Steelers Playoff Chances Boosted by Jets Loss to Seahawks

With some help from the Seattle Seahawks, the Pittsburgh Steelers playoff hopes continue to inch closer to becoming a reality as Seattle knocked off the New York Jets.

The Seahawks knocked off the Jets 23-6 in a smashmouth game that saw Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker scamper for over 100 yards on the game. Former Jets quarterback Geno Smith got his revenge against the team that drafted him, securing Seattle’s 8th win of the season and keeping their playoff hopes alive.

The victory follows a win by the New England Patriots over the Miami Dolphins in 23-21 fashion to increase the Steelers’ playoff hopes. Now, the only way Pittsburgh can be eliminated in Week 17 is with a loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football. Pittsburgh is a -1.5 point underdog in the game, but the lined has moved towards the Steelers over the day with the news that Calais Campbell, Lamar Jackson, and Marcus Peters will not play.

With the win, Pittsburgh’s playoff odds jump up all the way to 7 percent, according to Five Thirty-Eight and their playoff projections algorithm.

Beyond this week, Pittsburgh must both defeat the Cleveland Browns in Week 18 and hope that the Patriots falter to the Buffalo Bills on top of the New York Jets knocking off the Miami Dolphins. All of that needs to happen, but the Steelers’ playoff chances have had more things go their way in the past few weeks. Now, it is four games away from becoming a significant potential reality for Pittsburgh.

Related: Steelers Playoff Scenarios Entering Week 17

The win was critical for the Steelers’ hopes, as with a win for the Jets, they would have had to pray for a tie between the Jets and Dolphins in Week 18. Pittsburgh faces the Baltimore Ravens at 8:20 p.m. in a crucial game for their playoff hopes and season.