The Pittsburgh Steelers will certainly have their hands full Sunday afternoon at Heinz Field when they host the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals. A win will allow the Steelers to climb back into the AFC North race while a loss will all but doom them to competing for a Wild Card spot with half of the season still remaining.
Regardless of Sunday’s outcome, you know we’ll be doing a little bit of scoreboard watching over the course of the weekend and into Monday night so here is your fan rooting interest guide for Week 8:
Detroit Lions (1-6) at Kansas City Chiefs (2-5) 9:30 AM ET (Sun)
Another week and another early Sunday morning game on the other side of the pond. Had the Steelers beaten the Chiefs last week, this game probably wouldn’t have much significance. However, being as they lost to the Chiefs, we all should probably be hoping for Kansas City to have a long flight home.
San Diego Chargers (2-5) at Baltimore Ravens (1-6) 1:00 PM ET (Sun)
Thanks to the Steelers win over the Chargers a few weeks ago, they currently have a 3-game lead over them in the standings. Even though the Ravens have the worst record of these two teams, there’s no way I can expect you to root for them on Sunday. Go Chargers, go!
Tennessee Titans (1-5) at Houston Texans (2-5) 1:00 PM ET (Sun)
Who among us isn’t excited to see Zach Mettenberger face Brian Hoyer? In the grand scheme of things, neither of these two teams are likely to be competing for a playoff spot down the road, but just in case, Steelers fans should probably be rooting for a Titans upset in this game.
New York Jets (4-2) at Oakland Raiders (3-3) 4:05 PM ET (Sun)
This game will probably have the most attention of Steelers fans on Sunday for obvious reasons. The Jets are currently ahead of the Steelers in the Wild Card race so it would be great to see the Raiders come away with a home win on Sunday. The Steelers will play the Raiders next week at Heinz Field in what could be a tougher game than what we thought it would be when the schedule was released back in April.
Green Bay Packers (6-0) at Denver Broncos (6-0) 8:30 PM ET (Sun)
Just in case the Steelers find a way to win the AFC North, they’ll need the Broncos to lose a few games along the way if they want a shot at a first round bye in the playoffs. Besides, it will be nice to see Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers expose a few holes in that solid Broncos defense Sunday night being as the Steelers will face Denver later on in the season.
Indianapolis Colts (3-4) at Carolina Panthers (6-0) 8:30 PM ET (Mon)
The Colts are likely to win the AFC South by default so the Steelers might be battling them for home field advantage later on in the season. The Panthers defense has been fun to watch so far this season and we should all be rooting for them to remain unbeaten Monday night.
