When the Pittsburgh Steelers take to the field Monday night, there will be many questions about their sputtering offense and their fatiguing defense.
Even if coach Mike Tomlin’s team snaps its two-game losing streak in Cincinnati, the fanbase will take that result with a massive grain of salt. Which probably could come in handy as you continue to dig out from this week’s winter storm.
That’s because the lowly Bengals (2-10-1) have only scored 50 points over the past five games.
But one issue should be clear by Tuesday morning. Barring a huge upset by the Bengals, the Steelers will be AFC North champions.
A win by the Steelers will officially eliminate the Cleveland Browns from divisional contention. The Steelers may even have the division sewn up by the time they take the field Monday night if the Browns lose to the New York Giants on Sunday evening.
So, let’s take a look at that game and all the other contests this weekend that could influence the Steelers and their playoff standing before “Monday Night Football.”
AFC North
I’m guessing the Steelers will get no assistance from teams playing their divisional foes Sunday.
The defensive woes shown by the Browns (9-4) last Monday night in their 47-42 loss to the Baltimore Ravens won’t manifest this week as they visit the Giants (5-8) Sunday night.
The status of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is unclear thanks to an ankle problem. If he can’t play, former Browns QB Colt McCoy will have to get the start for New York. McCoy helped the Giants to win when he split time with Jones in a 19-17 result over the Bengals three weeks ago. Then he stunned the Seattle Seahawks with a 17-12 victory, and he mopped up during a 26-7 loss to Arizona last week.
However, McCoy has totaled just 154 yards during those outings, and the Giants are averaging a meager 14.3 points per game over the past three contests.
Expect the Browns to stay alive in the division race for an additional 24 hours and improve their wild-card positioning. I’ve got Cleveland winning 29-14.
Meanwhile, the Ravens (8-5) can’t win the North because they lost to the Steelers twice. But they can still slither into the playoffs. No doubt they’ll take step one this weekend against the woeful Jacksonville Jaguars (1-12).
I know Gardner Minshew is back for the Jags. And I know most of Baltimore’s receivers are on the covid-19 list. It won’t matter. That’ll just encourage Lamar Jackson and company to run even more. That’s what the Ravens do best anyway.
Ravens roll 33-16.
The Chiefs and Bills
Most of Pittsburgh seems to have talked itself into believing that the Kansas City Chiefs (12-1) are going to lose to the New Orleans Saints (10-3) this weekend, and that will keep the Steelers’ faint hopes alive for the top spot in the AFC playoff picture.
I haven’t. I feel like the only two cities in America that are thinking with their hearts in that regard are Pittsburgh and New Orleans (10-3).
Kansas City is a 3.5-point favorite. I say they’ll win and cover.
But even if they don’t, the Steelers would still be behind the Chiefs in terms of the tiebreakers because they beat the Buffalo Bills and the Steelers didn’t.
So even with a loss to New Orleans, the Chiefs would be in the driver’s seat, until or unless they somehow lose to Atlanta (4-9) or the Los Angeles Chargers (5-9) down the stretch.
Speaking of the Bills (10-3), they have a Saturday afternoon (4:30 p.m.) affair in Denver. The Broncos (5-8) can be tricky. Especially at home. They are 5.5-point underdogs. They might cover. But I like the Bills to get win No. 11 and pull within a half-game of the Steelers for second place in the conference.
By the way, Buffalo’s last two games after Denver aren’t easy. But the Bills should win both of them. They are in New England in Week 16. Then they host the Miami Dolphins in Week 17.
The AFC South
The Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans can’t seem to shake one another.
They are both 9-4. They split a recent set of games against each other. They are tied for the divisional lead. But the Titans have the tiebreaking advantage right now by virtue of a better divisional record. They are 4-1 in the South. The Colts are 2-2.
Their schedules are similar down the stretch, too. They both should win Sunday. Indy hosts the 4-9 Houston Texans. Tennessee welcomes the 5-8 Lions.
Then they each have tough games next week as the Colts have to come to Heinz Field and the Titans go to Green Bay (10-3).
Both clubs should be heavy favorites to win their final games in Week 17 as the Titans are at home for Houston and the Colts entertain Jacksonville.
If you made me guess right now, the Titans win two but lose in Green Bay to finish at 11-5. Meanwhile, the Colts win all three. Yes, including beating the Steelers next week.
That’s unless Ben Roethlisberger and company figure out their anemic offense in a hurry. The Colts defense is sixth in the NFL in yards per game allowed (327.1). The Steelers are 23rd in offensive yards per game (335.5).
The Miami Dolphins
If the playoffs started right now — and as you may have noticed, they don’t — the Dolphins (8-5) would be at Heinz Field during the first playoff weekend as the seventh seed. The Steelers would play host to them as the second seed behind K.C.
Miami is a nice story. But they’ll probably lose in Buffalo on Jan. 3, and I think they’ll be an upset victim this week when the Patriots come calling Sunday afternoon. Pats win 23-21.
If I’m right about the Dolphins sinking while the Chiefs, Bills and Colts go unbeaten, then that means the Steelers would be the third or fourth seed depending on what happens in their Week 17 game against the Browns.
And they’d be hosting Baltimore, Tennessee or the Browns again in the first week of the playoffs instead of Miami.
So, in other words, if you are looking for the Steelers to get much help this weekend before they kick off in Cincinnati Monday night … don’t bother.
This week, I filled in for Mark Madden on 105.9 The X. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler was on the show. We spoke at length about the AFC playoff picture. I clipped a few of his comments for Friday’s podcast.
Listen: Breakfast with Benz — Tim Benz and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler talk AFC Playoffs
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
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