Thanks to a massive comeback win and collapse by the Cleveland Browns last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers have not only secured an AFC North crown, but now they can’t do worse than the No. 3 seed in the playoffs.
This means that their week 17 game with the Cleveland Browns does nothing for this team. The team has already announced that they will be sitting down quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and starting Mason Rudolph.
So you don’t have to worry about anything, right? Miss. These are our major concerns this week.
Catastrophic injury
(AP Photo / Don Wright)
You worry about injuries every week, but with the Steelers finally getting their game back on track and heading into the playoffs, the fear of a major injury from a man like linebacker TJ Watt or safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in a pointless game is still there more worrisome.
Showing the Browns too much
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Winning and losing doesn’t really matter, but there’s a real possibility the Steelers could host the Browns in the first round of the playoffs next week. As much as Pittsburgh wants to come out and put on a good show on Sunday, this game should look very plain in terms of gameplan in case they have to checkout again the following week.
Don’t lose that lead
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The second half of last week’s game was just what the Steelers needed. Not only did it show the world, but also the Steelers themselves that this is still the same team that started the season 11-0. There is always a risk that a pointless game just before the play-offs could stifle some momentum.