Steelers AFC North Odds Keep Falling

The Pittsburgh Steelers will need some major help in order to capture a division title this season.

Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A Kansas City Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis (56) tackles Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

While a playoff berth is an impressive accolade for the 10-6 Pittsburgh Steelers, their current three-game slide has tossed them into a tailspin that's caused their seeding projections to plunge with a week remaining in the regular season.

Following their 29-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas, ESPN Analytics, using their Football Power Index, gave the Steelers just a 6.9% chance to win the AFC North after they held a two-game lead on the Baltimore Ravens entering Week 15.

During Pittsburgh's recent skid, Baltimore has earned victories over the New York Giants and Houston Texans as well as the Steelers, improving its record to 11-5 ahead of a Week 18 bout with the Cleveland Browns.

A win in that contest would clinch the division for the Ravens and likely land them as the No. 3 seed in the AFC. They would achieve that same feat with a loss to Cleveland if Pittsburgh drops its game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium next Sunday as well.

Though their chances to topple Baltimore are slim, the Steelers will likely have all hands on deck for that matchup. The Bengals, at 7-8, face the Denver Broncos at home this weekend with a 6.7% chance to reach the playoffs, according to ESPN.

In order to beat those odds, Cincinnati would have to win out while Denver loses out and both the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts drop one of their remaining contests.

Should the Bengals fall to the Broncos, they'd be eliminated from postseason contention and essentially have nothing to play for against Pittsburgh. On the flip side, however, a Denver loss in that meeting would prevent the Steelers from dropping below the No. 6 seed.

For Pittsburgh to descend from the No. 5 seed to No. 6, one of the Broncos or Los Angeles Chargers would have to win out while the Steelers lose to Cincinnati.

On that same note, both Denver and Los Angeles would need to come out victorious in its remaining games while Pittsburgh is defeated by the Bengals in order for the Steelers to finish as the No. 7 seed.

The Texans, who have lost their last two games and are 9-7, are locked into the No. 4 spot as the AFC South champions and are the Steelers' most likely first-round opponent at this point in time.

A third matchup with Baltimore would represent the most probable outcome should Pittsburgh finish at No. 6, while a trip to take on the Buffalo Bills for a second-straight postseason would be on the table should the Steelers sink to No. 7.

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