With the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to the Cincinnati Bengals Saturday night, the team still doesn’t know who it will play Wild Card Weekend. Heading into the final Sunday of the regular season, the Steelers will draw either the Houston Texans or Baltimore Ravens to open the postseason.
Because of the Ravens’ win over the Cleveland Browns, the Steelers were eliminated from winning the AFC North, guaranteeing they would begin the playoffs on the road. Had the Steelers won their finale, they would’ve locked into the fifth seed and faced the Texans next weekend. With the loss, that scenario is on the table but is far from guaranteed.
The Los Angeles Chargers will determine who Pittsburgh will take on in the Wild Card. Here are the Steelers’ paths.
– If the Chargers beat or tie the Las Vegas Raiders, the Steelers fall to the No. 6 seed and will travel to Baltimore and play the Ravens in the Wild Card Round.
– If the Chargers lose to the Raiders, the Steelers will keep the No. 5 seed and play the Houston Texans on the road in the Wild Card Round.
It’s a major collapse for the Steelers no matter how the seeding shakes out. Sitting at 10-3 in mid-December, they were in firm control of the AFC North and poised to secure the No. 3 seed while still having an outside chance at the No. 1 seed. That feels like a distant memory for a Steelers team that’s lost four-straight games and is stumbling into the playoffs.
Kicking off at 4:25 PM/EST Sunday, Los Angeles is favored over Las Vegas and odds favor the Chargers winning tomorrow afternoon. That makes it most likely Pittsburgh will be heading to Baltimore for a third meeting this season. The Steelers won the first 18-16 thanks to six Chris Boswell field goals while the Ravens enacted revenge in the rematch, winning 34-17 at their place.
Should Pittsburgh draw Baltimore, it’ll be the AFC North rivals’ first playoff meeting since the 2014 season. That year, the Ravens took home a 30-17 Wild Card victory at Heinz Field. The Steelers and Ravens also met in the postseason in the 2001, 2008, and 2010 seasons. Pittsburgh won all three of those, all coming at home. It would mean the first postseason game at Baltimore in this rivalry’s history.
The Ravens have been one of the NFL’s hottest teams down the stretch and cruised to a win over the Cleveland Browns in their finale. The Steelers are certain to go into the game as clear underdogs and will have to look like a vastly different team in order to snap their long playoff drought.
