a very impressive resume that seems to get better with time. His biggest problem over his entire career has been staying healthy, but when he has done so the Steelers have been one of the best teams in all of the game.
The 2014 season will be crucial for the Steelers in terms of getting back their feared defense each and every week. The Steelers have built their reputation on defense, but the past few years it has slipped because of a number of departures and injuries. I feel the key for the Steelers this coming season is to stay healthy on both defense and offense in order to be a big time contender come playoff time.
The Steelers 2014 schedule is set up nicely for them the first two months of the season as they play four of the worst teams in the NFL from last year. The Steelers have the Jaguars, Browns, Texans and Buccaneers all in the first two months of the season, which includes playing the Browns twice during that span. If the Steelers can get off to a fast start with this favorable schedule they have a real shot at making the playoffs in 2014.
I will go game by game and predict how I see the Steelers doing with their 2014 schedule. The Steelers could be a sleeper team this coming season because of the fact they missed the playoffs last year. I believe Pittsburgh will be strong contenders in 2014 and a real candidate to make Super Bowl 49.
Week 1- Cleveland Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers- Pittsburgh Steelers win
Week 2- Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens- Baltimore Ravens win
Week 3- Pittsburgh Steelers @ Carolina Panthers- Pittsburgh Steelers win
Week 4- Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Pittsburgh Steelers- Pittsburgh Steelers win
Week 5- Pittsburgh Steelers @ Jacksonville Jaguars- Pittsburgh Steelers win
Week 6- Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns- Pittsburgh Steelers win
Week 7- Houston Texans @ Pittsburgh Steelers – Pittsburgh Steelers win
Week 8- Indianapolis Colts @ Pittsburgh Steelers- Indianapolis Colts win
Week 9- Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers- Pittsburgh Steelers win
Week 10- Pittsburgh Steelers @ New York Jets- Pittsburgh Steelers win
Week 11- Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tennessee Titans- Pittsburgh Steelers win
Week 12- Bye Week
Week 13- New Orleans Saints @ Pittsburgh Steelers- Pittsburgh Steelers win
Week 14- Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals- Cincinnati Bengals win
Week 15- Pittsburgh Steelers @ Atlanta Falcons – Pittsburgh Steelers win
Week 16- Kansas City Chiefs @ Pittsburgh Steelers- Pittsburgh Steelers win
Week 17- Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers- Pittsburgh Steelers win

So, after going through the 2014 Pittsburgh Steelers’ schedule I have them finishing 13-3. Yes, I know this is a very high number, but with their schedule I see a great season in store for the Steelers. The Steelers always seem to do better coming off a season in which they missed the playoffs and this seems like the perfect storm for Pittsburgh heading into 2014.
As I stated earlier, the health of Big Ben will be very important in having a great season this coming year. The defense will also have to be improved, but with whom they play and where they play them I feel Pittsburgh will have their best season since losing to the Packers in Super Bowl 45.
The Steelers get most of their tough games at home and I really believe this will be very important in terms of Pittsburgh getting some big time wins. The 2014 season will be interesting for the Steelers and a trip to Super Bowl 49 is a real possibility. I see the Steelers winning 13 games in 2014 and one of the key contenders in not only making Super Bowl 49, but winning and becoming Super Bowl champions for 2014.