Steelers' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Implications of Week 17

The Pittsburgh Steelers need another dose of Mason Rudolph magic and some help to jump into an AFC wild-card spot by the end of Week 17.

Pittsburgh heads into its road contest against the Seattle Seahawks at 8-7 in ninth place behind the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans.

The Steelers have head-to-head losses to each of those AFC South teams. The Colts and Texans must lose in the next two weeks for the Steelers to even have a chance of landing the No. 7 seed.

Mike Tomlin's team also needs the teams beneath it in the standings to keep losing so that it is in the best position to pounce if the Colts or Texans stumble.

Raiders over Colts

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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - DECEMBER 25: Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver DeAndre Carter (3) catches a pass against the Kansas City Chiefs during an NFL football game on December 25, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Raiders defeated the Chiefs 20-14. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)

The Steelers need the Las Vegas Raiders to conjure up more of their late-season magic in Indianapolis on Sunday.

The Raiders knocked off the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day in a win that might have secured Antonio Pierce's position as the permanent head coach.

Pierce can aid the decision-making process more if he wins again on the road against a playoff team.

The Raiders players clearly believe in what Pierce is doing as the interim head coach, and if that translates to the field once again, the Steelers could be in decent shape.

A loss by the Colts or Texans in Week 17 would make it easy to determine who the Steelers would root for in the Week 18 battle between the AFC South rivals.

For now, the Steelers just need all the 8-7 teams in front of them to lose and Indianapolis is at the top of that list.

Titans over Texans

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - DECEMBER 24: Ryan Tannehill #17 of the Tennessee Titans against the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The Steelers have to hope that Derrick Henry runs all over the Houston defense and that C.J. Stroud struggles in his first game back from a concussion.

That would be the recipe for the Tennessee Titans to pick up a victory over the Texans and to send Houston to 8-8.

Tennessee displayed fight over the last three weeks, starting with its road win over the Miami Dolphins.

The Titans took the Stroud-less Texans to overtime in Week 15 and were beaten in the final minute by the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16.

Mike Vrabel's team is at least expected to play the Texans close, and the Titans should be the looser of the two sides if it is close into the fourth quarter because they are eliminated from playoff contention.

Henry, who has a single 100-yard game in November and December, could be the X-factor for the Titans. He is due for a big game and could enact revenge on the Texans after only earning nine yards on 16 carries in Week 15.

Chiefs over Bengals

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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - DECEMBER 25: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders during an NFL football game on December 25, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Raiders defeated the Chiefs 20-14. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)

The Chiefs can essentially finish off Cincinnati's playoff hopes inside Arrowhead Stadium.

The Bengals are tied with the Steelers at 8-7, but Pittsburgh holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.

A Steelers win in Seattle combined with a Bengals loss in Kansas City would make it impossible for Cincinnati to jump Pittsburgh for a playoff spot in Week 18.

Pittsburgh would love to solely focus on the teams above it when Week 18 rolls around and a Kansas City win would help with that.

Kansas City needs a victory of its own after its stunning loss to the Raiders on Christmas Day.

The Chiefs are in danger of slipping to the No. 4 seed. A win would at least confirm the No. 3 seed for them ahead of Week 18.