While the Baltimore Ravens locked up the AFC’s No. 1 seed and have nothing to play for in Week 18, the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t get much help beyond that in the early slate of Sunday’s Week 17 games.
With our rooting guide as a reminder, the teams that would’ve helped Pittsburgh by losing today included the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, and Houston Texans. Those four teams went 4-0 on the day, taking care of their business.
Most critically were the Bills and Jaguars games. Losing one of their final two games in addition to the Steelers winning their final two would vault Pittsburgh over either of them for a Wild-Card spot. Buffalo played a wacky game against New England, one full of interceptions and special teams touchdowns, but hung on in the second half to win, 27-21.
Jacksonville was without starting QB Trevor Lawrence. But even turning to back C.J. Beathard, the Jaguars played solid defense against a 2-13 Carolina Panthers club about to hit the reset button this offseason. RB Travis Etienne provided the firepower with a 62-yard touchdown run early in the second half to put the Jaguars up 16-0.
Though it matters less, the Colts and Texans also took care of business. With QB C.J. Stroud back in the lineup, Houston rolled the Tennessee Titans.
The only positive outcome of the day was the Ravens taking it to the Miami Dolphins, blowing out a second 11-win team in consecutive weeks after dispatching the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16, this time with a 56-19 win. With their victory, they secured the AFC’s top speed, earning a first round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. After suffering multiple injuries in-game, especially to their secondary, and with nothing to play for besides potentially eliminating the Steelers, Baltimore is almost guaranteed to rest key starters for its finale against Pittsburgh. That would include QB Lamar Jackson and likely other star players like LB Roquan Smith, CB Marlon Humphrey, and others.
But next week’s game will matter far less if Pittsburgh can’t pick up a win today against the Seattle Seahawks. In fact, there is a scenario in which the Steelers are eliminated from the playoffs should they lose today and the Kansas City Chiefs win/tie or if the Denver Broncos lose/tie. We’ll keep tabs on that throughout the night. Hopefully, it won’t become necessary.
