The Pittsburgh Steelers will play their Week 17 game Sunday afternoon at home against the Cincinnati Bengals and they’ll enter that contest needing some help to make the playoffs. As for that needed help from the Week 17 NFL weekend schedule, there are really, at most, just two other games that should interest Steelers fans on Sunday, so below is your rooting interest guide for those games in addition to the AFC seeding picture entering the final weekend of the 29018 regular season.
Browns (7-7-1) at Ravens (9-6): Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS
The Baltimore Ravens enter the final week of the 2018 regular season as the AFC North leaders as they overtook the Steelers for the top spot in Week 16. If the Ravens beat the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at home, they will win the division and the Steelers will then need to look for some really improbable help Sunday night to make into the postseason as a Wild Card team. Even if the Ravens manage to tie the Browns on Sunday the Steelers can win the AFC North if they beat the Bengals at home. This Ravens versus Browns game should be fun to watch as it will feature rookie first-round quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield facing off against two really good defenses. If there has ever been a Sunday where Steelers fans should root for the Browns, it’s definitely this one. Should the Steelers tie the Bengals on Sunday, they will also win the AFC North as long as the Ravens lose. The Ravens are currently 6.5-point home favorites over the Browns.
Colts (9-6) at Titans (9-6): Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
The Tennessee Titans will play the Indianapolis Colts Sunday night in what is essentially win or go home game for both teams. Both teams could also still have a shot at winning the AFC South division Sunday night if the Houston Texans lose earlier in the day. This Sunday night game will be one Steelers fans might want to watch should the Ravens beat the Browns and Pittsburgh beats the Bengals. In short, the Steelers would need the Titans and Colts to play to an overtime tie Sunday night for them to make the playoffs as a Wild Card team. Obviously, there have just been two ties all season and one of those included the Steelers way back in Week 1 against the Browns. The visiting Colts are currently favored by 3.5-points over the Titans.
Pittsburgh clinches AFC North division title with:
- PIT win + BAL loss or tie OR
- PIT tie + BAL loss
Pittsburgh clinches a playoff berth with:
- PIT win + IND-TEN tie
