The Steelers are still keeping hope alive for the playoffs while looking like an elite team, but it’s too little too late.
Even though the Steelers are still mathematically alive their chances are slim at making the playoffs, and it would actually be better if they didn’t make it.
The Steelers stayed alive by beating a good Green Bay Packers team without Aaron Rodgers, while all the other teams in the battle for that last playoff spot showed just how weak they were by losing. It may be better for the NFL to just have the four division winners with only one wild card team, the Kansas City Chiefs, playing because the New York Jets 7-8, Miami Dolphins 8-7, the Baltimore Ravens 8-7, San Diego Chargers 8-7 or the Steelers 7-8 really deserve to be in the playoffs.
The Dolphins lost to the lowly Buffalo Bills 19-0, the Ravens were destroyed by the New England Patriots, 41-7,the Jets 24-13 over the Cleveland Browns, and the Chargers beat the Oakland Raiders, 26-14.
The makes the final games of the season extremely important to these teams. The Ravens will travel to Cincinnati to face the 10-5, Bengals. Even though the Bengals have clinched the AFC North Division and their third straight playoff, they would like nothing better than to knock the Ravens out of the playoffs. Plus a Bengal win and a Patriots loss would move them into the second slot. The Bengals clinched the division with a 42-14 beat down of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Chargers will travel to Kansas City to face the 11-4 Chiefs. The Chiefs are in as the top wild card, so they really don’t have anything to lose, but pride.
The Denver Broncos remained the top seed, 12-3 by defeating the Houston Texans 37-13, followed by the Patriots, 11-7, Bengals 10-5, and the Indianapolis Colts, 10-5.
The Steelers once again put together a very solid game on offense and defense as they went back and forward with 7-7-1 Packers.
Antonio Brown continues to lead the NFL in receptions as he picked upk 6 for 105 yards moving him up to 101 for the season with 1,412 for the season. This makes him only the second wide receiver in Steelers history with 100 or more receptions. Hines Ward was the other.
Ben Roethlisberger played a so so game, as the Steelers chose to keep the ball on the ground. Ben was 18 of 28 for just 167 yards and two touchdowns. Le’Vean Bell carried the bulk of the load carrying the ball 26 times for 124 yards on the ground, plus an additional 5 catches for 43 yards. Charles Lacey, the rookie picked after Bell in the draft, and who is the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, had 84 yards, on 15 carries and 2 touchdowns before leaving the game with an injury.
The young Steelers on both offense and defense continue to look very impressive, especially the offensive line. They protected Ben all day, and opened holes for Bell in the running game.
