Pittsburgh Steelers AFC Playoff Outlook Heading Into NFL Week 15
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- After starting off the season 0-3, the Steelers have won 8 of the last 10 games, and sit right in the thick of the AFC Playoff Picture.
Currently at 8-5, the Steelers can pave their own way to the playoffs. Win the last three games against the Bills at home and the Jets plus Ravens on the road and Pittsburgh is in. The team can most likely stand to lose one of the last three and still have good chance to sneak into the post season.
"Here's the AFC Playoff Picture with Week 14 in the books."
Here's the AFC Playoff Picture with Week 14 in the books. pic.twitter.com/aUsAcTOiF8
— NFL on CBS ???? (@NFLonCBS) December 9, 2019
If the playoffs started today, the Steelers would sit in the 6th and last seed for the AFC. Pittsburgh would have to travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs, who are the projected 3rd seed, on Wild Card Weekend. The Chiefs hold a 9-4 overall record.
The other current Wild Card matchup features the 5th seeded Buffalo Bills (9-4) taking on the 4th seeded Houston Texans (8-5). The Baltimore Ravens (11-2) and New England Patriots (10-3) hold the 1 and 2 seeds respectively. They would have the first round bye if the playoffs started today. Currently, the Ravens have clinched a playoff spot, while the Chiefs have clinched the AFC West.
"Your updated NFL Playoff Picture:"
Your updated NFL Playoff Picture: pic.twitter.com/SL58AzgQbN
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) December 9, 2019
A lot can change in a matter of three weeks, and all it can take is a couple of losses by key teams to completely shift the outlook of the AFC. Currently, the Tennessee Titans (8-5), Cleveland Browns (6-7), Oakland Raiders (6-7), Indianapolis Colts (6-7) and Denver Broncos (5-8) are all still in the hunt for a postseason bid, but if the current teams in the projected playoffs do not have a late meltdown, the Titans really have the only legitimate chance to still crack January football. It is very rare to see a team with more than six losses make the postseason in the NFL.
According to the New York Times Steelers Playoff Predictor, the 23-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals boosted Pittsburgh's chances to nearly 70%. The predictor can be used to play out all hypothetical scenarios for the playoffs over the next few weeks.
The Steelers have a crucial matchup against the Bills at Heinz Field in prime time Sunday night at 8:20 p.m. A win for Pittsburgh can tie Buffalo, and with the tiebreaker, the Steelers could jump them for the 5th Wild Card spot.