Who Steelers should root for in Week 17 to maximize playoff odds

PITTSBURGH — This article originally appeared on steelersnow.com.

The Pittsburgh Steelers enter a critical matchup with the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday that will significantly determine their playoff hopes. Despite only sitting at about a 17% chance to make the playoffs right now, that can be greatly changed on Sunday.

The Steelers enter the day sitting as the No. 9 seed in the AFC, three spots out of playoff position, but they can end the day as high as the sixth seed if things break their way. And they will need to root for some help from the Raiders, Ravens, Patriots and more.

Raiders over Colts

The Las Vegas Raiders stunned the world by knocking off the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas. For the Steelers playoff hopes, they need that hot streak to continue. Las Vegas is an odd team that can help the Steelers for the most part, specifically in odd tiebreakers if the teams get to 9-8 with one another.

Regardless, the Colts losing is ideal, as they hold the tiebreaker over Pittsburgh. If they lose one game and the Steelers win out, that gets Pittsburgh into the postseason, which is their ideal outcome. So, the Raiders must come through for Pittsburgh in what I would consider the most crucial matchup of the week.

Ravens over Dolphins

The second obvious outcome the Steelers should root for is the Baltimore Ravens over the Miami Dolphins. Becoming a Ravens fan for a day is foreign to Steelers fans, but it is also the right way to go. If Baltimore wins, they will clinch the AFC North and become the number-one overall seed. That could make them play their backups next week when Pittsburgh comes to town in a massive game for the Steelers’ playoff hopes.

Click here to see the breakdown of all the teams the Steelers need to win to maximize their playoff chances on Steelers Now.

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