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We were all aware of the significance of winning vs. losing when the Steelers take the field in Denver at Broncos Stadium at Mile High on Sunday. Of course, the Steelers need to win to continue to ascend towards the top of the AFC. With less games remaining and bye weeks concluding, the playoff contenders and pretenders are becoming much more defined. Most of the time, Steelers fans know who to root for. But here’s a guide to significant matchups, and whose losses the Steelers would benefit more from this weekend.
If the season ended today, the Steelers would be the second seed in the AFC, but there are plenty of teams to root for in other action. Here are the current AFC playoff standings.
- Kansas City Chiefs 9-1 (Would win AFC West and would earn them a First Round Bye)
- Pittsburgh Steelers 7-2-1 (Would win AFC North and would earn them a First Round Bye)
- New England Patriots 7-3 Would win AFC East and host Wild Card Baltimore)
- Houston Texans 7-3 (Would win AFC South and host Wild Card Los Angeles Chargers)
- Los Angeles Chargers 7-3 (Would earn Wild Card and travel to Houston)
- Baltimore Ravens 5-5 (Would earn Wild Card and travel to New England)
- Cincinnati Bengals 5-5
- Miami Dolphins 5-5
- Indianapolis Colts 5-5
- Tennessee Titans 5-5
- Denver Broncos 4-6
- Cleveland Browns 3-6-1
- Buffalo Bills 3-7
- Jacksonville Jaguars 3-7
- New York Jets 3-7
- Oakland Raiders 2-8
...
Oakland Raiders at Baltimore Ravens - Sunday 1:00 PM
This will be a tough game for the Ravens to lose, but who wouldn’t love Oakland knocking the Ravens and the newly-minted Lamar Jackson era.
Who to root for: Oakland
Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals - Sunday 1:00 PM
Cincy is reeling. The Browns can bump this team further down the AFC rankings,
Who to root for: Cleveland
New England Patriots at New York Jets - Sunday 1:00 PM
The Pats are coming off of a loss and a bye, but the Jeys are terrible. With the Steelers closer to HFA than they have been all year, a cushion would be nice.
Who to root for: New York Jets
Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills - Sunday 1:00 PM
This game hardly matters, but the fork needs to be stuck in JVille. Maybe Doug Marrone’s old team can be the squad to do it.
Who to root for: Buffalo
Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts - Sunday 1:00 PM
Indy is rising. They could be dangerous in the playoffs.
Who to root for: Miami
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Chargers - Sunday 4:05 PM
The Chargers finally lost last week. They are the next opponent for Pittsburgh and you don’t want to have to face a good team on a two-game slide. But that’s a chance I’d be willing to take. Go Cards.
Who to root for: Arizona
Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans - Monday 8:15 PM
Houston needs to be stalled and Tennessee needs to rebound. Houston is only a half game back of Pittsburgh for a bye. Can’t take chances.
Who to root for: Tennessee
AFC Teams on a Bye Week:
Kansas City Chiefs