The Steelers’ AFC North magic number is one. Which means that, if the Ravens lose to the Packers on Saturday night, the Steelers will have clinched the division title before facing the Browns on Sunday in Cleveland.
If that’s the case, will it affect coach Mike Tomlin’s personnel decisions for his team’s game?
“You know, it may,” Tomlin told reporters on Tuesday. “I hadn’t thought about it at all, to be quite honest with you, I just found out this morning that that [Ravens-Packers] game is Saturday night. I just learned to be tunnel vision over the years. But as I sit here and make plans today for tomorrow in the effort to lay a foundation, to engineer victory, that’s something that’s of very little relevance to me today. I have plenty of time to ponder those things after we get a little bit more solid about preparing ourselves to play the Cleveland Browns.”
It will be an interesting question, if and wen it becomes relevant. With a playoff spot secured and the No. 4 seed in the AFC in hand, the Steelers could rest some of their key players before the wild-card round.
The most important player is quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He’s 42. He’d benefit from a chance to have his body heal before the postseason.
For now, the key phrase is, “It may.”
If it happens — and if the Steelers opt for Mason Rudolph and not Will Howard at quarterback — Myles Garrett’s ongoing chase for the single-season sack record suddenly becomes much more interesting, given their history.
