The Pittsburgh Steelers can clinch a playoff spot today following their 14-3 win Thursday night over the Cleveland Browns with some help from a few other teams today. Below are the 3 scenarios that need to happen that I posted last week.
Scenario 1: The Bengals, the Jets and the Titans all must lose.
Scenario 2: The Bengals, the Titans, the Raiders and the Broncos all must lose.
Scenario 3: The Bengals, the Jets, the Raiders and the Broncos all must lose.
Scenario number two is the most likeliest to happen today, but let\’s look at all the key games today.
Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals
The Texans really have a good defense and that will keep them in every game going forward. Quarterback T.J. Yates is what I would call serviceable and the Texans offensive line is one of, if not the best in the league. If the Texans do not turn over the ball, they can win this road game.
Kansas City Chiefs at New York Jets
The Chiefs defense needs to force Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez into several mistakes and linebacker Tamba Hali will need a few splash plays to set the Chiefs offense up on a short field. While this will be a long-shot for the Chiefs to win, it is not unthinkable.
Oakland Raiders at Green Bay Packers
The Raiders are without several key players on offense and they have to play in the cold of Lambeau Field against a Packers team looking to run the table. Outside of Aaron Rodgers breaking his leg, it is hard to see the Packers losing this game.
New Orleans Saints at Tennessee Titans
If the Saints defense shows up on the road today, this should be a slam dunk win for the Saints and quarterback Drew Brees. Titans running back Chris Johnson seems to be coming alive for the Titans and he could be the difference for the Titans in this game.
Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos
Tim Tebow versus Caleb Hanie in a key game for both teams. If you predicted that at the start of the season, you better have proof. The Bears defense will need to play lights out and Hanie must take advantage of any short field his defense might get him. The Broncos defense has been the forgotten story these last several weeks and it might be too much to ask for Hanie to pull out a road win. Can Tebow really lose?
Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens
While this game has no bearing on the Steelers clinching today, it would allow the Steelers to jump back into the AFC North lead with 3 weeks remaining should the Colts some how pull off the upset of the week. We have seen the Ravens lay a few eggs this season, but an egg this size would likely need to be delivered via c-section.
