Hours before their Sunday night kickoff in Baltimore, the Pittsburgh Steelers got some good news when the Patriots defeated the Dolphins, 23-21. The good news continued when the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New York Jets, 23-6.
The Steelers (7-8) now have a 5% chance of reaching the playoffs as a wild-card team in the AFC, according to FiveThirtyEight.com, up from a 2% chance earlier in the day. Those odds go up to 16% if the Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.
The Steelers also will need to defeat the Browns next week and will need more help in the final week of the regular season. In addition to winning their final two games, the Steelers will need the Bills to beat the Patriots and Jets to defeat the Dolphins next week.
In the AFC, the Bills, Chiefs, Bengals, Ravens and Chargers have clinched playoff berths. The Jaguars, Titans, Dolphins, Patriots, Jets and Steelers remain alive.
Related:
• Robert Spillane stepping up to stop the run in middle of Steelers defense• Players, coaches agree: Steelers-Ravens deserves reputation as NFL’s most physical
• Steelers 4 Downs: Run game excelling in ‘power,’ short-yardage situations
• Mark Madden's Hot Take: Numbers don't lie for Steelers QB Kenny Pickett
