NFL

Pittsburgh Steelers clinch a playoff spot…if the Chargers and Raiders don’t tie tonight

Written by Doug Rush

Pittsburgh Steelers clinch a playoff spot…if the Chargers and Raiders don’t tie tonight

Ben Roethlisberger may not have played his last game with the Pittsburgh after all.

The Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 16-13 in overtime today. So the Ravens got eliminated. Also, the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Indianapolis Colts. Which eliminated the colts from the playoffs.

So the Steelers can make the playoffs. So long as the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders don’t end up in a tie on Sunday Night Football.

The Steelers ended the season at 9-7-1 and would have a better record than the loser of the Chargers and Raiders, both of which, are 9-7. So as long as the Chargers and Raiders don’t end in a tie, one team advances in the postseason with the Steelers. The loser goes home.

The Raiders are at home, however, the Chargers are considered the favorites. But ties can happen. So we’ll see what happens tonight in Las Vegas.

About the author

Doug Rush

Doug Rush is entering his 18th season as a writer. His career dates back to when he was with The Asbury Park Press covering high school football, The Harlem Globetrotters and The Lakewood Blueclaws.


In 2009, he joined Bleacher Report, covering the New York Yankees and New York Giants, amassing over 2 million reader views.


After 2013, he left B/R to join Sports Media 101 to cover the Yankees and Giants. While with Sports Media 101, Rush was named to the Pro Football Writers Association of America. He was there until July of 2016.

In January of 2018, Rush joined USA Today as part of the Giants Wire staff to cover the Giants. He is still currently with them, as he does weekly analysis for them during the season.


In September of 2021, Rush joined Pro Sports Extra, where he will be covering MLB, the NFL, NBA, WWE and AEW.


Doug is from Toms River, New Jersey where he has two children, Carson and Peyton.