Sunday night’s loss to the Buffalo Bills dropped the Pittsburgh Steelers to 8-6 on the season and put their playoff lives in jeopardy. The Steelers still cling to the No. 6 seed in the AFC thanks to a loss by the Tennessee Titans but the Steelers still have two very tough games to go and no margin for error. Sunday’s defeat was ugly and Pittsburgh’s offense was dominated by the Bills defense.
Is this a playoff-caliber team? That isn’t really the question. It’s all about getting in and then anything can happen. So we ask the question, on the heels of this loss, do you think the Steelers will make the playoffs?
[polldaddy poll=10478285]
We still think Pittsburgh will make it in. Next week the Steelers travel to take on the New York Jets and the Titans welcome the New Orleans Saints. If the Steelers win and the Titans lose, Pittsburgh still needs to win and then it won’t matter what happens with Tennessee.
But if both teams lose, it will come down to the Steelers playing the Ravens on the road and the Titans going to Houston to play the Texans. It really could come down to the final games.
Case your vote and tell us if you think the Steelers squeak in or come up just short.
The Houston Texans beat the Tennessee Titans 24-21 on Sunday in Week 15. Where do they stand now in the AFC playoff picture?
The Houston Texans beat the Tennessee Titans 24-21 Sunday afternoon at Nissan Stadium in a gritty battle that needed all three phases for the Texans to take first place for now.
Given that the Texans do possess first place in the division, how do things look in the AFC playoff picture?
Currently, the Texans would be the No. 4 seed in the AFC wild-card. More than likely, they would be the Saturday afternoon wild-card game, per usual, and they would host the Buffalo Bills, who are the No. 5 seed.
Interestingly, the Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are the No. 6 seed, are playing on Sunday Night Football. If the Steelers were to beat the Bills, then Pittsburgh would travel to Houston for wild-card weekend. Given that the Texans would be playing a more nationally visible franchise, it could bump them up to a Saturday night or a Sunday time slot for wild-card weekend.
In the No. 3 spot are the Kansas City Chiefs, who took care of the Denver Broncos and rookie Drew Lock on the snowy turf of Arrowhead Stadium. As it stands, the Chiefs would host the Steelers on wild-card weekend, presuming the Bills beat the Steelers.
The No. 1 seed in the AFC are the Baltimore Ravens at 12-2. The New England Patriots, who clinched a playoff spot today, are 11-3. Even if the Patriots and Ravens finished with the same record, the Ravens would have the No. 1 seed given the fact they have the head-to-head tiebreaker — just as the Texans do over the Patriots.
Teams in the hunt include the Titans (8-6), Indianapolis Colts (6-7), Browns (6-8), and Raiders (6-8). For the Titans to make the playoffs, they will need to win out, and they will need plenty of help in the form of the Steelers falling to 9-7 or the Texans losing next week at Tampa Bay and again in Week 17 to the Titans.
Buffalo Bills opponent information on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
The Bills find themselves in a wonderful predicament, but could be all for naught if they can’t find a win over the next three weeks. The 9-4 Buffalo Bills meet the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, their first appearance in that primetime slot in some time. Major playoff implications are at stake here, as a Bills loss can knock them back a spot in the Wild Card Race, though still in by a hair.
This is easily the biggest Bills-Steelers match up in some time, so let’s get into their history, statistics and more:
The Bills and Steelers first met on Oct. 11, 1970, in Pittsburgh, with the Steelers winning 23-10.
They met in the 1974 postseason, with Pittsburgh taking a 32-14 win in that game.
The Bills won five straight games against Pittsburgh, from Nov. 9, 1986 to their 1992 AFC Divisional Round Game on Jan. 9, 1993.
Buffalo and Pittsburgh also met in the 1995 AFC Divisional Playoff Game, with the Steelers winning 40-21.
The Bills have not defeated the Steelers in the 21st Century, with their last victory over them on Oct. 10, 1999, in a 24-21 victory.
Buffalo had an opportunity to make the post-season in the 2004-05 season. In a “win and your in” scenario. The Bills starters failed to defeat the Steelers backups, who were 14-1 heading into the final game of the season. Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 29-24, in Buffalo.
Their most recent encounter was a 27-20 win for Pittsburgh, in Buffalo.
