The Pittsburgh Steelers had a silver lining whether the Baltimore Ravens or Los Angeles Chargers won last night. While they much rather would have preferred the division-rival Ravens lose, the Chargers’ loss doesn’t hurt, either. Only the benefit of the Chargers losing is of the kind the Steelers very much don’t want to need.
See, the only way the Chargers losing helps the Steelers is if the Ravens end up winning the AFC North. And the Ravens would have a much harder time winning the AFC North had the Chargers beaten them. Instead, they are now 8-4, a half-game behind the Steelers with a rematch in the offing.
But Steelers fans should come to terms with the possibility that they may end up in the postseason as a Wild Card team. And if you have to be a Wild Card team, you want to be the fifth seed more often than not. As the fifth seed, you play the worst division winner, which is often worse than the best non-division winner. Even though that’s not a home game, it would still be welcome for a Steelers team that hasn’t won in the postseason since 2016.
The Steelers already beat the Chargers back in Week 3, which certainly helps. But after their Thursday night loss to the Browns, they were tied in the loss column. The Chargers dropping last night’s game to the Ravens means they are a full game behind. That leaves the Steelers with some likely much-needed breathing room in the event they fall out of first place.
Bear in mind, of course, that the Steelers still have to play the Eagles, Chiefs, and Ravens. Plus the Bengals twice and the Browns again. The Ravens still play the Eagles and Steelers plus the Texans. But they also get the Giants and the Browns—and a bye week. They can’t lose a bye week.
As for the Chargers, they still have another game against the Chiefs. Optimistic Steelers fans would much rather see the Chargers win that one to keep Pittsburgh’s hopes alive for the top AFC playoffs seed, or at least the second seed given the Bills’ run. Other than that, the rest are very winnable games. They have the Falcons, Buccaneers, Broncos, Patriots, and Raiders, and the Steelers have beaten three of those teams.
Right now, the Ravens at 8-4 are the top Wild Card team, the 7-4 Chargers the next, followed by the 7-5 Broncos. At 8-3, the Steelers are not exactly miles ahead of everybody. The good news for them, of course, is they have head-to-head wins over all of them. And considering the Miami Dolphins at 5-6 are the eighth-seeded team, they have a lot of cushion for making the postseason.
But how likely are the Steelers to go 11-5 or better with their remaining schedule? Many people predicted they would have a losing record in the second half of the year, which is why it was so important they went 6-2 in the first half. Of course they want to win the AFC North. But failing that, the fifth seed and facing the Houston Texans rather than the Ravens or Bills seems like the best alternative. Unless you’re really convinced the Steelers can do no wrong against the Ravens.
