The Pittsburgh Steelers did their part. Then they immediately turned into fans of the Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans or ties.
The Steelers didn’t need a win to stay alive in the AFC playoff wild-card race — there were low-percentage scenarios in which they could make it even with a loss — but the victory helped a lot.
Against a Baltimore Ravens team that had the No. 1 seed wrapped up and was sitting Lamar Jackson and other starters, Pittsburgh got an ugly 17-10 win in the rain.
Pittsburgh hit the one big play to turn the game when Mason Rudolph found Diontae Johnson over the middle and Johnson ran for a 71-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to break a 7-7 tie.
It was a costly win as superstar outside linebacker T.J. Watt left in the third quarter with a knee injury.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Watt is believed to have suffered a Grade 3 MCL sprain, a “multi-week injury.
With the win, the Steelers need a Buffalo Bills loss to the Dolphins on Sunday night, or a Jacksonville Jaguars loss or tie to the Titans on Sunday, to make the playoffs as a wild-card team.
Whether or not the Steelers get the help they need, they could feel proud to post a 10-7 record and completely turning their season back around after it looked entirely dead a few weeks ago.
They also could lament that a couple of horrible home losses kept them from clinching on a wet night in Baltimore.