The Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoff fate is simple. But it won’t be easy. Following the team’s 13-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns Sunday, the Steelers’ path to make the postseason is as follows:

– Beat/Tie the Baltimore Ravens.

It’s a true winner-take-all scenario. The winner of Sunday’s game between the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens will win the AFC North and capture the fourth seed. The loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.

Though not official, it’s almost a guarantee the game will take place next Sunday night for the NFL’s final contest of the season. The game will take place at Acrisure Stadium.

The weekend broke perfectly for Baltimore and worst case for Pittsburgh. The Ravens took care of business Saturday night, beating the Green Bay Packers 41-24 on the road. Led by Derrick Henry’s career game of 36 carries, 216 yards, and four touchdowns, Baltimore earned the win even with backup QB Tyler “Snoop” Huntley.

Post-game, Ravens players urged the Browns to pull off the Sunday upset. They did. Pittsburgh came out flat in the first half and struggled to finish drives. Cleveland carried a 10-6 lead into the half. The Steelers’ offense continued to sputter the rest of the game. Despite the defense getting several stops and taking the football away, Pittsburgh couldn’t take advantage.

If Pittsburgh falls to Baltimore next week, its season will be over. It’ll be a major collapse for a second-straight season after the Steelers lost their final four games to limp into the 2024 playoffs where the Ravens promptly eliminated them in the Wild Card game.

Injuries will be worth watching throughout the week. QB Lamar Jackson’s status is uncertain after missing Week 17 with a back injury, though NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport indicated Sunday morning Jackson “could” play in Pittsburgh. For the Steelers, EDGE T.J. Watt has missed the past three games after undergoing surgery on his partially collapsed lung. He returned to practice in limited fashion all of last week.

One player Pittsburgh will be guaranteed to play without is WR DK Metcalf, who is serving a two-game suspension for an altercation with a Detroit Lions fan last weekend. Without him, Pittsburgh’s passing game looked invisible against a talented Cleveland secondary.

Pittsburgh began the season with a healthy lead over Baltimore. The Ravens got hot and closed the gap, even briefly taking the AFC North lead in November. The Steelers won it back with a Week 14 27-22 win over the Ravens and seemed in command after beating the Detroit Lions in Week 16. But the race is now as tight as ever and will make for a marquee game in Week 18.