For the fifth time in six years, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in a very similar situation during the final weekend of the regular season. Once again, the Steelers need to win and get some help if they want to continue playing beyond Week 18.
The Steelers have five playoff scenarios heading into their regular season finale in Baltimore (h/t Steelers.com):
- Steelers victory and Colts-Texans draw
- Steelers win and Buffalo lose
- Steelers victory and Jaguars defeat/tie
- The Steelers are tied, the Colts and Texans are not tied, and the Jaguars are losing
- (Even with a Steelers loss) Colts and Texans are not tied, Jaguars lose and Broncos win
Pittsburgh is currently ninth in the AFC standings and should move past at least two teams this weekend in order to make the playoffs. Buffalo (10-6) and Indianapolis (9-7) currently hold down the AFC’s final two wild card spots, followed by Houston (9-7). The Steelers represent the ninth and final AFC team not eliminated from the playoffs.
The Colts and Texans play each other this weekend, so the Steelers will overtake one of those teams in the standings if they beat the Ravens. As far as Buffalo is concerned, this game will come down to whether the plagued by injuries The Dolphins (who are currently the second seed in the AFC) can defeat the Bills in Miami. The Dolphins are surely hoping to enter the playoffs on a better note after being gutted by Baltimore on Sunday.
Speaking of the Ravens, Baltimore clinched first place after beating the Dolphins, so Lamar Jackson and several other Ravens stars likely won’t be in contention on Saturday. That doesn’t mean Baltimore will be a breeze. After all, the Ravens’ backup quarterback is Tyler Huntley, who was named to the Pro Bowl last year before nearly upsetting the Bengals in the first round of last year’s playoffs.
The Steelers have put themselves back in the playoff race by winning their last two games, including Sunday’s 30-23 victory over Seattle. The play of quarterback Mason Rudolph, wideout George Pickens, running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren and a revamped secondary each played a role vital role in Pittsburgh’s two-game winning streak.
Although the Steelers’ season has been a rollercoaster, they seem to be hitting their stride at the right time. But they’ll need to beat Baltimore and get some outside help if they want to continue their current momentum into the playoffs.
