"Their sustained success for over a decade here -- Coach Tomlin's never had a losing season," North said. "The Steelers are always playoff-relevant late down the stretch, and they have a national fan base, so their body of work is what warranted the national television exposure for them, same as probably in previous years."

Aaron Rodgers played no factor in crafting the Pittsburgh Steelers’ schedule, NFL VP of Broadcast Planning and Scheduling Mike North said in a conference call on Thursday.

NFL VP Mike North believes the Pittsburgh Steelers would have an earlier national TV game if the league had known sooner if Aaron Rodgers would be playing.