Finally, the Pittsburgh Steelers have hit prime time.
The Steelers will play their first night game of the season Sunday in hosting the Seattle Seahawks in a scheduled 8:20 p.m. kickoff at Heinz Field. To this point, the Steelers have played four games with 1 p.m. kickoffs along with a 4:25 kickoff Oct. 3 at Green Bay.
“Having an opportunity to play this game … in front of our peers and international audiences, it’s something that we covet and respect,” coach Mike Tomlin said this week.
That the Steelers had to wait so long to play under the lights is a rarity for a franchise that TV networks tend to covet because it draws viewers. Plus, the Steelers have been in contention most of the time in recent decades, having no losing seasons since 2003.
Only twice since Tomlin’s first season as coach in 2007 have the Steelers had their first night game this late. In nine of the past 10 seasons, the Steelers were on “Monday Night Football,” “Sunday Night Football” or “Thursday Night Football” at least once over the first three weeks of the season.
In four of the six seasons prior to 2021, the Steelers opened with a night game.
“The day is different because a lot of times (normally) you just wake up, and you’ve got to go out and play,” safety Terrell Edmunds said. “And now you’ve got to be patient. You have to make sure your energy level is not too high, not too low. You’ve got to watch what you eat before the game, you got to make sure you are off your feet because at the end of the day at nighttime then everyone is (going to be peaking), and you’ve got to be prepared, you’ve got to be ready and you’ve got to go out and help your team win.”
For the inaugural 17-game NFL season, the #Steelers will open and close their schedule on the road.
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) May 13, 2021
https://t.co/qkJRgj7csZ
Sunday’s game starts a stretch in which two of their next three, three of their next five and half of their next eight are scheduled for night kickoffs. The Steelers are to host the Chicago Bears on Monday, Nov. 8, play at the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 21 and at the Minnesota Vikings on the second Thursday in December at 8:20 p.m.
The Steelers also are to host the Cleveland Browns in the season’s final Monday night game Jan. 3.
“For night games, all day it’s just stay off your feet, watch football just hang out with my family,” Edmunds said, “and make sure get something good to eat, of course, and just chill and just try to clear to my mind because I know at nighttime it’s going to be stressful and I’ve got to be able to stay locked in all game.”
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