Pittsburgh Steelers Control Their 2019 Playoff Hopes With Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills In The Way

With three-quarters of the 2019 NFL season complete, the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) are in control of their own postseason destiny. Following a big win over the Cleveland Browns (5-7), Pittsburgh enters Week 14 in the playoff picture as the AFC’s No.6 seed.

The Steelers held onto the conference’s final wild-card spot by defeating the Browns 20-13. A loss would’ve dropped Pittsburgh behind the Tennessee Titans (7-5), who defeated the Indianapolis Colts (6-6) and moved up to the No.7 seed in the conference.

An Indianapolis victory would’ve been better for Pittsburgh. The Steelers own the tiebreaker over the Colts because of a head-to-head win over Indianapolis in Week 9.

Pittsburgh has the current tiebreaker over Tennessee because they have a better conference record. Both the Steelers and Titans have three games left with AFC opponents. They won’t meet in the regular season.

The Oakland Raiders (6-6) are the No.8 seed in the conference.

The Baltimore Ravens (10-2) have all but wrapped up the AFC North. Tied for the best record in the NFL, Baltimore has a three-game lead over Pittsburgh in the division. The Ravens beat the Steelers in Week 5 to begin their current eight-game winning streak.

Baltimore might not have anything to play for when the two rivals meet again in Week 17. On paper, that is Pittsburgh’s toughest remaining game.

The Steelers could be favored in each of their next three games. Pittsburgh is a 1.5-point road favorite against the Arizona Cardinals (3-8-1) in Week 14, according to OddsShark. The Steelers will host the Buffalo Bills (9-3) in Week 15 before visiting the New York Jets (4-8) in Week 16.

Buffalo is the AFC’s No.5 seed. There’s a chance the Steelers can move into the first wild-card spot with a win over the Bills.

Pittsburgh is in the driver’s seat in the wild-card race, despite being down to their third starting quarterback. Devlin Hodges went 14-21 for 212 yards, one touchdown and an interception in Sunday’s win.

One of the league’s best defenses has kept the Steelers’ playoff hopes alive. Pittsburgh ranks fifth in both total yards allowed an opponents’ yards per play.