Playoff Picture: Steelers Hang On to Postseason Spot after Loss
The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a nearly infathomable defeat on Sunday, getting blown out by the hapless Arizona Cardinals, 24-10 at Acrisure Stadium, but are somehow still right where they left off in the AFC playoff picture.
While the way the Steelers lost, with a slew of penalties, mental mistakes and injuries, was certainly disheartening for the team’s playoff chances going forward, the actual loss won’t hurt them too badly.
The Cleveland Browns also lost on Sunday, dropping a late decision to the Los Angeles Rams, thus keeping the Steelers in second place in the AFC North. Not only that, the Steelers kept their top AFC Wild Card seed thanks to their strong tiebreaker situation.
There are four teams tied at 7-5, but because two of the Steelers’ five losses have come to NFC teams, they have the best AFC record of that group.
STEELERS WEEK 12 PLAYOFF ODDS
NYT / The Upshot 78% (up 8%)
EPSN FPI 73% (up 20%)
ESPN Bet -240 or 71% (up 14%)
| Current | After Week 12 | After Week 11 | |
| NYT / The Upshot | 53% | 78% | 70% |
| ESPN FPI | 56% | 73% | 53% |
| ESPN Bet | -145 / 59% | -240 / 71% | -115 / 57% |
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AFC PLAYOFF PICTURE
1) Miami Dolphins 9-3
2) Baltimore Ravens 9-3
3) Jacksonville Jaguars 8-3
4) Kansas City Chiefs 8-4
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5) Pittsburgh Steelers 7-5
6) Indianapolis Colts 7-5
7) Cleveland Browns 7-5
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8) Houston Texans 7-5
9) Denver Broncos 6-6
10) Buffalo Bills 6-6
11) Cincinnati Bengals 5-6
12) Los Angeles Chargers 5-7
13) Las Vegas Raiders 5-7
14) New York Jets 4-8
15) Tennessee Titans 4-8
16) New England Patriots 2-10
AFC NORTH STANDINGS
| Overall | AFC North | AFC | Head-to-head | |
| Ravens | 9-3 | 3-2 | 6-3 | CIN 2-0, CLE 1-1, PIT 0-1 |
| Steelers | 7-5 | 3-1 | 4-3 | BAL 1-0, CLE 1-1, CIN 1-0 |
| Browns | 7-5 | 3-2 | 5-3 | BAL 1-1, CIN 1-0, PIT 1-1 |
| Bengals | 5-5 | 0-4 | 1-5 | CLE 0-1, BAL 0-2, PIT 0-1 |
UPCOMING AFC NORTH SCHEDULE
Week 14
Thursday, Dec. 7, 8:15 p.m., New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, Dec. 10, 1 p.m., Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Begnals
Sunday, Dec. 10, 1 p.m., Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns
Sunday, Dec. 10, 1 p.m., Los Angeles Rams at Baltimore Ravens
Week 15
Saturday, Dec. 16, 1 p.m., Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals
Saturday, Dec. 16, 4:30 p.m., Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts
Sunday, Dec. 17, 1 p.m., Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns
Sunday, Dec. 17, 8:20 p.m., Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 16
Saturday, Dec. 23, 4:30 p.m., Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, Dec. 24, 1 p.m., Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans
Monday, Dec. 25, 8:15 p.m., Baltimore Ravens at San Francisco 49ers
Week 17
Thursday, Dec. 28, 8:15 p.m., New York Jets at Cleveland Browns
Sunday, Dec. 31, 1 p.m., Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens
Sunday, Dec. 31, 4:05 p.m., Pittsburgh Steelers at Seattle Seahawks
Sunday, Dec. 31, 4:25 p.m., Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 18
TBD, Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens
TBD, Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals
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