The Pittsburgh Steelers will play their Week 12 game Sunday afternoon against the Denver Broncos on the road. As for the rest of the NFL weekend schedule, there are a few games that might interest Steelers fans, so below is your rooting interest guide for the remaining games in addition to the AFC seeding picture entering Sunday’s contests.
Raiders (2-8) at Ravens (5-5): 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The Baltimore Ravens still have some life after beating the Cincinnati Bengals last weekend and on Sunday they’ll host the lowly Oakland Raiders. The Ravens are expected to start rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson again this week with fellow quarterback Joe Flacco still nursing a hip injury. The Ravens defense has played well most of the season, so this might not be close. Even so, root for the Raiders to pull the improbable upset on the road Sunday afternoon. The Ravens, by the way, enter Sunday as the No. 6 seed in the AFC and that means they would be the final Wildcard team if the season had ended last week.
Browns (3-6-1) at Bengals (5-5): 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS
The Bengals have a tall task on Sunday at home as they’ll face a Cleveland Browns team that upset the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday. A toe injury will once again keep Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green sidelined, so Cincinnati better be able to run the ball effectively in this game to keep the Browns pass rush away from quarterback Andy Dalton. A loss to the Browns on Sunday would mean that the Bengals would likely need to run the table in hopes to get a playoff spot. Pull for the Browns in this game
Cardinals (2-8) at Chargers (7-3): 4:05 p.m. ET, FOX
The Los Angeles Chargers lost last week to the Broncos at home thanks to a last-second field goal. The Arizona Cardinals, on the other hand, are coming off back-to-back losses with former Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich now serving as their offensive coordinator. Win or lose on Sunday, the Chargers will still have a firm grasp on a Wildcard spot and they’ll play the Steelers next Sunday night in Pittsburgh in what figures to be a very entertaining game. While it’s very unlikely to happen, pull for the Cardinals to upset the Chargers today.
Patriots (7-3) at Jets (3-7): 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS
The New York Jets will start veteran quarterback Josh McCown again on Sunday against the New England Patriots as rookie quarterback Sam Darnold is still sidelined with an injury. McCown and the Jets came close to upsetting the Patriots last season at home. The Patriots, however, are coming off their bye week and a Week 10 loss to the Tennessee Titans. A Jets upset on Sunday would result in the Patriots remaining behind the Steelers in the AFC seeding. Obviously, Steelers fans should be pulling for the Jets in this one.
Dolphins (5-5) at Colts (5-5): 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS
In a key Sunday AFC matchup, the Indianapolis Colts will host the Miami Dolphins and both teams enter this game with 5-5 records. The Dolphins are currently the No. 8 seed in the AFC while the Colts are No. 9. The Colts have reeled off four consecutive wins in their hunt to get a Wildcard spot and quarterback Andrew Luck has played while in the process while not getting sacked. Personally, I think the Colts could be a dangerous team should they ultimately make the playoffs this season, so I suggest rooting for the Dolphins to beat them Sunday at home.
