The Steelers Can Lose The Next Two And Still Play For The Afc North Title In Week 18

Two weeks ago, the sky was falling in Pittsburgh. Now, things are looking up.

The 26-7 loss to the Bills, punctuated by calls for Mike Tomlin's firing and the booing of Renegade, became a low point.

But then came the turnaround. A win over the Ravens, fueled by a woefully inept replay-review decision to overturn a go-ahead touchdown by tight end Isaiah Likely with 2:47 to play, gave the Steelers a one-game lead over Baltimore with four games to play. Monday night's drubbing of the Dolphins moved the Steelers to 8-6, keeping them ahead of the 7-7 Ravens.

Here's what it means down the stretch. The Steelers face the Lions in Detroit and the Browns in Cleveland. If Pittsburgh loses both (and even if the Ravens beat both the Patriots and the Packers), it will all come down to Week 18.

Under that scenario, the Steelers would be 8-8 and the Ravens would be 9-7 entering the season finale: Ravens at Steelers. A Pittsburgh win would result in a 9-8 tie. With a sweep of the Ravens, the Steelers would win the division on the first tiebreaker.

And that raises a related question. Would the Steelers decide to rest key starters for Week 17 at Cleveland, with the goal of having everyone at full strength for Week 18?

By the time the Steelers play the Browns on Sunday, December 28, they'll know where the Ravens (who play the Packers the night before) stand. Pittsburgh could be in position to clinch the division with a win over the Browns. But if the Steelers know that they'll need to win in Week 18 in order to secure the division title, there could be sound football reasons to give some of the veteran players a game off.

Especially since there's a chance the winner-take-all AFC North championship game will be shifted not to Sunday night, but to Saturday night. Which would give the Steelers one fewer day to get ready for a playoff play-in game.