AFC playoff picture: Where Pittsburgh Steelers sit going into game vs. Dolphins

Mike Moraitis

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AFC playoff picture: Where Pittsburgh Steelers sit going into game vs. Dolphins image

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the hunt for a playoff spot going into the Week 15 game against the Miami Dolphins.

In fact, Pittsburgh controls its own destiny to get to the postseason, with the Steelers sitting in first place in the AFC North and in the No. 4 spot in the conference standings entering Monday night.

Here's a closer look at the Steelers' position in the conference playoff picture and what will happen if Pittsburgh loses or wins against the Dolphins.

AFC North standings

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)

2. Baltimore Ravens (7-7)

3. Cincinnati Bengals (4-10)

4. Cleveland Browns (3-11)

This is a two-team race with the Bengals and Browns both eliminated.

If the Steelers win on Monday, they will increase their lead to two games when you factor in the head-to-head tie-breaker the Steelers currently own over the Ravens.

However, both teams still have another meeting in Week 18, so that tie-breaker isn't settled yet.

The second tie-breaker, division record, belongs to Pittsburgh for now, with the team sporting a 3-1 record as opposed to Baltimore's 3-2 mark.

That said, that tie-breaker is not yet decided, either, as the Steelers have two more divisional games and the Ravens have one more.

If the Steelers lose on Monday night, they will remain in first place in the AFC North because of the aforementioned head-to-head tie-breaker.

AFC playoff picture

RankTeamRecord
1Denver Broncos12-2
2New England Patriots11-3
3Jacksonville Jaguars10-4
4Pittsburgh Steelers7-6
5Los Angeles Chargers10-4
6Buffalo Bills10-4
7Houston Texans9-5
8Indianapolis Colts8-6
9Baltimore Ravens7-7
10Miami Dolphins6-7

Because the Steelers will remain in first place in the AFC North no matter what, they will remain in the No. 4 spot in the conference regardless of the outcome against the Dolphins.

As you can see, the Steelers have a lot of work to do to catch the Jaguars in front of them, so moving up is not possible this week.

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Contributing Writer