Results Sunday put Steelers in good spot
For the second time in the past three Sundays, the Steelers did not play, but they enjoyed sitting back and watching the results of the other games. With the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals losing, the Steelers saw their lead in the AFC North grow and their playoff position improve.
The Steelers (6-2-1) are now the No. 2 seed in the AFC after the Patriots (7-3) lost to the Titans in Tennessee, and their lead in the AFC North grew to 1½ games after the Bengals (5-4) lost at home against New Orleans.
The Kansas City Chiefs (91), who beat the Steelers in Week 2, are the No. 1 seed. The Patriots are the No. 3 seed, the Houston Texans (63) the No. 4 seed and the Los Angeles Chargers (7-2) and Bengals (5-4) are currently the wild-card entrants. The Titans (5-4), who are on the outside looking in because the Bengals hold the tiebreaker, are the only other team in the AFC with a winning record.
The Steelers, winners of five consecutive games, might be able to afford one more loss this season and still finish with a playoff bye as long as that loss does not come to the Patriots, who visit Heinz Field Dec. 17. The Patriots have a rather easy finishing stretch after their off week. The only other team with a winning record on their schedule is the Minnesota Vikings, and that game will be played at Gillette Stadium. The other four games are against AFC East foes: the Bills (3-7), the Dolphins (5-5) and the Jets (37) twice.
The Steelers, by contrast, play four teams with winning records — the Los Angeles Chargers, Patriots, Saints and Bengals — plus road games at Jacksonville, Denver and Oakland.
The Steelers and Patriots still have a legitimate shot at the No. 1 seed in the AFC, even though they currently have more losses than the Chiefs, who still have to play the Los Angeles Rams (9-1), Chargers (7-2) and Baltimore Ravens (4-5), though all three games are at home.
The Patriots seemingly have a better chance because they own the tiebreaker over the Chiefs based on their beating the Chiefs in October and have the much easier schedule.
Fading fast
It’s hard to see the Bengals being one of the top six teams in the conference by season’s end. They have lost three of their past four, including a 51-14 loss Sunday against the visiting Saints. In those four games, they allowed an average of 39½ points per game. The Bengals are dead last in the NFL in total defense (454 yards per game) and 31st among 32 teams in scoring defense (32 points per game). They became the first team in NFL history to allow 500 yards in three consecutive games. As a result, Marvin Lewis fired defensive coordinator Teryl Austin on Monday. They have the worst scoring differential (minus-53) of any team in the AFC North and four of their final seven games are on the road, including games against the Ravens, Chargers and Steelers.
On the rise
The Chargers have won six games in a row after starting 1-2. What’s intriguing about the Chargers is they have won despite injuries to Joey Bosa, their top defensive player, and Hunter Henry, one of their top weapons on offense. Bosa, who had a foot injury during training camp, is more likely to play this season, and he could be a big difference-maker if he does. The Chargers still have to play the Chiefs and Steelers on the road, but they have a very manageable schedule otherwise. They might have to win out to win the AFC West, but they’re looking like a lock as a wild card.
After losing three in a row against Buffalo, Baltimore and the Chargers, the Titans are back over .500 with victories against Dallas and New England. Their final stretch of games is not difficult, with only two against teams with winning records — the Texans (on the road) and the Washington Redskins (at home). The Titans already have beaten the Texans and could sweep the season series in two weeks with a victory in Houston.
Dark horse
The Ravens are 4-5, but the Steelers know better than anyone that’s not a death sentence. The Steelers won their final seven games in 2016, won the AFC North Division and made it to the AFC title game. Can the Ravens do the same? Probably not, but they could make the playoffs. They have five very winnable games against the Bengals, Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They also have the Chiefs and Chargers, both on the road. But if they found a way to win one of those games, they might be able to finish 10-6 and sneak into the playoffs.
Almost buried
Jacksonville, which made it to the AFC championship last year, has lost five games in a row and likely has to win out to make the playoffs. The Steelers are in position to deliver the knockout punch Sunday afternoon when they visit the Jaguars. That would be a nice bit of revenge after the Jaguars beat them at home in the AFC divisional round in January. It also would eliminate one team from the AFC playoffs that they haven’t traditionally matched up well against. The Jaguars don’t exactly have a strong schedule after the Steelers, but they would have to beat all three teams ahead of them in the AFC South after losing to them early in the season. Two of those three rematches are on the road in Houston and Tennessee.