Steelers’ game against the Browns takes on a whole new meaning following Christmas Day result that no one in Pittsburgh wanted
The Steelers should be taking the Browns seriously.
The Pittsburgh Steelers under Mike Tomlin have been notorious for two things: performing as underdogs and playing down to their competition. The game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday falls into the latter category.
A matchup against a team looking for a higher draft spot, opposed to a playoff appearance, the Steelers are probably hoping to sleepwalk their way to victory on Sunday. However, after what happened on Christmas afternoon, that may no longer be the case.
Lions’ loss on Christmas changes the math for Ravens-Packers
Ok, so this is kind of a long-winded way of getting there, but stick with me. The Detroit Lions lost to the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas. That ended their season as they have been eliminated from playoff contention.
With that, the Green Bay Packers are now solidified in their playoff standing. Meaning, they can take the last two weeks off, and they will still be playing in the postseason no matter what happens. Well, the Packers play the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night.
The Ravens of course, have everything to play for. If they lose, their season is over. If they win, however, they march on. And that brings us to the Steelers. If Pittsburgh beats Cleveland on Sunday afternoon, none of this matters.
They will be crowned AFC North Champions and punch their ticket to the postseason. However, should the team fall to the Browns and the Ravens win, suddenly it’s a do-or-die, winner-take-all game for the AFC North title and a spot in the playoffs between the Ravens and Steelers in Week 18.
A game where the Steelers will be without their highest-paid offensive player following the two-game suspension of DK Metcalf. So yeah, it’s safe to say that Cleveland should be treated as a must-win. A hat and t-shirt game that can crown the Steelers champions of the AFC North.
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