The Pittsburgh Steelers punched their ticket into the playoffs following the results of Week 15. Despite coming off an embarrassing loss on the road against the Eagles, the Texans defeating the Dolphins and the Broncos taking care of the Colts ensured Pittsburgh will have a spot in the postseason.
But that's not the only thing Mike Tomlin's team is playing for.
Though the Pittsburgh Steelers took the unlikeliest route to the Super Bowl when they emerged as a Wild Card team to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, this path has proven incredibly unsuccessful since then. Thankfully, the Steelers hold all the leverage over their biggest rival and control their own destiny when it comes to winning the AFC North in 2024.
Steelers could stick it to the Ravens while claiming the AFC North crown
Every kid who went through grade school remembers the rules of 'king of the hill'. It's simple: knock the guy off the top so you can take his place. Right now, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the guy on top of the hill, and if they take care of business this week, that throne upon the mound will be permanent for the rest of the 2024 season.
If the Steelers can take care of the Ravens and escape with a win in Baltimore on Saturday, they will be the winners of the AFC North. Pittsburgh already holds a one-game lead over the Ravens that would extend to a two-game lead with a win.
From there, if the Steelers lose their final two games against the Chiefs and Bengals and the Ravens win their last two matchups versus the Texans and Browns, both Baltimore and Pittsburgh would finish with an 11-6 record. But because Mike Tomlin's team would be 2-0 in the head-to-head contests against the Ravens, the Steelers would claim the division title.
By doing so, Pittsburgh would be guaranteed to host at least one home game in the playoffs. Meanwhile, they would force the Ravens to take the nearly impossible route of winning three straight road games to get to the Super Bowl.
As phenomenal as Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense has been this season, the Steelers can remain the 'king of the hill' with a win on Saturday. Claiming the AFC North title would increase Pittsburgh's Super Bowl chances this year while forcing their most heated rival to take the hardest route imaginable in the playoffs.