The Pittsburgh Steelers snuck into the NFL playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the AFC after defeating the Baltimore Ravens in the final week of the regular season. As they head into a Wild Card Weekend matchup with the Buffalo Bills on Monday, could the Steelers be heading back to Baltimore in the Divisional Round if they win?
With the help of the free PFN NFL Playoff Predictor, let’s examine the Steelers’ playoff scenarios in terms of their potential Divisional Round and AFC Championship Game opponents.
What Are the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Playoff Scenarios and Potential Opponents?
Pittsburgh’s playoff scenarios haven’t changed from the time it clinched the No. 7 seed in the AFC at the end of Week 18. As the seventh seed, the Steelers’ path was set in terms of their Wild Card Weekend opponents and potential Divisional Round opponents.
The way the NFL playoff bracket works is that the highest “active” seed in any playoff round hosts the lowest active seed in that round. The No. 7 seed is the lowest possible seed in each conference, so in the Wild Card round, they’re assured to visit the No. 2 seed, who is the highest “active” team in that round with the No. 1 seed receiving a bye.
The seventh-seeded team knows that if they win, they will face the No. 1 seed in the Divisional Round. For the Steelers, that meant they knew they would face the Bills on Wild Card Weekend, followed by a trip to Baltimore to face the Ravens in the Divisional Round if they beat Buffalo.
Pittsburgh also knows that if it beats Baltimore, it will be heading on the road for the AFC Championship Game. That game will either be against the Houston Texans or the Kansas City Chiefs, who will face off in the other Divisional Round game.
Pittsburgh would be quietly confident internally about going into Baltimore and pulling off an upset. The Steelers are 7-1 against the Ravens in the past four years, with the only loss being in a game that saw a combination of Anthony Brown and Tyler Huntley defeat Kenny Pickett and Mitchell Trubisky, 16-14.
Pittsburgh did lose the last postseason game between the two back in 2015. While both head coaches were in place for the Ravens’ 30-17 win that day, neither of 2023’s starters were in the NFL at the time, as Joe Flacco outdueled Ben Roethlisberger.
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The Steelers have a 3-1 record over the Ravens in the postseason, but their last playoff win over Baltimore was back in 2011.
Want to predict the results of the 2023 NFL postseason with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? How about looking into in-depth breakdowns of team depth charts or the NFL playoff schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with all that and more!
