When the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday at Heinz Field, not only will they be playing for the AFC North title, they’ll also be playing for a first-round home Wild Card game.
Thanks to the Indianapolis Colts being blown out Sunday by the Dallas Cowboys, they will enter the final week of the regular season with a 10-5 record. Being as the Steelers own head-to-head tiebreakers over the Colts due to them beating 51-34 back in Week 8, Pittsburgh would enter the playoffs as the No. 3 seed if they take care of the Bengals next Sunday.
While I’m not entirely sure, I think there might be an outside chance that the Steelers end the regular season as the No. 2 seed in the AFC. In order for that to happen, however, the Denver Broncos would first have to lose both of their final two games against the Bengals and Oakland Raiders.
If that scenario takes place and if the Steelers beat the Bengals next Sunday, it could come down to strength of victory tiebreakers to decide which team gets the No. 2 seed in the AFC. That kind of math makes my head hurt.
The Broncos will play the Bengals Monday night, so we’ll know if that’s a scenario we can root for next week shortly after that game ends.
For what it’s worth, the playoff machines say the Steelers can’t get the No. 2 seed regardless of what happens.
