The Indianapolis Colts surprisingly beat the Houston Texans Thursday night, dropping the Texans, who have clinched the AFC South, to 10-5. That game might impact the Steelers' playoff seeding, but first they'll have to get through the Baltimore Ravens to win the AFC North.
Here are the current seedings.
1. Patriots 11-3
2. Ravens 10-5
3. Texans 10-5
4. Broncos 8-6
5. Steelers 10-4
6. Jets 8-6
If the Steelers were to win both their final two games and get a Ravens loss to either the Browns (unlikely) or Bengals (possible), they would win the AFC North and get a first-round bye. (They'd get the first seed if all those things happened and the Patriots lost to either the Dolphins or the Bills, but let's not get greedy here.) The Bengals will hopefully still be playing for a playoff spot themselves, so they'll be highly motivated; their matchup against the Ravens in Week 17 could be a big one for both teams and for the Steelers as well.