On paper, the avenue needed to be taken for the Steelers to make the postseason sounds far-fetched. However, that could not be further from the truth.
Last Monday’s win over the Cleveland Browns helped a ton in the Pittsburgh Steelers quest to make the playoffs. However, there are still multiple remaining factors that will play into them actually making it.
For starters, the Steelers need to snatch a win from the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday afternoon. With it having been announced that Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson will not be participating in the affair, that makes a win there all the more likely.
Meanwhile, there are two more needed wins that are entirely out of Pittsburgh’s hands. Said wins must come on behalf of the Jags over the Colts, and either the Chargers or Raiders in their match between one another.
Luckily, the outcome of the Chargers battle with Las Vegas doesn’t need a particular winner, rather it just needs a winner. In other words, it cannot end in a tie. The chances of it doing so are very slim, though, so that concern can be thrown on the back burner for sure.
Steelers need Jaguars to win this week
That just leaves the Colts going to Jacksonville while Steelers fans hope for a colossal upset. The Jaguars are hands-down the worst team in the league today, donning a record of 2-14 and coming off of a 50-10 loss dealt by the New England Patriots.
But when looking at the matchup history between the pair of AFC South powers, a Jaguars victory might not seem as unrealistic as it does upon first thinking of it.
The Colts have failed to best the Jags away from Indianapolis for years now, having last done so in 2014. And while Indy has looked strong ever since their slow start to this season, that didn’t stop them from struggling with the Jaguars at home. Now they’re on the road and coming off of a tough loss. Yikes!
But as for Jacksonville, this might also be their worst squad since 2014, with QB Trevor Lawrence playing terribly and an interim head coach at the helm. If the playoff-potential Colts still find a way to lose this weekend, there just might be reason to assume that they are cursed somehow.
Essentially, all the Steelers need to make the playoffs is victory over a weaker version of a team that they’ve already beaten this season, along with just one more choke job from the Colts in Jacksonville. If both of those things happen (and they clearly could), Pittsburgh will be in the bracket for QB Ben Roethlisberger to take one last swing at a Lombardi.