Cam Heyward, Steelers looking to extend season beyond Week 17

Cameron Heyward walked from the showers toward his corner locker at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Monday afternoon, surveying the scene surrounding him.

A group of reporters were milling around while a handful of players sat quietly in front of their stalls.

“Is there a funeral in here?” Heyward said.

The Pro Bowl defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers then spent several minutes explaining why he remains upbeat while circumstances surrounding the team’s playoff plight suggest a more somber mood.

“We’ve got one more game,” Heyward said.

The question for the 8-7 Steelers is if they will have more than one.

The only certainty is the Steelers will finish the regular season Sunday playing the 13-2 Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. If the Steelers win, they could make the playoffs as the No. 6 seed in the AFC, but only if 8-7 Tennessee loses its game at Houston.

The Steelers also could qualify if they lose to the Ravens but only if certain other scenarios transpire. One would involve the Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders losing.

Another far-fetched one could occur if the Titans lose and the Raiders win, forging a three-way tie at 8-8. The Steelers could earn the final spot with losses by the Jaguars, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots.

The NFL is expected to release its official list of playoff possibilities after the Monday night game between Green Bay and Minnesota closes the book on Week 16.

“The only scenario that matters is if we win. That’s how I see it,” Heyward said. “I’m not looking for anybody else to do the job. I know we have to look for help, but the job’s got to get done in here.”

The Steelers put themselves in position to require such help by losing to Buffalo, 17-10, and the New York Jets, 16-10, in successive weeks.

Already minus quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and defensive end Stephon Tuitt, the Steelers will be without backup quarterback Mason Rudolph and possibly center Maurkice Pouncey and running back James Conner against the Ravens. Rudolph (shoulder), Pouncey (knee) and Conner (thigh) were injured Sunday against the Jets.

Devlin Hodges will start against the Ravens after being pulled in the second quarter against the Jets and then re-inserted in the fourth quarter after Rudolph exited.

“It’s been a really weird season,” guard David DeCastro said. “I don’t think I’ve been part of anything like this before. I don’t know how to put it in words, but we’re still alive. … That’s all that matters.”

Despite all of the injuries and the spate of transactions required to fill out the 53-man roster, the Steelers remain in the hunt entering Week 17 and are assured on a nonlosing season for the 16th consecutive year. That is of no consolation to Heyward.

“I’m not looking for a pat on the back,” Heyward said. “We’ve got to get the job done. To say, ‘Oh, we should be happy to be where we are’ would be foolish. We only get judged if we make the playoffs or not, and we’ve got to punch our ticket this week.”

If the Steelers come up short, it will be the first time they have missed the playoffs in successive seasons since 2012-13, when they finished 8-8 each year. Those teams, at least, had offensive stars in Roethlisberger and an emerging Antonio Brown, and were hurt by an aging defense in transition.

This year, the defense is carrying the Steelers, what with the offense scoring just one touchdown in seven of the past eight games with Rudolph and/or Hodges under center. Hodges has thrown six interceptions in his past two starts.

“Everyone is going to blame the quarterback for the offense’s failures, and clearly it’s not always him,” tight end Nick Vannett said. “It’s collectively the offense, the whole unit. I think he knows that. We all know that. He’s not the one to blame for everything. We own it.”