It followed a three-game losing streak but the Pittsburgh Steelers finally took care of business Saturday night, blowing out the Cincinnati Bengals, 34-11.
But they came up just short of getting much-needed additional help in the NFL nightcap. The Los Angeles Chargers gave the Buffalo Bills all they could handle but fell Saturday night, 24-22. Under new interim head coach Giff Smith, the Chargers took a 22-21 lead in the final six minutes of the game. But the Bills used one final drive to gain back the lead, kicker Tyler Bass hitting from 29 yards out with under 30 seconds to play as Buffalo averted the upset.
With the night done, the Steelers’ new playoff odds sit at 12 percent. They are currently the AFC’s ninth seed and will look for assistance during tomorrow’s fuller slate of Christmas Eve day games. Per NFL.com, immediately after their win, the Steelers had a 14 percent chance to make the playoffs. Buffalo’s win cut those odds back down by two points. Now 9-6, the Bills have leaped back into the AFC playoff race.
Currently, Buffalo is the sixth seed. The Indianapolis Colts are the seventh seed, the Houston Texans the eighth seed, and the Steelers the ninth seed, one spot up from when they entered the day, passing the Bengals with the win.
Despite playing their most complete game of the season, the Steelers still need plenty to go their way in order to keep their season going after Week 18. Winning their final two games is practically a must. Both will be on the road and neither will be easy, at Seattle next Sunday before closing out the year at Baltimore.
Per our Steelers’ playoff rooting guide, the teams you’ll want to see win Sunday are the:
– Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the Jacksonville Jaguars
– Atlanta Falcons over the Indianapolis Colts
– New England Patriots over the Denver Broncos
– Dallas Cowboys over the Miami Dolphins
While the Houston Texans-Cleveland Browns game cuts both ways, though I’ll personally take a Texans win if for nothing else, to watch the Browns lose.
Still, a loss to the Bengals would’ve reduced the Steelers’ playoff odds to less than one percent. Now, they have a realistic path to the postseason, even if it’ll take a lot of doing to get to that point. Sitting behind Pittsburgh in the conference are the 10th-seeded Bengals with the Denver Broncos one spot behind.
