The Pittsburgh Steelers squandered an opportunity against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17. A win would have resulted in Mike Tomlin's team locking up the AFC North and hosting a home playoff game in the Wild Card round. Instead, it all comes down to Week 18 against the Baltimore Ravens. Win and get in; lose and go home.
But if the Steelers find a way to get past the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday Night Football, we already have an excellent idea of which opponent they could be facing in the first round of the postseason.
The results from Week 17 gave us a perfect outline. The Houston Texans defeated the LA Chargers on the road. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills dropped a home game to the Philadelphia Eagles. The outcomes resulted in the Texans, Chargers, and Bills each finishing with an 11-5 record.
Based on current seeding, along with projected outcomes in Week 18, we might already be looking at Pittsburgh's Wild Card opponent if they defeat the Ravens... and it's tough.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to host the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round (if they beat the Ravens on SNF)
The current Wild Card standings consist of the Houston Texans as the No. 5 seed, the LA Chargers as the No.6 seed, and the Buffalo Bills as the No. 7 seed. For these standings to flip-flop, a lot would have to happen in the season finale.
As a result, the Steelers are likely to face a daunting matchup against the Texans if they secure the AFC North title this weekend.
The Texans are getting ready to square off against an 8-8 Indianapolis Colts team that has officially been eliminated from playoff contention. The Colts are planning to rest key starters for their 1 pm ET matchup against Houston on Sunday, giving the Texans an even greater upper hand in this contest.
Meanwhile, the Chargers are playing a road game against the Denver Broncos, who are in a heated battle for the top seed in the conference and a first-round bye. The Broncos have everything to play for, and considering Los Angeles has already secured a playoff spot, they may choose to rest players this week instead of getting beaten up against another elite defense before the playoffs.
The matchup most likely to throw the Steelers a curveball is the Bills' season finale against the New York Jets. This is a game Buffalo is favored in (and should win). However, if the Texans take care of business against the Colts, a Bills win won't shift who the Steelers would play in the Wild Card round.
There's also a chance the Texans can work their way up to claim the AFC South title. However, this would require a Texans win plus a Jacksonville Jaguars loss to the 3-13 Tennessee Titans (which is an unlikely scenario).
If the Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Baltimore Ravens, they will hold the No. 4 seed and host a playoff game against the No. 5 seed. This contest is very likely to come against an intimidating Houston Texans team with the league's best defense. Unfortunately, this might be the last matchup fans wanted to see in the Wild Card round.
It starts with Pittsburgh getting a win in Baltimore this weekend. We'll figure out the rest from there.