How Pittsburgh Steelers Can Make The Playoffs

The Pittsburgh Steelers claimed an incredibly important victory on Monday night over their AFC North rival Cleveland Browns. Much of the story centered around what was largely expected to be Ben Roethlisberger's final game at Heinz Field, with Steelers fans showing up in bunches to support the presumed end of an era for their two-time Super Bowl-winning, Canton-bound quarterback. The victory did more than just allow Roethlisberger one final special moment at Heinz Field. It kept Pittsburgh's playoff hopes alive heading into a Week 18 regular-season finale against their old-time foe Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers can no longer win the division, as Cincinnati's (10-6) unlikely comeback win over the Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up the division title on Sunday. That leaves Pittsburgh vying for one of the final wild-card spots, and they must receive help in order to claim it. Firstly, they obviously need to defeat the Ravens in Week 18—a loss would automatically eliminate the Steelers from postseason contention. Should Pittsburgh achieve a victory, they'll turn their attention to the scoreboard around the league. Secondly, they must pray for an unlikely upset in the Indianapolis Colts versus Jacksonville Jaguars contest. The Colts fumbled an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot by surprisingly losing to an undermanned Las Vegas Raiders team in Week 17. The Steelers must hope for another underwhelming performance from Carson Wentz and the Colts in Week 18. Should both of those results occur, the third and final item on Pittsburgh's wishlist qualifies as being much more straightforward. There simply must be a winner in Sunday night's primetime AFC West divisional showdown between the Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers. As long as their game doesn't end in a tie, which would put both teams at 9-7-1 and above the Steelers on conference-based cluttered tiebreakers, the Steelers would qualify for the postseason. The Steelers enter Sunday with their backs undeniably against the wall, but as they say, "Any Given Sunday."