The Pittsburgh Steelers have defied expectations in the 2024 NFL season. With Justin Fields starting the year off strong and Russell Wilson taking over and playing even better, Pittsburgh has led the AFC North the entire season. However, after three-straight losses, the Steelers enter the final week of the season with little margin for error.
Let’s look at the Steelers’ place in the AFC playoff picture and how their playoff scenarios shape up after their Week 17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
What Is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Current Playoff Picture?
With the Steelers’ loss to the Chiefs on Christmas Day, Pittsburgh has lost control of the AFC North.
Now, the Ravens are in charge. After their dominant win over the Texans, Baltimore is leading the North. If they win next week, the division is theirs. Baltimore will be taking on the Browns at home. However, if they lose, and the Steelers defeat the Browns, the Steelers will win the division.
Also, with the loss, the Steelers cannot finish as the AFC’s No. 2 seed. The Ravens still have a chance to earn the No. 2 seed if they win out and the Buffalo Bills lose out.
The bad news for Pittsburgh is the Ravens have the easier finishing slate compared to the Steelers.
Do the Steelers Have Any Clinching Scenarios in Week 17?
No, neither the Ravens nor the Steelers can clinch the division in Week 17.
If Baltimore wins, the Ravens would be one game ahead. However, a Week 18 Ravens loss coupled with a Steelers win would give Pittsburgh the division based on division record. So, the Ravens can’t clinch this week.
The Steelers had no way of clinching for the same reason, even if they had beat the Chiefs.
The Steelers have the more favorable tiebreaker situation compared to the Ravens, and therefore have more total scenarios in which they capture the AFC North. Pittsburgh will win the division if tied with Baltimore under any of the following circumstances:
- Both PIT and BAL lose out
- Both lose in Week 17 and both win in Week 18
- PIT Week 17 loss + PIT Week 18 win + BAL Week 17 win + BAL Week 18 loss
In scenarios No. 1 and 2, the Steelers would win based on the fourth tiebreaker, which is conference games. While the Steelers lost to the Chiefs, the common-games tiebreaker would remain tied. Also, the conference record tiebreaker will remain in the Steelers’ favor if both teams finish with the same record over the final two weeks.
Scenario No. 4 was covered above, as the Steelers would win on the second tiebreaker (division record).
How Does the Steelers’ Week 17 Result Impact Their Playoff Scenarios?
With their Week 17 loss to the Chiefs, the Steelers now require help from the Ravens since Baltimore is guaranteed to win the division with a 2-0 finish.
It’s worth noting that the Week 18 game is more important for both the Ravens and Steelers. Because the teams split their head-to-head matchups, the primary tiebreaker will be the division record. Right now, both the Steelers and Ravens are 3-2 in the division. Therefore, if either posts a better Week 18 result, they’ll automatically win the division tiebreaker.