The Pittsburgh Steelers have beaten the odds and made the playoffs, either as the NFL’s sixth or seventh seed. Beating the Baltimore Ravens and getting help from the Tennessee Titans, they’ve taken the first step to Super Bowl LVIII.
Their odds of getting there are even longer.
According to DraftKings, Pittsburgh has +15,000 odds of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. As a Wild Card team, it’s no surprise to see them be considered a longshot. But the Steelers don’t just have long odds. By far, they have the worst odds of any playoff team. With the 14-team field set and only seeding to be determined in the AFC, the next-closest team to Pittsburgh are the Green Bay Packers at +6,000.
Here are the top best and worst odds for this year’s Super Bowl.
1. San Francisco 49ers: +220
2. Baltimore Ravens: +300
3. Dallas Cowboys: +300
3. Buffalo Bills: +300
12. Los Angeles Rams: +6,000
13. Green Bay Packers: +7,000
14. Pittsburgh Steelers: -15,000
And here’s the entire list.
In other words, 150/1 odds for Pittsburgh. Worse than the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, two teams who finished with worse regular season records, 9-8 to Pittsburgh’s 10-7. The Buccaneers, however, won the weak NFC South, meaning they’ll host at least one playoff game. The Bills have aggressively high odds despite the chance of being the seventh seed behind the Steelers should they lose to the Miami Dolphins Sunday night.
Three weeks ago, the chances of the Steelers even reaching this point looked bleak. Sitting at 7-7 and losers of three-straight, including upsets to the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots over a four-day span, seemed to doom their season. But turning to QB Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh rattled off three wins with a boosted offense and defense that settled in and adjusted to injuries at inside linebacker and safety.
While the Steelers could face one of three teams during Wild Card weekend, they’re most likely to either travel to Buffalo (if the Bills win tonight) or Kansas City (if the Miami Dolphins win tonight). If the Bills and Dolphins manage to tie, then Pittsburgh would travel to Miami.
This year’s Super Bowl will be held on February 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pittsburgh’s path will be steep and it’ll require the team continuing to play fundamental football with a strong ground game and swarming defense that takes the ball away, likely doing so without T.J. Watt for at least one week. Hey, in 2005, a Steelers team who got hot, won their last four games, squeaked into the playoffs as the final seed, and ran the table proved it can be done. Pittsburgh’s punched their ticket. It’s time to dance.
