Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger‘s farewell tour may not end in Week 18.
The Steelers remain in the playoff hunt after their Monday night victory over Cleveland, but they need a few things to go their way to make their slim hopes a reality.
'An appropriate ending to a memorable night'. https://t.co/U3OjZwkrU4 pic.twitter.com/U9gDllHvfD
— BigBen7.com (@_BigBen7) January 4, 2022
At 8-7-1, the best they can hope for is a Wild Card spot.
The Cincinnati Bengals have already clinched the AFC North title.
Here is how the chips need to fall to keep Roethlisberger’s Steelers career alive after Week 18.
The Steelers playoff hopes are still alive, as they need a win over the Ratbirds, a Colts loss to Jacksonville, and the LV-LAC game to not end in a tie to go to the playoffs. #CLEvsPIT #HereWeGo #Steelers #TerribleTowel #PITvsBAL
— Justin Gibson (@JGibsonDem) January 4, 2022
All three of these events have to happen; if one does not occur, the Steelers are eliminated.
1. Steelers Need To Beat The Ravens
The Steelers have to take care of their own business.
That means they must travel to Baltimore and beat the Ravens.
The Ravens are 8-8 and have lost five straight games.
The first game in their five-game losing streak was at Pittsburgh by the score of 20-19.
It has been a tough season for the Ravens between COVID-19 and injuries.
At this point, it is unclear if injured Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will be healthy and able to play.
Regardless, the Ravens will play hard and hope to be spoilers for their divisional rival.
The Ravens-Steelers rivalry really is remarkable. Since 2008, 21 of the 27 regular season games have been decided by one score or less. 15 of the matches have been decided by 3 points or less. The steelers hold a 14-13 edge.
— Tim Barbalace (@TimBarbalace) January 5, 2022
This game is set to kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.
2. Jaguars Need To Beat The Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are 9-7 and will travel to Jacksonville to take on the 2-14 Jaguars.
In their last meeting in Week 10, the Colts won a close game by the score of 23-17.
Anything is possible especially in the 2021 NFL season, but the Jaguars enter the game as the 8.5-point underdogs.
This game will be occurring at the same time as the Steelers vs. Ravens game so Steelers fans will be scoreboard watching.
As a point of reference, the Colts have not won a game in Jacksonville since 2014 so there is a definite home-field advantage for the Jaguars.
3. Chargers And Raiders Game Cannot End In A Tie
The third part is so strange.
Because the Steelers lost to both the Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders this season, the Chargers and Raiders game cannot end in a tie.
The Chargers won their last meeting against the Raiders in Week 4 by the score of 28-14.
In the event the game is tied, both the Chargers and Raiders get in the playoffs, and the Steelers are the odd team out.
The Chargers and Raiders game is on Sunday night.
Conclusion
It is always a thrill when the season winds down with meaningful games in its final week.
The Ravens also have a similar scenario; their fans will also be scoreboard watching the Jaguars and Colts game.
As mentioned before, anything is possible especially given the emotional high the Steelers are on after their Monday night win over the Cleveland Browns.
This Steelers team is playing for multiple purposes as they want to keep Roethlisberger around as long as possible and sneak into the playoffs.
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