Steelers fans mainly want results that help lock up the AFC North and improve playoff positioning.
Top team to root for
The single biggest one this week is the Cincinnati Bengals to beat the Baltimore Ravens, since a Ravens loss keeps Pittsburgh in control of the division with more margin for error. Even with a Bengals win, Cincinnati still trails Pittsburgh, so helping Cincy knock Baltimore down is the best outcome for the Steelers.
Other helpful outcomes
Several other AFC games also tilt the playoff picture in Pittsburgh’s favor. Rooting interests often highlighted this week are:
- New England Patriots over the Buffalo Bills, to keep Buffalo from climbing in the AFC playoff race.
- New York Jets over the Jacksonville Jaguars, to push the Jags down the AFC mix for seeding and potential wild‑card tiebreakers.
- Chicago Bears over the Cleveland Browns, to hand the Browns another loss and help T.J. Watt in the sack race by limiting Myles Garrett’s production.
Priority overview
Here is a quick view of the key games this week from a Steelers perspective.
Game| Who to root for| Why it helps Pittsburgh
---|---|---
Bengals vs. Ravens| Bengals| Hurts Baltimore in AFC North race and strengthens
Steelers’ division lead.13
Patriots vs. Bills| Patriots| Knocks down a fellow AFC playoff contender in
the standings.2
Jets vs. Jaguars| Jets| Makes it harder for Jacksonville to stay in the AFC
race and affects future seeding.23
Bears vs. Browns| Bears| Pushes Cleveland further back and indirectly helps
Watt in the sack race.2
