Speculation is already rampant that the Pittsburgh Steelers will play in the 2015 NFL season opener at New England.
The Patriots will host the Sept. 10 game after winning the 2014 Super Bowl and the Steelers are slated to play in New England next season. It would seemingly be an easy choice for the NFL to have two of its storied franchises kick off 2015, especially since the Steelers could be one of the challengers to the Patriots’ supremacy next season.
The Steelers are coming off an 11-5 season, and the reigning AFC North champions should again have one of the best offenses in the NFL after finishing second in the league in 2014 with 411.1 yards per game.
ESPN NFL Insider Mike Sando has projected the 12-team playoff field for next season -- with the caveat that the confetti has barely stopped falling from the Patriots' 28-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
Sando predicts the Steelers successfully defending their AFC North title next season and securing a No. 2 seed in the playoffs
. If the NFL doesn’t expand the playoffs next season the teams that secure No. 2 seeds in each conference will receive a first-round bye.
The oddsmakers at Bovada Sportsbooks give the Steelers a 25-1 chance of winning the Super Bowl next season. The Seahawks and Patriots are 5-1 and 7-1, respectively while the Green Bay Packers are 8-1, according to Bovada.
The Steelers have the 10th-best odds to win the 2015 Super Bowl, according to Bovada, and tops among AFC North teams. The Baltimore Ravens are second in the division with 33-1 odds.
