On Tuesday, the NFL released the complete schedule for the 2009 season and it appears that some teams will have a tougher road to the Super bowl than others.

The defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the easiest schedules in the league in terms of strength of schedule, coming in at 29th. Despite that fact, this is still the NFL and there still are some tough matchups on the Steelers slate. The Steelers open at home on Thursday Sept. 10, against the Tennessee Titans in a primetime game, then go on to face the Chicago Bears with new addition Jay Cutler at quarterback and the San Diego Chargers in week four.

Early on the Steelers also face the Detroit Lions who went 0-16 last season, the Cincinnati Bengals who have lost receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and the Cleveland Browns who have a new head coach and no real identity. In week eight, the Steelers have a bye, but have to return in week nine to play the Denver Broncos at Mile High.

The other tough games for the Steelers will be in week 12 and week 16 when they have to play the Baltimore Ravens. These games should be hard fought battles between two teams that have similar styles of play and attitudes. It also will be a rematch of the AFC championship game of a year ago. One thing about the Steelers is that last season they had the toughest schedule as rated by strength and they won it all so don’t be surprised if they make a return trip to the Super Bowl this season with one of the league’s easier schedules.

The Detroit Lions are looking to avoid a repeat of last season, but things don’t look good for Detroit early on. The Lions start off the season on the road against the New Orleans Saints, and unless the team picks up some NFL ready players between now and their first game, look for the losing tradition to continue into the new season.

The Lions may be able to steal a win in week two when they face off against the Minnesota Vikings at home, but at this point, that may be a stretch. The Lions will have to contain a bigger, stronger Adrian Peterson and put an offense on the field that can score points, not field goals.

It only gets worse for the Lions as they go on to face the Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, and the Pittsburgh Steelers in the following weeks. The best chance for the Lions first victory in a long time appears to be after their by in week seven. Coming off the bye, the Lions face the lowly St. Louis Rams, a team almost as bad as them.

The Lions are lucky enough to have the Browns and Bengals on their schedule as well, which will help the Lions bounce back from their winless season and at least garner around four wins this season. That would be a drastic turnaround after not winning any games last season.

Another team with a very interesting schedule for 2009 is the Denver Broncos. The Broncos have a new head coach in Josh McDaniels and a new quarterback in Kyle Orton, but are trying not to be labeled as a team that is rebuilding. The Broncos schedule seems to be very favorable early on, and could easily spark them to a 3-0 start.

The Broncos open on the road against the Bengals and then return home to play the Browns. In week three, the Broncos will head to Oakland to take on the Raiders in a game that the Broncos should win.

Just when Broncos fans think the season in going great, the team will have to face the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and San Diego Chargers. Coming out of the bye week in week seven, the Broncos will have to face the Ravens, Steelers, Redskins, Chargers and Giants.

The Broncos will then play the Kansas City Chiefs in a game that will feature Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel against Broncos’ coach McDaniels in a battle between former coach and player. Coming out of that matchup, the Broncos will renew their rivalry with the Indianapolis Colts in week 14.

Week 16 has the Broncos traveling to Philadelphia for the first time since former Eagles safety Brian Dawkins was acquired by Denver in free agency.

Other interesting notes about the 2009 NFL schedule include the Dallas Cowboys playing six primetime games in their new stadium and the Bills and Patriots playing a Monday Night Football game in honor of the old AFL. This game also will be the first time fans get to see Tom Brady in full action since his injury last season and T.O. playing for the Bills and against another great receiver in Randy Moss.

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