Is it really true that the Steelers will play the hardest schedule in NFL history?
Yes, that is true. Here is why: last season, for the first time ever, two entire divisions – the AFC South and the NFC East – both finished at .500 or better. Due to the league’s rotational scheduling, the AFC North plays those two divisions in 2008. In addition, the Steelers, as the defending AFC North champions, must play the two first place teams from the AFC’s other two divisions (AFC Championship Game participants New England and San Diego). In fact, the only two teams the Steelers play who finished under .500 in 2007 are heated rivals Baltimore and Cincinnati, and those are never easy games. So yes, it is the most difficult schedule anyone has ever had to play. That being said, let’s keep in mind just how much the NFL landscape changes from year to year. This is the hardest ever schedule on paper based on last season’s records. You never know how that is going to pan out. At this time last summer, Cleveland would have looked like an easy opponent and Chicago would have looked lik
