With a Miami Dolphins loss against the Patriots in Week 17, the Pittsburgh Steelers remain alive in the AFC playoff race.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans around the globe held their breath during the first slate of games on New Year’s day. Their path to the playoffs was clearly laid out: Mike Tomlin and his crew needed a Dolphins loss to the Patriots in Week 17 to keep their hopes alive. Fortunately, New England pulled through.
The Steelers can breathe a sigh of relief… at least for now. There are still a number of things that need to happen over the next two weeks, and the odds remain incredibly slim, but Pittsburgh should at least have something to play for tonight against the Ravens (fingers crossed).
The Patriots and Dolphins game was close throughout. Miami already faced some bad luck by not having quarterback Tua Tagovailoa available to them in a must-win game. However, they also lost backup Teddy Bridgewater in the second half when he was hit and threw an interception. The Dolphins were forced to resort to third-string quarterback, Skylar Thompson, who struggled in the fourth quarter and wasn’t able to mount a comeback win.
In the end, the Patriots did the Steelers a solid by taking care of the Dolphins in Week 17 with a 23-21 win. But this thing is far from over and Pittsburgh is going to need plenty of outside help still.
Steelers still need help
Unfortunately, the Dolphins’ loss was just one of many things that need to go Tomlin’s way for his team to make the playoffs this year. The Jets and Seahawks are now facing off, and Pittsburgh desperately needs Seattle to win.
If they don’t, they aren’t mathematically eliminated yet. However, a Jets win would require the Steelers to win both games and the Dolphins and Jets game next week must end in a tie (which is incredibly unlikely).
If the Jets lose, Pittsburgh will be in pretty good shape heading into next week. Obviously, they need to win out, but they would require the Jets would have to beat the Dolphins next week and the Patriots would need to lose to Buffalo in the season finale.
For now, this was the desired outcome for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their playoff hopes still hang by a thread, but this is one more thing that needed to happen. Perhaps the perfect storm plays out for Mike Tomlin to earn a playoff berth.