The revenge game is almost upon us as Cleveland sashays into town. We are all aware of the emotions and vitriol that will surround this matchup. We are also were all aware of the significance of winning vs. losing when the Steelers take the field against the Browns. If the Steelers fall to the Browns, they will be tied and will lose a tiebreaker against their division foes. Of course, the Steelers have to win, but other games still have a direct impact on them. With parity ablaze in the AFC, the playoff contenders are far from being determined. However, it starts taking more and more of a shape with every passing week. 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. Once again, the Steelers need to win for this wish list to be viable. For those that argue that this is a fruitless exercise, then think of this as a rooting guide for the Steelers traded first-rounder to go later.
If the season ended today, the Steelers would be the sixth seed in the AFC, but there are plenty of teams to root for in other action.
Here are the current AFC playoff standings.
- New England Patriots 10-1 (Would win AFC East and would earn a First Round Bye)
- Baltimore Ravens 9-2 (Would win AFC North and earn a First Round Bye)
- Houston Texans 7-4 (Would win AFC South and host Wild Card Pittsburgh)
- Kansas City Chiefs 7-4 (Would win AFC West and host Wild Card Buffalo)
- Buffalo Bills 9-3 (Would earn Wild Card and travel to Kansas City)
- Pittsburgh Steelers 6-5 (Would earn Wild Card and travel to Houston)
- Oakland Raiders 6-5
- Indianapolis Colts 6-5
- Tennessee Titans 6-5
- Cleveland Browns 5-6
- Jacksonville Jaguars 4-7
- Los Angeles Chargers 4-7
- New York Jets 4-7
- Denver Broncos 3-8
- Miami Dolphins 2-9
- X Cincinnati Bengals 0-11
(X) eliminated
Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts - Sunday 1:00 PM
The Steelers are ahead of both of these teams with the same record. The main thing to root for is not a tie. However, the victory over Indy on November 3rd gives them an added advantage. So I’m pulling for the Titans to lose. But again, either team losing benefits Pittsburgh.
Who to root for: Indianapolis
San Francisco 49ers at Baltimore Ravens - Sunday 1:00 PM
The Ravens, after their brutal beating of the Rams in Los Angeles, will be pretty tough to catch for the division title. However, the Niners are a Super Bowl contender. Unfortunately, this game is in Baltimore. That benefits the birdies.
Who to root for: San Francisco
Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs - Sunday 1:00 PM
The Steelers could benefit if the Chiefs were out of the playoffs altogether, but the Raiders schedule is cake after this game and I’d rather see them fall here for the Steelers’ sake.
Who to root for: Kansas City
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars are down the list of threats, but a loss knocks them down to eight losses and pretty much out of the running.
Who to root for: Tampa Bay
Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos
To echo my last sentiment, this game too is pretty much in consequential to the Steelers. Just like the Jaguars of Jacksonville, a loss would be a playoff death knell for Los Angeles.
Who to root for: Denver
New England Patriots at Houston Texans - Sunday 8:20 PM
This comes down to who would you rather the Steelers play in the playoffs should you make it. Houston might be a better option than KC. But if Indy or Tennessee could somehow win the AFC South, that would be good. They are the longer shots, so on principle...root against New England.
Who to root for: Houston
Other AFC Games in Week 13:
New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals
Philadelphia Eagles at Miami Dolphins