With the Pittsburgh Steelers anticipating the Baltimore Ravens defeating the Cleveland Browns on Saturday afternoon, the question is whether the Steelers will rest their starters against the Cincinnati Bengals as the Ravens will have already locked up the division.
Will Steelers Rest Starters Against Bengals on Saturday Night?
The Steelers clinched a playoff berth weeks ago. They would have no chance of winning the division with a Ravens defeat of the Browns. Accordingly, the Steelers have nothing to play for, except for a higher playoff seed.
At that point, it is just a matter of whether or not they would travel to Houston to take on the Texans or Baltimore and go against the Ravens in the Wild Card Round, the difference of a fifth or sixth seed, respectively. If they win, they are locked into the fifth seed.
The question becomes whether it is worth risking an injury in a game Pittsburgh is going to have to fight to win if they have no chance of hosting a home game. Pittsburgh might want to seriously consider benching their starters and those dealing with an injury due to the Ravens winning the early game on Saturday afternoon.
However, coach Mike Tomlin said he hasn’t “pondered” resting starters at all — “I doubt I’ll be in that mentality,” Tomlin said. Expect the Steelers to play most of their starters but approach it like a yellow light. They will proceed with caution.
Even if the Ravens win, the Steelers will be playing for seeding in the NFL playoffs, as the fifth seed will get a matchup with the Texans, who have been stumbling down the stretch.
If the Steelers win:
- Steelers will clinch the No. 5 seed and will face the Texans
- Chargers will be locked into the No. 6 seed and will face the Ravens
- Bengals are eliminated
- Broncos have an 86.28% chance of getting the No. 7 seed
- Dolphins have a 13.73% chance of getting the No. 7 seed
The Steelers have been playing poorer football of late than they did earlier in the season and might find it necessary to play their starters for at least one half. They’ve lost three in a row by an average of 16.7 points.
They were in the catbird seat to win the division before the skid. The starters need to play better and they might need some repetitions before the playoffs start next week.
This is the same position the Los Angeles Rams are in, and the Rams are resting their starters. It will be curious to see what Tomlin does as game time approaches.