Steelers NFL playoff odds, scenarios and prediction ahead of Week 18
The Steelers have close to a 50% chance of making the playoffs entering Week 18
The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17 which keeps their playoff hopes alive heading into the final week of the season.
Once again, Mike Tomlin has dragged this team to a potential playoff berth and has secured yet another season with a non-losing record.
So, what are the odds of the Steelers making the postseason and what do they need to happen in order to do so? Let's dive into it.
Steelers playoff odds
The Steelers head into the final week with +122 odds to make the playoffs, which translates to an implied probability of 45.05%. That means they have a near coin-flip chance of advancing to the postseason. A $100 bet on them to do so would win you a profit of $122 if they can achieve the feat.
With the Baltimore Ravens already locking up the AFC North, the only path to the playoffs for Pittsburgh is through the wild card.
Steelers playoff scenarios
There are several different ways the Steelers can clinch a wild card spot. Here they are:
- Steelers win (vs. Ravens) + Bills lose (vs. Dolphins)
- Steelers win + Jaguars lose or tie (vs. Titans)
- Steelers win + Texans/Colts tie against each other
- Steelers tie + Jaguars lose + Texans/Colts doesn't end in a tie
- Jaguars lose + Broncos win (vs. Raiders) + Texans/Colts doesn't end in a tie
Three of the above scenarios require a Steelers win against the Ravens on Saturday but even if they don't, they won't yet be eliminated. If they lose to the Ravens, the Steelers can still get in if the Jaguars lose to the Titans, the Broncos beat the Raiders, and the Texans vs. Colts game doesn't end in a tie.
Obviously, a win against the Ravens is going to make things quite a bit easier.
Steelers playoff prediction
The Steelers and Ravens will be one of the two games played on Saturday so we'll know where the Steelers sit heading into Sunday's chaotic action.
Thankfully for Pittsburgh, the Steelers play against a Ravens team with nothing to gain, having already locked up the No. 1 seed. As a result, they're set as 3.5-point favorites despite the game being in Baltimore.
If I were to predict the best chance for them to get in, it would be by beating the Ravens and then the Jaguars lose to the Titans. Jacksonville has looked bad in the second half of the season and have a banged up Trevor Lawrence at quarterback.
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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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