The Pittsburgh Steelers imploded toward the end of the 2018 season, losing four of their last six games and losing by either a field goal or a touchdown. The implosion triggered the end of Antonio Brown’s tenure in the Steel City and ushered in a new era at wide receiver led by JuJu Smith-Schuster.

At running back, the new era already had begun. Le’Veon Bell didn’t play the entire season and eventually hit free agency. James Conner took over and it was almost like Pittsburgh didn’t skip a beat.

As the Steelers have been the dominant force in the AFC North for several years over the last decade, the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns now appear to have loaded rosters ready to control the division for years to come.

It’s time to see what Ben Roethlisberger can do with legitimate contenders in the division.

The defense will also be put to the test with several starters returning for the 2019 season. The team also added linebacker Mark Barron and defensive back Steven Nelson in free agency to give opponents some extra threats to worry about.

While the Steelers are still a contender to win the division, it will be interesting to see how they respond to a bit of a whirlwind of an offseason and how they recover from missing the playoffs in 2018.

Read below for more about the Steelers heading into the 2019 season.

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2019 SCHEDULE

Week Date Time (ET) Channel Opponent 1 Sept. 8 8:20 pm NBC @ New England Patriots 2 Sept. 15 1:00 pm FOX Seattle Seahawks 3 Sept. 22 4:25 pm CBS @ San Francisco 49ers 4 Sept. 30 8:15 pm ESPN Cincinnati Bengals 5 Oct. 6 1:00 pm CBS Baltimore Ravens 6 Oct. 13 8:20 pm NBC @ Los Angeles Chargers 7 Bye 8 Oct. 28 8:15 pm ESPN Miami Dolphins 9 Nov. 3 1:00 pm CBS Indianapolis Colts 10 Nov. 10 4:25 pm FOX Los Angeles Rams 11 Nov. 14 8:20 pm FOX/NFL @ Cleveland Browns 12 Nov. 24 1:00 pm CBS @ Cincinnati Bengals 13 Dec. 1 4:25 pm CBS Cleveland Browns 14 Dec. 8 4:25 pm CBS @ Arizona Cardinals 15 Dec. 15 1:00 pm CBS Buffalo Bills 16 Dec. 22 1:00 pm CBS @ New York Jets 17 Dec. 29 1:00 pm CBS @ Baltimore Ravens

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PLAYERS TO WATCH

QB: Ben Roethlisberger

RB: James Conner

WR: JuJu Smith-Schuster

DE: Cameron Heyward

LB: T.J. Watt

LB: Bud Dupree

CB: Joe Haden

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STEELERS DRAFT PICKS

Round 1, Pick 10: Devin Bush, LB

Round 3, Pick 66: Diontae Johnson, WR

Round 3, Pick 83: Justin Layne, CB

Round 4, Pick 122: Benny Snell Jr., RB

Round 5, Pick 141: Zach Gentry, TE

Round 6, Pick 175: Suttin Smith, LB

Round 6, Pick 192: Isaiah Buggs, DE

Round 6, Pick 207: Ulysses Gilbert III, LB

Round 7, Pick 219: Derwin Gray, T

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