The Pittsburgh Steelers failed to clinch a playoff spot despite remaining undefeated in Week 12 but at this point it’s really just a matter of time until they do. In fact, based on the official playoff berth clinching scenarios the NFL released on Thursday, the Steelers stand an extremely great chance of clinching a playoff spot in Week 13 and perhaps even before the play their Monday night game against the Washington Football Team.
According to the NFL, the Steelers can clinch a playoff spot one of four ways in Week 13. They will clinch with a win or tie against Washington on Monday night. Additionally, the Steelers can clinch a playoff spot if at least one of three teams, the Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, or Indianapolis Colts, loses or ties on Sunday.
The Raiders play the New York Jets on the road on Sunday while the Dolphins will host the Cincinnati Bengals at the same time. Also playing early on Sunday are the Colts as they’ll play on the road against the Houston Texans.
The Steelers also can clinch the AFC North in Week 13 as well. To do so, however, they will need the Cleveland Browns to lose on the road on Sunday to the Tennessee Titans and then beat Washington on Monday night. Added to this scenario is the Steelers needing to clinch the strength of victory tiebreaker over the Browns, which seems to be way too complicated to describe.
The one thing the Steelers managed to accomplish by beating the Ravens on Wednesday is that it now prevents Baltimore from winning the AFC North division. In short, the Ravens can only make the playoffs as a Wild Card team this season.
