Will the Steelers clinch a playoff berth today?
By the time the day ends, the Pittsburgh Steelers could be locked into the 2024 postseason. In fact, one might argue that it’s more likely than not whether they win or lose. While they have a stiff challenge against the Eagles in Philadelphia, they can get help from elsewhere.
If the Steelers lose or tie, they can still clinch a postseason berth with help from the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos. Both teams, 8-5, are hosting 6-7 teams the Steelers need to lose. Respectively, Houston plays the Miami Dolphins, and Denver plays the Indianapolis Colts.
The Texans stand a better chance of beating the Dolphins and the Broncos beating the Colts than the Steelers do of beating the Eagles in Philadelphia. But Pittsburgh would need both the Broncos and Texans to win. Otherwise, they would simply need to wait another week for the opportunity to clinch a postseason berth.
One thing the Steelers can’t do this week is lock up the AFC North. Even if the Ravens lose to the Giants, they would still be in the running. They would be 8-6, the Steelers 11-3, with three games to go. But if the Steelers were to then lose out and the Ravens win out, Baltimore would win the division.
They would have the better division record at 4-2 to the Steelers’ 3-3, so this week’s focus is only on the playoffs broadly. Actually, the Steelers’ only focus this week is beating the Eagles. A funny thing happens when you take care of your own business: the rest falls into place on its own. You see, this is stuff for the fans and commentators to worry about.
The Steelers have made the postseason in three of the last four years and seven of the last 10. But they haven’t won a postseason game since 2016, nearly half a coaching lifetime ago for Mike Tomlin. The first step is to claim your spot in the dance. But after that, the Steelers will want to improve their seat to give themselves the best chance of dancing on.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Russell Wilson earning a lucrative new deal next year, and is Justin Fields still in consideration? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
