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The Pittsburgh Steelers had nothing to play for in Week 17 when the Cleveland Browns came to Heinz Field. They locked up the No. 3 seed and the AFC North title after beating the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15, but the Miami Dolphins, and many other teams in the AFC Playoff Picture had yet to solidify their seeding.
The Dolphins played the New England Patriots in Week 17, and a win could have catapulted them to the No. 6 seed, pending other outcomes, but a loss would have them locked into the 6 seed and headed to the Steel City for the Wild Card round.
That is exactly what happened when New England beat Miami 35-14 in South Beach Sunday, setting up the rematch of the Week 6 game when the Dolphins beat the Steelers 30-15.
It was this game where Ben Roethlisberger injured his meniscus in the second quarter, and Jay Ajayi rushed for 204 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, a lot will be different in this upcoming playoff contest. Roethlisberger is healthy, and the Steelers’ rush defense is far from where it was when Ajayi ran all over them in Week 6.
The Steelers had won their past 6 games leading into the playoffs, and will look for that trend to continue into the postseason as the team hopes to make a run to their 7th Lombardi trophy in franchise history.
The date and time of the Wild Card game will be released after the Week 17 slate of games has been decided and the full NFL Playoff Bracket will be finalized. When that happens, BTSC will have you up-to-date with the latest information.