As the final week of December approaches, the Pittsburgh Steelers rank third worst in total defense, fifth worst in total offense and fifth worst in point differential in the 16-team AFC.

Yet, only three teams have fewer losses.

A Christmas miracle? No, that’s what the oddsmakers would call a Steelers upset this Sunday at the 10-point favorite Kansas City Chiefs.

But should the Steelers win that game, forget the stats, forget the blowout loss to Cincinnati or the tie to then-winless Detroit. Forget the fancy formulas that give the Steelers a less than 1-in-5 chance at the playoffs (per the New York Times and ESPN).

All that won’t matter: The Steelers are one mere victory from legit contender status in what has been a parity-filled and mostly mediocre AFC.

“The Chiefs are a really good team, one of the best of the best in the league,” Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick said. “So we’ve just got to go out there and compete at their high level. Even though we (don’t have the best record) this season, we want to show we can go out there and compete with the best of the best.”

The Steelers (7-6-1), to some degree, already have proven that. Among the nine teams ahead of them in the conference standings through Sunday, they already defeated four: the Tennessee Titans (9-5), Buffalo Bills (8-6), Baltimore Ravens (8-6) and Cleveland Browns (7-7 after a Monday night loss).

Through it all and despite everything they’ve been through, the Steelers have everything right in front of them with three games to play. They’re a half-game out of both the AFC North lead and a triumvirate of teams currently holding the wild-card spots.

That the Steelers are doing the chasing and not being chased is a role reversal from last year’s AFC playoff race when they started 11-0 but were passed by the Chiefs and Bills in December.

“I feel like last year we fell out (of paying attention to) the details,” Fitzpatrick said. “Whether it was practice or (games), you could feel the (complacency) in everything we were doing. There was not a lot of energy, not a lot of emphasis on details, so that’s definitely one thing we just need to remind each other right now: just staying on the details, stay on what we need to do. What we do is a blessing, for sure, so just approach each day with energy, even though it might be hard to.”

While last season a clear divide emerged between the top eight and bottom eight in the AFC standings, this year it seems as if everyone (save three bad teams at the bottom) is at the same level.

Last year’s Steelers went from 11-0 to losing five of six. So, they figure, why can’t they go from being .500 to winning out this season?

“That’s the biggest thing that I have learned and I think our team has learned,” tight end Zach Gentry said. “Whether you are … 11-0 going into the end, or trying to make a run here at the end of the season this year, anything can happen. We are looking at a situation where if we keep winning, it looks like we’ll be in (the playoffs), so we are just going to take it game by game.

“We just have to do our jobs.”

Upon coming home from Kansas City, the Steelers finish their season with games against divisional opponents: Cleveland at home and at Baltimore.

One loss won’t eliminate the Steelers, and two wins won’t assure a playoff berth either. But taking two out of final three almost certainly would leave the Steelers in good shape for their season to continue.

“This time of season, every game is like a playoff,” Roethlisberger said. “(Sunday’s game) had the feel of a playoff game — physically, emotionally, the fans, everything — so I think we still have a pulse in this thing. We’ll see where it goes from here.”

Notes: Gentry said TE Pat Freiermuth was at the Steelers’ facility Monday, a day after he entered NFL concussion protocol following a hit he absorbed while making a second-half catch. “He’s in good spirits,” Gentry said. “He’s doing all right.” … The Steelers made some minor roster moves Monday, releasing DB Isaiah Johnson from the practice squad, reverting DB Linden Stephens back to the practice squad off the covid list and placing G Malcolm Pridgeon on the practice squad covid list.

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