Pittsburgh leads the all-time series, 16-9, including playoffs.
2019 So Far
In what has been a challenging year for the Steelers, including their fallout with Antonio Brown, losing Le’Veon Bell, and Ben Roethlisberger succumbing to season-ending injury in Week 2, somehow, the Steelers are still in the playoff picture, and have some favorable circumstances going for them. This season has been a massive testament to Head Coach Mike Tomlin’s ability to lead men on a football field, and is certainly a candidate for Coach of the Year.
Pittsburgh began the season with a blowout loss to the Patriots in the opening Sunday Night Football game for 2019. A 33-3 loss on primetime was no way to start the season, especially with many questioning how Pittsburgh would be effected by the losses of Bell and Brown. From there on, two more losses, a close one against Seattle, 26-28, their last game with Big Ben under center for this year, as well as a 20-24 loss to the 49ers. All three quality teams, and playoff teams at that, right now, in Week 15. Not too shabby for a team of backups despite the losses.
They earned their first win on Monday Night Football in Week 4 against the Bengals, a dominant win against a team that only has one win to it’s credit so far this season. This is also when the Steelers traded for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, a trade that turned around their defense.
However, since that Bengals win, Pittsburgh has only lost twice. To the Baltimore Ravens, a 23-26 loss in overtime, and to the Cleveland Browns in Week 11, a 21-7 loss that ended in a chaotic situation.
Pittsburgh has defeated the Chargers, Dolphins, Colts, Rams, Bengals again, Browns and Cardinals, and face a relatively favorable schedule these last three weeks. They hold criteria over a few teams that are breathing down their neck, and a win over the Bills would nearly secure their playoff aspirations.
Currently, Pittsburgh is the 29th ranked offense, with 3,771 yards of total offense. They are 31st in passing, with 2,541 pass yards and 25th in rushing with 1,230 yards on the ground.
It’s truly impressive how successful that Pittsburgh has been, especially with their personnel under center. Three quarterbacks have taken snaps for the Steelers in 2019. Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph, and most recently and successfully, Devlin Hodges. The Bills had four last season and their season was not a success.
Rudolph’s tenure as starting QB was enough for him to be at 31st in the NFL in passing yards with 1,636 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns and nine interceptions. He had a 5-3 record as a starter. In three starts, Hodges is 3-0, and 39th in passing yards with 682 passing yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Roethlisberger had 351 passing yards, zero touchdowns and one interception in his tenure.
It hasn’t been a great year for last year’s emerging rush sensation, James Conner. Conner was a certified stud in 2018, filling in seamlessly for the boycotting Bell. This year has been drastically different, with injuries. James Conner is currently ranked 44th in the NFL amongst rushers, leading Pittsburgh with 390 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. Benny Snell is next up in rushing leaders for Pittsburgh with 320 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. Snell is ranked 49th in rushing.
Pittsburgh’s highest ranked receiver in yardage, is James Washington, who is currently ranked 50th in the NFL. He has accrued 611 yards receiving on the year, Next in line, Ju-Ju Smith Schuster, who is ranked 63rd in receiving yards, with 524 yards. Schuster has dealt with injuries all year, and has not been able to handle the workload of being a No. 1 WR with Brown leaving, and it has harmed him statistically.
One aspect that is keeping the Steelers alive and well in the playoff race is their defense, which is star studded. They are the fifth ranked defense in the NFL, allowing 4,042 yards of offense against them. Pittsburgh is also the fifth ranked passing defense, allowing 2,727 yards by air, and they are eighth in rush defense with 1,315 yards allowed.
Their defense is led by talents of T.J. Watt, Joe Haden, Bud Dupree, Cameron Hayward, Fitzpatrick, and many others.
It’s Week 15 of the NFL regular season and the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to control their own destiny to make the playoffs. Sitting at 8-5, Pittsburgh is the No. 6 seed with several teams nipping at their heels, waiting for Pittsburgh to slip up.
But there’s a bigger picture here as well. If the Baltimore Ravens can lock up the No. 1 overall seed before they face the Steelers in Week 17, there’s a chance they will rest quarterback Lamar Jackson. This would be great for the Steelers if they have to win that final game.
Here’s our Week 15 rooting guide.
