Here's How Steelers Can Eventually Clinch Playoff Spot

Despite losing Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell in the offseason, and Ben Roethlisberger in the middle of his second game, Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers would be in the AFC playoffs as a Wild Card team if the season ended today.

While the Steelers did get handled on Sunday Night Football by a motivated Buffalo Bills team (who executed a clinch themselves), there is still a way for Pittsburgh to clinch the lone remaining Wild Card spot. It's complex, but hear us out.

So, the wildcard scenario was a little more complicated than my brain could process late last night. Here’s the full picture for the Steelers, courtesy of the true experts at @ESPNStatsInfo https://t.co/jIOub1Ta2r pic.twitter.com/Ebd6yOFDG3
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) December 16, 2019

Got all that? Good.

Pittsburgh still controls their own destiny. If they manage to beat both the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens in the final two games of the season, they're in. Likewise, if they end up with the same record as the Tennessee Titans, who are also 8-6 right now, they will make it into the playoffs.

Despite the fact that the Buffalo Bills knocked Devlin Hodges around Sunday, he will start for the Steelers over Mason Rudolph against the Jets.

After deciding to ride with Devlin Hodges and the swirling Duck-mania that seemed to infect even his teammates, Mike Tomlin might switch back to Mason Rudolph for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets. https://t.co/EzmolOB1ns
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (@PittsburghPG) December 17, 2019

The fact that Tomlin and the Steelers are even in this race after starting out 1-4 and going through three starting quarterbacks is a minor miracle. If they were somehow able to slip into the playoffs, that would be nothing short of a coaching masterclass from Tomlin.