Pittsburgh Steelers Are Long Shots To Make Playoffs, Tennessee Titans Are Heavy Odds-On Favorites

The Tennessee Titans are in the driver’s seat for the final AFC wild-card spot in the 2019 NFL season. The No.6 seed controls its own destiny heading into Week 17 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders still in the hunt.

Oakland is an extreme long shot to make the playoffs, considering they need at least four games to go their way in order to reach the postseason. Pittsburgh’s path to January football isn’t nearly as complicated, but the odds are very much against them.

Tennessee clinches a playoff spot by defeating the Houston Texans Sunday afternoon. Since Houston has already won the AFC South and can’t earn a first-round bye, the Titans have -230 odds to beat the Texans, according to OddsShark. Houston is a +190 underdog

If Tennessee loses in Houston, Pittsburgh can land the No.6 seed by winning its season finale. The Steelers are set to visit the Baltimore Ravens, who have the NFL’s best record but won’t have anything on the line in Week 17. The Ravens are guaranteed to be the AFC’s No.1 seed with home-field advantage until the Super Bowl.

Pittsburgh has -119 odds to win in Baltimore. The betting line favors the Steelers by a point and could keep moving in their direction upon news that Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram and other starters won’t play Sunday.

A moneyline parlay with the Steelers and Texans has +433 odds.

Ravens will not play Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram, Earl Thomas, Marshal Yanda and Brandon Williams against the Steelers on Sunday. Time to get ready for Divisional Round.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 23, 2019

Steelers’ QB Mason Rudolph is expected to miss Sunday’s game against Baltimore with a left shoulder injury, per league sources. So it’s Devlin Hodges as starter and Paxton Lynch as backup.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 23, 2019

It’s possible for Pittsburgh to make the playoffs in spite of a loss in Baltimore, though they’d need a lot of things to go their way. In that scenario, the Steelers would need losses from the Titans, Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars. An Oakland tie would suffice, as well.

Oakland visits the Denver Broncos in Week 17, and Jacksonville is set to host the Indianapolis Colts. Denver and Indianapolis are both 3.5-point favorites.

A Texans-Broncos-Colts moneyline parlay has +575 odds.

Devlin Hodges will start at quarterback for the Steelers in Baltimore. Hodges was benched in favor of Mason Rudolph during Pittsburgh’s Week 16 loss against the New York Jets, but Rudolph is out with a shoulder injury.

James Conner is uncertain if a quad injury will force him to sit in Week 17.