Steelers' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Implications of Week 18

Despite a 3-7 start to the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers enter Week 18 with a shot at making the playoffs.

After struggling through the first half of the season, the Steelers have risen to the occasion. Going into the bye week at 2-6, the Steelers have since gone 6-2 to get themselves to 8-8 with a game against the Cleveland Browns to determine whether they'll have a winning record.

Some of the improvement can be attributed to the return of T.J. Watt. The development of Kenny Pickett has played a role, too.

Either way, the Steelers have gone from watching the draft board to charting out playoff scenarios.

Now, it's going to essentially come down to three games. The Steelers have a 21 percent chance to make the postseason, per FiveThirtyEight's predictions.

Here's what needs to happen to make the dream a reality.

A Win (or Tie) over the Cleveland Browns

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The Steelers have to find a way to slow down Nick Chubb.

Game time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

The Browns-Steelers rivalry always comes with a little extra motivation. The Steelers have even more this year because this is where the road to a playoff berth starts.

The first game came against the Browns in Week 3 when Mitchell Trubisky was still the starter. The Browns—led by a solid Jacoby Brissett performance at quarterback—came away with a 29-17 win.

A lot has changed for both teams since then. The Browns now have Deshaun Watson under center, and it's taking a while for the former Texans passer to find his footing with his new team.

Watson had his most productive game against the Washington Commanders last week, throwing for three touchdowns to no interceptions, but he still completed just nine of 18 pass attempts for 169 yards.

In five starts with the Browns, he has five touchdowns to three interceptions and 872 yards.

That being said, the Browns were live enough to beat the Commanders and knock them out of playoff contention. The Steelers are going to have to continue to play well. The Browns won't simply roll over because they don't have a chance at the playoffs.

Miami Dolphins Lose to New York Jets

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Skylar Thompson couldn't lead the Dolphins over the Jets last time out.

Game time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

While Steelers fans will undoubtedly be glued to their own game against the Browns, they'll need to check in on the AFC East showdown between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets.

If the Steelers tie the Browns, they will need the Dolphins to outright lose. If they beat the Browns, a loss or a tie works here.

Miami has been the antithesis of Pittsburgh this season. While the Steelers started the season in a slump, the Dolphins came out on fire, going 8-3 in their first 11 games. Unfortunately for them, the momentum has died out with a five-game losing streak.

Now, they face a critical situation against a Jets team that beat them 40-17 earlier this season.

Once again, they will be playing their division rival without Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback. Head coach Mike McDaniel has told the media that he's expecting either Teddy Bridgewater (who is dealing with a finger injury) or rookie Skylar Thompson to start.

That bodes well for the Steelers. They are 0-4 in the games either Bridgewater or Thompson has led the team in passing.

New England Patriots Lose to Buffalo Bills

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Rhamondre Stevenson has kept the Patriots playoff hopes alive.

Much like the Dolphins game, the Patriots need to outright lose if the Steelers tie with the Browns. If the Steelers win, a tie will do the trick.

Either way, Steelers fans have to be feeling good about this leg of the parlay they need to get into the postseason.

The Bills are not only one of the best teams in the league, but this game holds massive playoff ramifications. The Bills Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals was declared a no-contest after Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a first-quarter hit.

That has created a situation where the Bills need to beat the Patriots in order to either have a home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs or force a neutral site game against the Chiefs.

In other words, the Steelers will have the benefit of the Bills playing their starters in a game that will determine their playoff seeding in a way that could make their road to the Super Bowl easier.

It would also officially complete the trio of outcomes the Steelers need to get into the playoffs while knocking out an AFC East rival for the Bills.