Steelers playoff chances: Can Pittsburgh still make playoffs going into Week 16?

The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Las Vegas Raiders in the final game on Christmas Eve and it's a must-win for Pittsburgh. The game kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET and the Steelers will have Kenny Pickett back in the starting lineup. Pittsburgh is a 2.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Steelers playoff chances

Record: 6-8
Odds to make playoffs: Yes +3000
Remaining opponents: Week 16 vs. Raiders, Week 17 @ Ravens, Week 18 vs. Browns

If Pittsburgh loses to the Raiders, they are eliminated from playoff contention. Even if they win, they would be eliminated by either wins by the Chargers and Dolphins or wins by the Chargers and Patriots plus a Dolphins tie. If the Steelers finish in a tie with the Raiders, they are eliminated by one of three scenarios: Chargers win/tie + Patriots win/tie, Chargers win/tie + Dolphins tie, or Chargers tie + Dolphins tie + Patriots win.

The Steelers are tied with the Raiders and Browns in the overall AFC standings. They're in 13th place, behind those two due to losing the head-to-head divisional tiebreaker with Cleveland. All three are two games back of the Chargers and Dolphins for the final wild card playoff berths. The Patriots, Jaguars, and Jets all sit between those groups of teams.

Current playoff standings

5. Ravens, 9-5
6. Chargers, 8-6
7. Dolphins, 8-6

8. Patriots, 7-7
9. Jaguars, 7-8
10. Jets, 7-8
11. Raiders, 6-8
12. Browns, 6-8
13. Steelers, 6-8

  
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