The Pittsburgh Steelers are 8-5 coming off their 33-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14, and despite the win the team still finds themselves in the No. 7 spot in the AFC Playoff Picture. In other words, if the playoffs started today, the team wouldn't make the postseason. Nonetheless, the fine folks at NumberFire have produced the latest percentages for the Steelers chances of making the playoffs, winning the division and more.
Projected Record: 10.18 - 5.82 (Change: 0.62 wins)
Playoffs: 64.34% (Change: 18.58%)
Division: 3.32% (Change: 2.36%)
Wild Card: 61.02% (Change: 16.22%)
Conference Championship: 9.2% (Change: 2.88%)
Super Bowl: 4.08% (Change: 0.74%)
After the Steelers' Week 12 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, they have seen their playoff hopes rise and fall more than the stock market. However, the win in Week 14, combined with some lesser AFC teams losing, the team's percentages jumped up in a big way.
For the first time in 2015, the Steelers are projected to now finish with double digit wins. Before Week 14, the highest projected win total for Pittsburgh was 9.5, and the win over the Bengals now has them projected at 10.18 wins.
What might have moved the most are the Steelers' playoff percentages. The team's overall chances of making the postseason rose 18.58-percent, for an overall 64.34-percent chance of making the playoffs. Their chances of making the playoffs as a Wild Card team also increased by 16.22-percent for a 61.02-percent chance of being a Wild Card team.
The Steelers' chances of winning the division also shot up, but still only amass to a measly 3.32-percent chance of them claiming the AFC North division crown for back-to-back seasons.
The Steelers are now in the driver seat with three games remaining, and a victory over the Denver Broncos would go even further towards helping the Steelers make the playoffs than their most recent win over the Bengals in Week 14. For Denver, they still have plenty to play for as they aim to be a Top 2 team in the AFC and claim one of the two byes given to the top teams in each conference. It will be a huge AFC showdown at Heinz Field this Sunday at 4:25 p.m. EDT.