Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin said during his weekly news conference on Monday that he’s excited about his team’s health going into the final game of the regular season.
But, even if most of his players are back, there may be little to play for against the Bengals on Saturday night.
Pittsburgh may also be out of the AFC North Division race by kickoff at Acrisure Stadium.
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The Ravens play the Browns at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
If heavily-favored Baltimore wins (17.5-point favorite), they secure the division and the three seed in the playoffs.
If that happens, the Steelers will not host a Wild Card game at Acrisure Stadium.
What will still up for grabs, is what seed the Steelers will be heading into “the tournament” and where they will play.
A win against Joe Burrow and the high-powered Bengals offense, means the Steelers will get the 5th seed and will play the Texans in Houston.
A Steelers loss and a Chargers win means Pittsburgh will head to Baltimore for a Wild Card round game against the Ravens.
Tomlin said he wants his team to be ready for the postseason and that a win over Cincinnati is the best way to do that.
He has a point. If the Steelers lose that will mean a four-game losing streak and a first-round game against Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and the rest of the Ravens in enemy territory.
In summary, The Steelers will either be the #3 seed, #5 seed or #6 seed. The Chiefs have secured the 1st seed and the Bills have the 2nd wrapped up.
There is no scenario where Pittsburgh ends up the #7 seed.