Thanks to the big comeback victory and the collapse of the Cleveland Browns last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers have not only won an AFC North crown, but now they can’t do worse than No. 3 seed of the playoffs.
That means his Week 17 clash with the Cleveland Browns does nothing for that team. The team has already announced that it will sit quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and start Mason Rudolph.
So there’s nothing to worry about, right? Mal. Here are our big concerns this week.
Catastrophic injury
(Photo by AP / Don Wright)
You worry about injuries every week, but with the Steelers finally re-ordering the game and heading into the playoffs, the fear of a major injury to a guy like defender TJ Watt or safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in a pointless game is still more worrying.
Showing too many Browns
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Winning and losing doesn’t matter, but there’s a real chance the Steelers could host the Browns next week in the first round of the playoffs. As much as Pittsburgh wants to go out and do a good show on Sunday, this game should look very simple in terms of the game plan, in case they have to square again the following week.
Don’t miss out on this advantage
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The second half of last week’s game was exactly what the Steelers needed. Not only did he prove it to the world, but the Steelers themselves remain the same team that started the season 11-0. There’s always the risk of having a pointless game just before the playoffs that can crush a bit of momentum.