Eli Manning isn't there anymore. But Ben Roethlisberger will make his return to the Steelers in East Rutherford, N.J., against the Giants Monday, Sept. 14, per the NFL schedule released Thursday night by the league.
The game will be one of two Monday nighters to finish off opening weekend and is one of just four prime time games for the Steelers in 2020. The NFL allows teams to play in five prime time games. The second Monday night game opening weekend will be the Titans at Denver.
Included in those prime time games is one against the Ravens on Thanksgiving night, marking the first Thanksgiving home game in franchise history:
"The first thing you look at is the home opener and then the prime time games," Art Rooney II said. "This is the first time we've hosted on Thanksgiving night, so we're happy about that."
The Steelers haven't opened a season at home since 2014.
Manning, who retired after last season, and Roethlisberger were members of the famed 2004 NFL Draft class.
The Steelers' star quarterback suffered an elbow injury at the end of the team's home opener in Week 2 last season against the Seahawks and did not play again. He had surgery a few weeks later but is on schedule to be ready to play in 2020.
This year, the Steelers also will have their first home game in Week 2, this time against the Broncos, Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. on CBS.
The Steelers are tied with the Chiefs for eighth-easiest schedule in the league based off last year's records, with their 2020 opponents having posted a winning percentage of .500.
The Steelers also face the easiest schedule of defenses in the NFL in 2020 based on last year's finish. The Steelers, who finished with a top-five defense in 2019, played seven games against defenses ranked in the top 10 in the league last season.
The Steelers stay at home the following week, hosting the Texans in what will be a reunion of the Watt brothers. Linebacker T.J. and fullback Derek Watt, signed in the offseason, will square off against older brother J.J., a star defensive lineman for the Texans.
The Steelers head back on the road in Week 4, traveling to Nashville to face the Titans in a 1 p.m. game Oct. 4, then return home to play the Eagles Oct. 11.
The first AFC North game will be played the following week, with the Steelers hosting the Browns Oct. 18, with a game in Baltimore against the Ravens Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. The game against the Browns will be the first between the Steelers and Browns with Myles Garrett back on the football field.
Garrett was suspended for the final six games of the 2019 season after he bludgeoned Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph over the head with his own helmet in the first meeting between the two teams last season in Cleveland.
The bye week will be Nov. 1 in Week 8 before the Steelers travel to Dallas to play the Cowboys in Week 9 in a 4:25 p.m. game.
The Steelers return home in Week 10 to play the Bengals Nov. 15, then travel to Jacksonville to play the Jaguars Nov. 22.
There's a quick turnaround, as the Steelers and Ravens are scheduled to meet Thanksgiving night at Heinz Field Nov. 26.
The schedule maker wasn't kind to the Steelers down the stretch, with three of their final five games being played on the road.
First up are the Redskins Dec. 6 at Heinz Field. Then, the Steelers have back-to-back road games in prime time, first at Buffalo in a Sunday night game, then at Cincinnati for a Monday night game Dec. 21.
The Steelers host the Colts, with Phillip Rivers, the third member of that 2004 quarterback draft class, on Dec. 27 before finishing off their season at Cleveland Jan. 3 in a 1 p.m. game.
In addition to the regular season schedule announcement, the Steelers also announced their preseason schedule. The team will open the preseason playing in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game against the Cowboys on Thursday, Aug. 6 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. Kickoff for the game, which will feature the Steelers as the home team, is at 8 p.m. on NBC.
The Steelers host Tampa Bay and new quarterback Tom Brady in what is considered Week 1 of the preseason. The date and time are still yet to be determined.
They will continue at home in Week 2, hosting the Saints on Sunday, Aug. 23 at 8 p.m. on FOX, their second national televised game of the preseason.
The team will be on the road the next two weeks, taking on the Jets in Week 3. The team will close out the preseason on the road against the Panthers, the 18th consecutive season those two teams have met to close out the preseason.