Texans vs Titans-The most serious threat to the Steelers are the Tennessee Titans. They are playing great football and get division foe Houston at home. We want to see the Texans pull off the win here to keep the Titans division record down.
Patriots vs Bengals-This one might be wishful thinking but it would be great if Cincinnati could pull off the upset here. A loss by the Patriots gets the Ravens closer to locking up that No. 1 overall seed.
Broncos vs Chiefs-This is another game with top seeding ramifications. We want Denver and their new starting quarterback Drew Lock to trip up the Chiefs and give Baltimore a little more breathing room.
Browns vs Cardinals-We know Cleveland is only 6-7 but anything can happen. Plus we always like rooting against the Browns.
Also, the Oakland Raiders play the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts take on the New Orleans Saints. If the Raiders and Colts lose it gives the Steelers a little more breathing room in case they trip up against the Bills.
The Broncos can still make the playoffs this season. Here’s how.
Despite starting the season with a 3-8 record, the Broncos still mathematically still have a chance to reach the 2019 NFL playoffs. Denver will need a lot of help from other teams, though.
Texans-Titans can’t end in a tie (probably won’t).
Loser of Texans-Titans must lose out (unlikely).
Steelers must lose out (unlikely).
Browns must lose at least one game (probable).
Colts must lose at least two games (possible).
The chances of all of that happening? Less than 1%, according to The New York Times. If those scenarios do happen, Denver would sneak into the playoffs as the AFC’s No. 6 seed with an 8-8 record.
As it stands now, that would give the Broncos a Wild Card meeting against the Chiefs. If Denver won that game, they would go on to face the Ravens in the Divisional round. If they won in Baltimore, the Broncos would then advance to the AFC Championship.
But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Denver needs to win on Sunday — and then get a lot of help — to stay in the playoff race.
The Indianapolis Colts (6-7) suffered their fifth loss in the last six games when they fell 38-35 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
The Big Picture
Though the Colts entered this matchup with already-slim chances of making the playoffs, this loss likely buries any realistic chance of getting in. There are still ways it could happen, especially after the Texans lost to the Broncos.
But the Colts are now the No. 10 seed in the AFC playoff race and are two games behind the final wild-card spot with three games to go. It’s a tough road, especially with the New Orleans Saints on deck for the Colts in Week 15.
This Week’s Talking Point
With the Colts likely missing out on the postseason, there will be discussions about the offseason and where the organization must go from here. We will discuss the upcoming game with the Saints, but the focus of the offseason must become more prevalent with three games remaining.
The Colts have many decisions to make this offseason. Whether it is in regards to potential extensions, the future of the quarterback position and whether they need to actually spend in free agency. This offseason will be crucial to instilling the confidence back in the fan base.
We’ll Also Discuss
What the Colts need to do against the Saints to stay competitive in a game in which they are likely big underdogs. Though winning will hurt the draft stock, the Colts aren’t going to simply lay down. We will discuss the game plan for the Monday night matchup and where they go from there.
AFC playoff picture
1. Baltimore Ravens (11-2)
2. New England Patriots (10-3)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (9-4)
4. Houston Texans (8-5)
5. Buffalo Bills (9-4)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5) In the hunt 7. Tennessee Titans (8-5) 8. Cleveland Browns (6-7)
9. Oakland Raiders (6-7)
10. Indianapolis Colts (6-7)
Pittsburgh controls its own destiny in the playoffs.
With three games left in the NFL regular season, the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to hang onto the final spot in the AFC playoffs. Pittsburgh is 7-1 in their last eight games left.
The AFC playoff picture is starting to round out with five teams officially eliminated and two teams clinching spots in Week 14. Here are the current AFC playoff standings.
1-Baltimore Ravens
2-New England Patriots
3-Kansas City Chiefs
4-Houston Texans
5-Buffalo Bills
6-Pittsburgh Steelers.
If the playoffs started tomorrow, these would be the matchups.
No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs
No. 5 Buffalo Bills vs. No. 4 Houston Texans Bye: No. 1 Baltimore Ravens & No. 2 New England Patriots
Just behind the Steelers in the AFC are the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee is also 8-5, meaning there is no margin for error with Pittsburgh. The Steelers still have the Bills, Jets and Ravens. The Titans have the Texans, Saints and Texans again to round out the year.
