Bills Clinch No. 2 Seed, Steelers Down to Three Potential Playoff Opponents
The Buffalo Bills clinched the No. 2 seed in the 2024 AFC playoff picture with their dominant win over the New York Jets on Sunday, meaning the Pittsburgh Steelers cannot face them in the first round of the postseason.
The only way the Steelers could have played the Bills was if the Baltimore Ravens passed them for the No. 2 seed. The Bills would’ve had to lose their final two games and the Ravens beat the Cleveland Browns in Week 18 for that to happen.
But Buffalo was demonstrative in defeating the Jets, torching their AFC East foes to the tune a 40-18 victory at Highmark Stadium.
The Steelers will host the Cincinnati Bengals for their Week 18 game next week, and depending on the results of that game and a few others, they can still finish as the third, fifth or sixth seed, and play three different opponents in the first round of the playoffs.
The three games that mean the most to the Steelers will be their game against the Bengals, the Cleveland Browns at the Baltimore Ravens, and the Los Angeles Chargers at the Las Vegas Raiders.
If the Steelers beat the Bengals, the only other game that will matter to them is the Browns and Raves. If the Steelers beat the Bengals and the Browns upset the Ravens, the Steelers will win the AFC North and host the Chargers in the first round. If the Ravens beat Cleveland, the Steelers will be the fifth seed and travel to face the Houston Texans in the first round.
If the Steelers lose to the Bengals, then it’s the Chargers-Raiders game that matters to Pittsburgh. A Pittsburgh loss and a Chargers loss once again sends the Steelers to Houston in the Wild Card round. But a Steelers loss and L.A. win moves Pittsburgh to the No. 6 seed, where they’d likely visit the Ravens.
Here’s the full breakdown of possibilities:
PIT win + BAL loss = No. 3 seed vs. LAC
PIT win + BAL win = No. 5 seed at HOU
PIT loss + LAC loss = No. 5 seed at HOU
PIT loss + LAC win = No. 6 seed at BAL
The Steelers beat the Los Angeles Chargers at Acrisure Stadium once already this season, a 20-10 win on Sept. 21. They split two games with the Ravens, winning 18-16 at home on Nov. 17, but losing 34-17 on Dec. 21 in Baltimore in a game that could have clinched the AFC North for Pittsburgh. That loss snapped a four-game Steelers winning streak against the Ravens. They have won eight of the last 10 games between the teams.
The Steelers did not play the Texans or Bills this season, but lost 31-17 to Buffalo in the Wild Card round last January and were soundly beaten, 30-6, by the Texans in Week 4 of last season.
STEELERS IN AFC PLAYOFF PICTURE
1. Kansas City Chiefs 15-1
2. Buffalo Bills 12-3
3. Baltimore Ravens 11-5
4. Houston Texans 9-7
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5. Pittsburgh Steelers 10-6
6. Los Angeles Chargers 10-6
7. Denver Broncos 9-7
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8. Miami Dolphins 8-8
9. Cincinnati Bengals 8-8
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10. Indianapolis Colts 7-9
11. New York Jets 4-12
12. Las Vegas Raiders 4-12
13. Jacksonville Jaguars 4-12
14. Cleveland Browns 3-13
15. Tennessee Titans 3-13
16. New England Patriots 3-13
AFC NORTH STANDINGS
| Overall | AFC North | AFC | Head-to-head | |
| Ravens | 11-5 | 3-2 | 7-4 | CIN 2-0, CLE 0-1, PIT 1-1 |
| Steelers | 10-6 | 3-2 | 7-4 | BAL 1-1, CIN 1-0, CLE 1-1 |
| Bengals | 8-8 | 2-3 | 5-6 | BAL 0-2, CLE 2-0, PIT 0-1 |
| Browns | 3-13 | 2-3 | 3-8 | BAL 1-0, CIN, 0-2, PIT 1-1 |
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