The Pittsburgh Steelers head into their Monday Night Football showdown with the Miami Dolphins with a full understanding of what is at stake. After seeing the Baltimore Ravens blow out the Cincinnati Bengals, the pressure is amped up for them to get past the red-hot Dolphins with a win. Miami, winners of four in a row are still on the outside looking in at the playoffs in the AFC but are encouraged after a change in philosophy on offense has turned their season around.
Here is the current AFC playoff picture heading into Monday’s game.
Division Leaders
1 – Denver Broncos (12-2) – Maybe the best team in the NFL, Denver secured a playoff spot after beating the Packers on Sunday.
2 – New England Patriots (11-3) – The Patriots hold onto the No. 2 seed despite a collapse against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
3 – Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4) – The Jaguars’ showdown with the Broncos next week is going to have huge playoff ramifications.
4 – Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6) – Pittsburgh clings to a narrow lead over the Ravens but have almost no shot to make the playoffs if they don’t win the divsiion.
Wild Card Teams
5 – Los Angeles Chargers (10-4)
6 – Buffalo Bills (10-4)
7 Houston Texans (9-5)
On the Bubble
8 – Indianapolis Colts (8-6)
9 – Baltimore Ravens (7-7)
10 – Miami Dolphins (6-7)
Going into this week’s game, the Steelers have a 59 percent chance of making the playoffs. A loss would drop that to 50 percent. However, the next three games’ value pale in comparison to that regular-season finale against the Ravens.