Pittsburgh Steelers team president Art Rooney II does not have many complaints about the team’s schedule, including their Week 5 bye week.
While the Steelers did not ask for that, Rooney understands why it is coming after their game in Ireland, and the team is okay with it.
“Let’s say this, we didn’t ask for the bye after the Ireland game,” Rooney said. “The league has in the past, kind of tended to try to give teams their bye following an International Game. I don’t think that’s the rule anymore, but you know it’s not a bad way to do it. It is a long trip, and so it doesn’t hurt to have the bye coming after that.”
The Steelers had their bye week last year in Week 9, and this is the earliest it has been since 2013, when they traveled to London to face the Vikings.
Rooney does not like traveling to Los Angeles to face the Chargers in Week 10 on Sunday Night Football. Especially because it is later in the season, that is something Rooney would rather not have on their schedule.
“We’re not crazy about having the night games late in the season,” Rooney said. “It happens, and it’s not a big, big deal, but we would prefer not to have too many night games late in the season. Obviously I also look for the long trips and how they fall, and unfortunately we have a Sunday night game in Los Angeles. Not crazy about the playing those night games on the West Coast.”
The Steelers have four primetime games and a standalone international game. Their latest primetime game is in Week 15, when they host the Miami Dolphins for Monday Night Football.
The Steelers have two other games in the late afternoon window, putting them in a premium window for seven games this season.
