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Steelers in playoffs unless Chargers-Raiders tie; would play Sunday night at Chiefs

Steelers in playoffs unless Chargers-Raiders tie; would play Sunday night at Chiefs

The Steelers won Sunday in Baltimore, as did the Jaguars against the Indianapolis Colts in Jacksonville.

Don’t print those playoff tickets yet, though.

The Steelers still need either the Los Angeles Chargers or Las Vegas Raiders to win their Sunday night matchup in the desert. A Pittsburgh-Kansas City game would kick off at 8:15 p.m. Sunday.

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That may not sound like a questionable outcome, as ties are exceptionally rare in the NFL.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass to wide receiver Chase Claypool against the Ravens in the fourth quarter Sunday, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
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The problem for the Steelers is that both teams would make the playoffs in the event of a tie.

That means both sides are incentivized to play for the deadlock rather than contest the game meaningfully and risk losing to fall out of the playoff picture.

That’s probably not the scenario the NFL had in mind when it scheduled Chargers-Raiders as the only primetime game. In theory, the contest should have been win-or-go-home for both sides if the feckless Jaguars had held up their end of the bargain and lost.

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And in previous seasons, it might have been. In the past, the NFL has opted to have all of its games kick off at the same time to avoid scenarios like these.

This time, though, we’re left with a situation where only two teams still standing know what they need to qualify, and it’s not necessarily a victory.

Should make for an interesting Sunday night, eh Steelers fans?

Adam Bittner: abittner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @fugimaster24.

First Published: January 9, 2022, 9:33 p.m.
Updated: January 10, 2022, 3:33 a.m.

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