One spot where the schedule could favor Pittsburgh is with the Ravens. Baltimore has the Browns and Jets before their season finale with Pittsburgh. If they win those two, they might have nothing to play for in that final game. The Steelers are likely going to be playing for their lives and might be doing it against Ravens backups.
The Baltimore Ravens have punched their ticket for the 2019 postseason after beating the Buffalo Bills 24-17 in Week 14.
The Baltimore Ravens entered Week 14 with a clear and obvious goal: win. With a chance to punch their own ticket into the postseason, Baltimore simply had to beat the Buffalo Bills to do it. While the Bills didn’t make it very easy, the Ravens sealed their 24-17 win and a playoff spot.
No matter how the remainder of the season goes for Baltimore, they’ll be playing after most of the league packs it up and starts their offseason plans. As we’ve seen before, anything can happen once in the playoffs and with just six teams earning a chance to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LIV, the Ravens have cemented themselves among the league’s best squads.
But with the win over Buffalo, Baltimore also opened themselves up to a number of other key playoff scenarios.
Sitting at 11-2 right now, the Ravens have ensured they’ll remain the AFC’s No. 1 seed for at least another week. They hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the New England Patriots thanks to their Week 9 win. With the Patriots playing the Kansas City Chiefs in the evening games, there’s a chance the Ravens could actually go up a game on the top AFC seed.
Baltimore also has a chance to formally clinch the AFC North crown as well. They’ll need the Pittsburgh Steelers to lose to the Arizona Cardinals in the evening games but would set themselves up as no worse than the No. 4 seed if that happened.
Though many might be a little downtrodden after back-to-back close wins thanks to the Ravens blowing out opponents in previous weeks, no Baltimore fan is upset at a guaranteed playoff spot.
The Baltimore Ravens can guarantee themselves a playoff spot if they beat the Buffalo Bills in Week 14
The Baltimore Ravens haven’t lost a game since September. Since losing two straight games at the tail end of the month, Baltimore has gone on a league-best eight-game winning streak to a 10-2 record. As they prepare for the Buffalo Bills in Week 14, the Ravens have a rare opportunity to clinch a playoff spot early.
If Baltimore beats Buffalo, they’ll be guaranteed a playoff berth regardless of how the rest of the season fares. The Ravens could also clinch a playoff berth in the other following ways:
Ravens win
Ravens tie + Titans loss or tie
Ravens tie + Texans loss or tie
Texans loss + Colts loss or tie + Titans-Raiders ends in a tie
As noted in our AFC North standings article, a Pittsburgh Steelers loss and Ravens win would see them also officially clinch the division crown in addition to earning a playoff spot.
Baltimore currently holds the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture thanks to beating the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13 while the New England Patriots lost to the Houston Texans. If the Ravens are able to hold on to their No. 1 seed, they’ll head into the postseason with a first-round bye and force all their playoff opponents to play in Baltimore.
This is somewhat unfamiliar territory for the Ravens. In the 11 seasons Baltimore has gone to the postseason in franchise history, only one season (2011) saw them skip the wild card round. Most of the time, the Ravens have had to pick up wins in the final week of the season and in some cases, they needed some outside help to back into the playoffs. To clinch a berth early really indicates just how special this team is.
Win and you are in. This must be the mantra of the Pittsburgh Steelers going forward. The Steelers four games left to play and there is no margin for error when it comes to the AFC playoffs. But after the team’s 20-13 win over the Cleveland Browns, the Steelers still hold onto the No. 6 seed in the AFC.
Here are the current AFC playoff standings.
1-Baltimore Ravens (10-2)
2-New England Patriots (10-2)
3-Kansas City Chiefs (8-4)
4-Houston Texans (8-4)
5-Buffalo Bills (9-3)
6-Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5)
On the outside looking in.
Tennessee (7-5), Oakland (6-6), Indianapolis (6-6)
It’s fairly remarkable that the Steelers are in the playoff conversation after a 1-4 start. The remaining schedule for Pittsburgh is brutal with the Ravens and Bills with Baltimore as the regular-season finale on the road.
If the Steelers go 2-2 which is highly likely they will need help behind them. We will do a full breakdown of the other three teams in the mix to see if it is realistic for the Steelers to hold onto their playoff position.
