There is an extra playoff team in each conference starting in 2020. This will greatly help the Pittsburgh Steelers and their chances going into the postseason.
The league announced that they will be adding in another playoff spot in each conference for 2020 in march. Had this spot been opened, the Steelers would have made the playoffs in 2019. But this is great news for the Steelers coming into the new year.
Slow Starters
In the previous two seasons the Steelers have started 1-3 and 1-2-1. The hopes are that Pittsburgh can start faster this season but the Steelers have had issues shaking off preaseason rust in the past. Considering that Ben Roethlisberger hasn’t thrown in a game in nearly a year the Steelers are sure to see some rust that will need shaken off. That being said the Steelers are getting a bit of a break as it will be slightly easier to make the playoffs now that their is an additional wild card.
No bye for the second seed
With the new playoff format their is an additional wild card game that eliminates the bye for the second seed. That means that if the Steelers secure the first seed they will be the most rested team in the AFC going into the divisional round of the playoffs. This also means that unless the Steelers have the first seed locked, or are in contention for the first seed, there is more incentive to rest their stars in the final game of the season. This new format will help the Steelers stay healthy entering the postseason in 2020 even if they no longer have a chance of obtaining a bye with the second seed.