Prior to kickoff on Saturday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers will know if they even have a shot at winning the AFC North. The Baltimore Ravens take on the Cleveland Browns in the afternoon half of the Saturday doubleheader and if Baltimore wins, they win the North and the Steelers.
But the Steelers game against the Bengals is a must-win regardless of how the Ravens do against the Browns. This is because of the way the playoff scenarios work, if the Steelers win and the Ravens win, Pittsburgh would finish as the No. 5 seed and travel to Houston to take on the Texans.
However, if the Ravens win and the Steelers lose, Pittsburgh runs the risk of falling to the No. 6 seed. This would send the Steelers to Baltimore to go against the Ravens. The Steelers and Ravens split the regular-season series but Baltimore blew the Steelers out 34-17 in Week 16.