Steelers Playoff Odds Improve Despite Loss

Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens hurdles a tackle against the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 19, 2023. -- Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

The Pittsburgh Steelers took a tumble down the AFC playoff picture after their 13-10 Week 11 loss to the Cleveland Browns, but saw their odds of making the postseason improve.

The Steelers entered the week at second place in the AFC North and as the top AFC Wild Card seed, but after losing to the Browns, they’re just barely holding onto a playoff spot.

The Browns leap-frogged the Steelers in both the AFC North standings and the Wild Card picture. Second-place Cleveland is now the No. 5 seed.

The Steelers are currently the No. 7 seed at 6-4, losing a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Houston Texans for the sixth seed. They’re a half-game ahead of the Buffalo Bills, who at 6-5, are the first team on the outside looking into the playoff picture.

Despite that, the Steelers odds of making it to the playoffs go better. They were -115 favorites to make the postseason after Week 10, per odds posted at ESPN Bet. This week, they’re -130, with implied odds of 56.5%. ESPN’s FPI model has the Steelers at 53% to make the playoffs, down two percentage points from last week. The New York Times playoff simulator is more bullish on their chances, giving the Steelers a 70% chance of making it to the postseason.

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AFC PLAYOFF PICTURE

1) Kansas City Chiefs 7-2
2) Baltimore Ravens 8-3
3) Jacksonville Jaguars 7-3
4) Miami Dolphins 7-3
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5) Cleveland Browns 7-3
6) Houston Texans 6-4
7) Pittsburgh Steelers 6-4
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8) Buffalo Bills 6-5
9) Indianapolis Colts 5-5
10) Denver Broncos 5-5
11) Cincinnati Bengals 5-5
12) Las Vegas Raiders 5-6
13) Los Angeles Chargers 4-6
14) New York Jets 4-6
15) Tennessee Titans 3-7
16) New England Patriots 2-8

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AFC NORTH STANDINGS

Overall AFC North AFC Head-to-head
Ravens 8-3 3-2 5-3 CIN 2-0, CLE 1-1, PIT 0-1
Browns 7-3 3-2 4-2 BAL 1-1, CIN 1-0, PIT 1-1
Steelers 6-4 2-1 4-3 BAL 1-0, CLE 1-1
Bengals 5-5 0-3 1-5 CLE 0-1, BAL 0-2

UPCOMING AFC NORTH SCHEDULE

Week 12
Sunday, Nov. 26, 1 p.m. Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, Nov. 26, 4:05 p.m. Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos
Sunday, Nov. 26 8:20 p.m. Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers

Week 13
Sunday, Dec. 3, 1 p.m. Arizona Cardinals at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, Dec. 3, 4:25 p.m. Cleveland Browns at Los Angeles Rams
Monday, Dec. 4, 8:15 p.m. Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars
BYE: Baltimore Ravens

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 Bengals
Sunday, Dec. 10, 1 p.m. Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns
Sunday, Dec. 10, 1 p.m. Los Angeles Rams at Baltimore Ravens

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