Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Steelers

The Packers and Steelers will learn a lot from their defeats. Green Bay had a chance to lock up the top seed in the NFC playoffs, but blew it with a upset loss at Kansas City. Pittsburgh had a chance to temporarily take the top spot in the AFC, but got roughed up in San Francisco on Monday night. That doesn't mean, however, that it throws either reigning conference champ off the Super Bowl rematch track.

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For the Packers, their loss and the 49ers' win only delayed the inevitable. After a long night extended by power outages, the Niners will need to win at surging Seattle just five days later to keep the pressure on the Packers. If the Niners win again in Week 16, it's hard to see the Packers losing to the free-falling Bears in Lambeau Field on Christmas night. In a strange way, the Packers should root for the 49ers, so that team at least secures the No. 2 seed. That would force the biggest NFC threat to the Packers, the Saints, to survive two tough postseason weeks before a potential rematch of their Week 1 thriller in Green Bay.

Because the Steelers joined the Ravens and Texans in losing in Week 15, the 11-3 Patriots are in the driver's seat for the AFC's top seed now, and it will be theirs if they can beat Miami and Buffalo in the final two games. It also keeps the Ravens in the AFC North lead over the Steelers by a head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Steelers' 20-3 loss to the 49ers on a night the power went out -- twice -- in San Francisco put the Pats in the driver's seat in the AFC playoff race. New England, at 11-3, now sits in the No. 1 seed in the playoff race over Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Houston, all at 10-4. For the Pats to clinch the top spot, all they have to do is beat both Miami (on Christmas Eve) and Buffalo (on New Year's Day) at Gillette Stadium. They could finish first even if they lose one or both, depending on what the Steelers, Ravens and Texans do, but beating those two 5-9 teams will guarantee it.
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