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When the Steelers take to the field on Monday night, there will be plenty of questions about their offense and tiring defense.
Even if coach Mike Tomlin’s team end their two-game losing streak in Cincinnati, fans will take the result with a huge grain of salt. Which could probably come in handy as you continue to dig after this week’s winter storm.
That’s because their opponent, the humble Bengals (2-11-1), has only scored 50 points in their last five games.
But one problem should be clear by Tuesday morning. Barring a huge annoyance by the Bengals, the Steelers will be AFC North champions.
A Steelers victory will officially eliminate the Cleveland Browns from divisional competition. The Steelers could even have the division sewn up by the time they take the field Monday night if the Browns lose to the New York Giants on Sunday night.
So let’s take a look at this game and all the other contests this weekend that could influence the Steelers and their playoff standings ahead of “Monday Night Football”.
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AFC North: I guess the Steelers won’t get any help from teams facing their divisional opponents on Sunday.
The defensive problems shown by the Browns (9-4) last Monday night in their 47-42 loss to the Baltimore Ravens will not manifest this week as they visit the Giants (5-8) on Sunday night.
The status of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is still unclear due to an ankle issue. If he can’t play, former Browns QB Colt McCoy will have to start for New York. McCoy helped the Giants win when he split time with Jones in a 19-17 result against the Bengals three weeks ago. Then he knocked out the Seattle Seahawks with a 17-12 victory, and he wiped out in a 26-7 loss to Arizona last week.
However, McCoy has only totaled 154 yards on those outings, and the Giants have averaged a paltry 14.3 points per game over the past three competitions.
Expect the Browns to stay alive in the divisional race for an additional 24 hours and improve their wild position. I have Cleveland winning 29-14.
Meanwhile, the Ravens (8-5) cannot win the North as they have lost twice to the Steelers. But they can still slip into the playoffs. No doubt they will take the first step this weekend against the unfortunate Jacksonville Jaguars (1-12).
I know Gardner Minshew is back for the Jags. And I know most of the Baltimore receivers are on the covid-19 list. It does not matter. This will encourage Lamar Jackson and his company to run even more. That’s what the Ravens do best anyway.
Ravens throw 33-16.
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The chefs and Invoices: Most Pittsburgh seem to have convinced themselves that the Kansas City Chiefs (12-1) will lose to the New Orleans Saints (10-3) this weekend, and that will keep the Steelers’ low hopes alive for the first place in the AFC playoff picture.
I do not have. I feel like the only two American cities that are thinking with their hearts in this regard are Pittsburgh and New Orleans (10-3).
Kansas City is a 3.5 point favorite. I say they will win and cover.
But even if they don’t, the Steelers would still be behind the Chiefs in terms of a tiebreaker because they beat the Buffalo Bills and the Steelers didn’t.
So even with a loss to New Orleans, the Chiefs would still be in charge, until they somehow lost to Atlanta (4-9) or the Los Angeles Chargers ( 5-9).
Speaking of Bills (10-3), they have an affair on Saturday afternoon (4:30 p.m. ET) in Denver. The Broncos (5-8) can be tricky. Especially at home. They are 5.5 point outsiders. They could cover. But I still love that the Bills take 11th place and end up in a half-game of the Steelers for second place in the conference.
By the way, Buffalo’s last two games after Denver haven’t been easy. But the Bills should win both. They are in New England in week 16. Then they host the Miami Dolphins in week 17.
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AFC South: The Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans can’t shake themselves off.
They are both 9-4. They’ve divided a recent series of games against each other. They are tied for the head of the division. But the Titans have a decisive advantage right now thanks to a better division record. They are 4-1 in the South. The Colts are 2-2.
Their schedules are also similar in the long run. They are both expected to win on Sunday. Indy welcomes the 4-9 Texans from Houston. Tennessee welcomes the 5-8 Lions.
Then they each have tough games next week as the Colts are due to come to Heinz Field and the Titans to Green Bay (10-3).
Both clubs should be big favorites to win their final games of Week 17 as the Titans are at home for Houston and the Colts host Jacksonville.
If you’ve got me guessing now, the Titans win two but lose to Green Bay to finish at 11-5. Meanwhile, the Colts win all three. Yes, including beating the Steelers next week.
Unless Ben Roethlisberger and his company quickly find out about their anemic crime. The Colts defense is sixth in the NFL in yards per game allowed (327.1). The Steelers are 23rd in offensive yards per game (335.5).
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Miami dolphins: If the playoffs started now – and as you may have noticed, they don’t – the Dolphins (8-5) would be at Heinz Field in the first playoff weekend as a seventh seed . Steelers would welcome them as second seed behind KC
Miami is a great story. But they’ll likely lose in Buffalo on Jan. 3 and I think they’ll be an upset victim this week when the Patriots call on Sunday afternoon. Legs win 23-21.
If I’m right about sinking the Dolphins while the Chiefs, Bills and Colts remain undefeated, that means the Steelers would be the third or fourth seed depending on what happens in their game of the week. 17 against the Browns.
And they would host Baltimore, Tennessee or the Browns again in the first week of the playoffs instead of Miami.
So, in other words, if you’re looking for the Steelers to get a lot of help this weekend before they kick off in Cincinnati on Monday night… don’t worry.
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This week I replaced Mark Madden on 105.9 The X. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler was on the show. We’ve talked at length about the AFC playoff image. I cut some of his comments for Friday’s podcast.
Tim Benz is a writer for Tribune-Review. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication, unless otherwise specified.
Categories:
Sports | Steelers / NFL | Breakfast with Benz | Tim Benz Columns
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