The Pittsburgh Steelers are off this weekend following their disappointing – to put it lightly – 21-18 loss to the New England Patriots Thursday. Having dropped their last two games, they need help more than ever. As laid out by Pro Football Focus’ Timo Riske earlier this week, here’s a handy guide of how the Steelers can receive the maximum amount of help during today’s slate of games.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns – Root For Jaguars
An obvious one here. For the Steelers to end Week 14 in second place in the division, the Cleveland Browns have to lose. Right now, it’s unclear who their starting quarterback will be, though veteran Joe Flacco is most likely to get the nod over rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson. But there are questions about the quarterback situation in Jacksonville too after Trevor Lawrence sprained his ankle in Monday night’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Right now, the belief is that Lawrence will give it a go.
The Browns will rely on their elite defense to win this one.
Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs – Root For Chiefs
Let the Chiefs win the AFC West, that’s fine. For Pittsburgh, a Bills loss would help – a little bit – clear out a Wild Card spot. The Miami Dolphins are going to win the AFC East, meaning the Bills have to hope for one of the three final playoff spots. A Chiefs win here would drop them to 6-7. Not the most impactful game for Pittsburgh but this one still matters.
Los Angeles Rams at Baltimore Ravens – Root For Rams
Though the odds of anyone other than the Ravens winning the AFC North aren’t great, it’s still clear to root for the Rams here. Baltimore looks like one of the top teams in the AFC and despite injuries to the likes of TE Mark Andrews, the Ravens still have QB Lamar Jackson upright. It’s also a strong coaching staff and excellent defense. QB Matthew Stafford and company will have to be at their best.
Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals – Root for Bengals
It’s not often the right call to root for Cincinnati. But here, it is. The Colts are a more direct competitor to a playoff spot than the Bengals are. Though Jake Browning is keeping Cincinnati around, leading an overtime win over Jacksonville Monday night, the Bengals’ poor AFC North record (0-4) is really going to hurt them in a Wild Card race. The Colts come into this one 7-5.
Of course, the Steelers need to beat the Colts next weekend or none of this really matters.
Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins – Root For Titans
Again, this one doesn’t have high implications. But on the off chance the Dolphins stumble and go on a losing streak, Tennessee pulling off a crazy victory wouldn’t be bad for the Steelers. At 5-8, the Titans don’t have much of a playoff chance. So root for the upset and some chaos.
Houston Texans at New York Jets – Root For Jets
For weeks, it seemed like if there was a division to send three teams to the postseason, it’d be the AFC North. Now, it might be the AFC South. With Jacksonville, Houston, and Indianapolis vying for spots, this race has really tightened up. If they don’t capture the division, the Texans will be in prime position to land a Wild Card spot. So a Jets upset here would do Pittsburgh plenty of good. Rookie QB C.J. Stroud has been sensational and has all the makings of the Texans’ long-term answer.
Of course, the Jets winning will take a lot as they go back to Zach Wilson as their starting quarterback. New York hasn’t scored more than 13 points since Week Five. Incredible.
Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers – Root For Chargers
Credit to Sean Peyton’s bunch. After a dreadful 1-4 start, Denver has stormed back to 6-6 and is “in the hunt” of the Wild Card race. The Chargers, for all their talent, have again dealt with injuries and close losses, 5-7 on the year. Better for them to go to 6-7 than for Denver to cross above .500 and become a true Wild Card contender.
Minnesota Vikings at Las Vegas Raiders – Root for Vikings
Not fully sure of the math that makes it better for the Raiders to beat an NFC team, but this is an outlier here, according to PFF’s chart. Minnesota is sticking with ex-Steelers QB Josh Dobbs as its starter, and he must play better than his previous four-interception outing.
Here’s a full look at PFF’s Week 14 rooting guide.
