Pittsburgh Sports Buzz

The Steelers Still have a chance this year. If they can get in you never know what could happen. Seems like I remember a Wild Card team from Pittsburgh doing pretty well a few years ago. But these 4 things need to happen or they'll be watching the playoffs from their couches. I will rank them from 1 to 4 in order of the chance that they will happen. 1 being most likely to occur, 4 least likely. Number 1(Rank - 1): They need to take care of the thing that they control and they need to beat the Browns at Hines Field in the last week of the season. They should not just be playing to get in the playoffs, but they should also be playing because this could be the last game some of the veterans with impressive resumes will be a part of as Steelers. Just like I couldn't imagine seeing James Harrison in another uniform other than the Steelers, or Hines Ward, I can't imagine seeing "The Bearded One" or Ryan Clark in any other uni. Ryan has had his hits this year, and I think he is still a very good safety, but understandably, not as good as a few years ago. Just like they parted ways with Harrison this year, The Steelers could very easily say goodbye to Ryan to gain more cap room. Unfortunately, that leaves a mostly untested Shamarko Thomas to take over his spot. Kiesel has been a very steady influence on defense this year, but he is getting older and as I said with Clark, understandably not as good as a few years ago. I don't even want to mention this, but there is another Saftey with the Steelers that is getting older too. Early in the season he wasn't making the "splash" plays that we have come to expect of him, but in the second half he may bel one of the biggest reasons for the Steelers righting the ship. He has caused turnovers and made big plays to keep them in the game. He has managed to stay healthy all season, which is a huge bonus and he has played all over the field. Uncharacteristically, he has been out of position on many plays, but you take the good with the bad. If he's out of position to make a play on a 10 yard run, but he strips the ball from the QB with a minute left to play to give his team another chance to win the game, I think that's a pretty good trade off. So, let's not even think about what will happen with him til that time comes around. Now, where was I.... Got off the subject there thinking about those guys. Along with the Steelers beating the Browns at home, these things must also happen in the last week of the regular season for them to make the playoffs. Number 2: (Rank - 2)The Ravens (8-7) must lose at the Bengals (10-5). I would hope that the BenGals would take this one seriously. They are already in the playoffs as the AFC north winner. But going into the playoff on a losing note doesn't help gather any momentum. They are playing at home too, which is a positive. The Ravens did have some mo before they lost on Sunday. Let's hope they don't have anything left in the tank in Cincy next week. Number 3: (Rank - 3)The Chargers (8-7) must lose at home to the Chiefs (11-4). The Chargers have been up and down this season and every season for the last decade for that matter. The Chiefs, after losing their undefeated status a few weeks ago have been beatable. Let's hope the Chargers play more up to their early season form than their recent season form. This one's in San Diego which is an advantage for them. But the Chiefs have the better record. Number 4: (Rank - 4) The Dolphins (8-7) must lose at home to the Jets (7-8) Not totally out of the question, but it all depends on which Jets team shows up. If the good Geno Smith shows up they have a chance. If the bad Geno shows up, not likely. Both teams are Jekyll and Hyde, so again a toss up and again the wrong team has the homefield advantage. So it's a wait and see thing. It's usually not a good thing when you have to count on 3 other teams to get in the playoffs, but on the other hand, it makes for an interesting final week. Go Steelers, BenGals, Chiefs, and Jets.