AFC Playoff Picture: Pittsburgh Steelers' Title Run Depends on AFC North Crown

For the past several years, the Pittsburgh Steelers—along with the New England Patriots—have been considered the team to beat in the AFC. At 10-4, they have had another great regular season that will end with a playoff berth, but they must win the AFC North in order to make another Super Bowl run.

The Steelers are currently tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North lead, but the Ravens hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their two wins over the Steelers this season. The Steelers have two easy games remaining against the St. Louis Rams and Cleveland Browns, while the Ravens have to play the Browns and what is sure to be a determined Cincinnati Bengals squad.

As a result, I tend to think that the Steelers might be in better position than the Ravens at this point. Pittsburgh should be able to win at least one playoff game even if it has to settle for a wild-card berth, but there are a couple reasons why a division title would be ideal.

For one, there is a decent chance that a division title would give the Steelers a first-round bye. That is far from a guarantee, since they will have to finish with a better record than the AFC South champion Houston Texans, but the Texans do have a tricky Week 17 game against the Tennessee Titans.

Pittsburgh has been decimated by injuries throughout the season, but especially over the past few weeks. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is severely hampered by an ankle injury, as is center Maurkice Pouncey. On defense, safety Troy Polamalu and linebackers LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison have all been hobbled at one time or another as well.

Seeing as the Steelers are a bit of an aging squad, a bye would do absolute wonders for them. An extra week of rest simply cannot be understated as it would be great to have a fresh team come playoff time. Should they have to play on Wild Card Weekend, that may not be the case.

Even if the Steelers don't receive a bye, however, the home-field advantage they get for at least one round could come in handy. Also, there is a distinct possibility that the Steelers and Ravens could meet once again in the AFC Championship Game, giving Pittsburgh a distinct advantage.

I understand that the Ravens have beaten the Steelers twice this season, but it can be very difficult to beat a team three times in one campaign. When the two teams met in Pittsburgh earlier in the year, the Ravens won 23-20, but it took a touchdown drive in the waning seconds for the Ravens to come out on top.

Home-field advantage could be enough to push the Steelers over the top in the postseason, though. If the Steelers don't win the division, then they will likely have to play every game on the road. Yes, that worked in 2006, but this is a totally different team.

While you can never totally discount the Steelers, a possible slate of road games against the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and Ravens to reach the Super Bowl is grueling. As a result, I think the Steelers must do everything in their power to win the AFC North this season.