Pittsburgh Steelers fans received a boost of confidence on Friday from one of their former Pro Bowl players. NFL analyst and former Steelers Super Bowl-winning safety Ryan Clark broke down the future of the Steelers on ESPN’s NFL Live on Friday. Clark believes they can use Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns as a springboard to a four-game winning streak and, more importantly, host a playoff game in January.
.@Realrclark25 thinks that the @steelers could be hosting games in the playoffs ✍️ pic.twitter.com/CEkYyBQl1i
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 17, 2023
Ryan Clark: Provides Optimism for Pittsburgh Steelers
“We could look up in about a month, and the Steelers could be 10-3. Think about this week. You’ll get an opportunity to play Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Cleveland Browns) on the road, and the next week, you’ll have Jake Browning (Cincinnati Bengals). The Steelers can start a run if they win this very tough game in Cleveland,” said Clark on NFL Live. The Steelers face the Browns, Bengals, and Arizona Cardinals before needing to prepare for Thursday Night Football against the New England Patriots. With the Patriots’ Mac Jones getting benched in Week 10, the Steelers could face three backup quarterbacks during that span.
Clark continued, saying, “The Steelers can win this game (Week 11 against Cleveland) and set themselves up to have a run here where we’re looking up in December and saying to ourselves, ‘Oh my god, the Pittsburgh Steelers can host football games in the playoffs.'” The Steelers are two games back of the Baltimore Ravens in the win column for first place in the AFC North.
However, their playoff chances took a big boost after Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns lost franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson for the year with a shoulder injury sustained last Sunday. The Steelers and Browns remain tied for the top AFC Wild Card spot heading into Week 11.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Playoff Chances Elevated Heading Into Sunday
The Steelers will have an easier chance of making the postseason with division rivals Cincinnati and Cleveland losing their star quarterbacks for the season. The same remains true about the Indianapolis Colts, playing without rookie signal caller Anthony Richardson. The Colts are just one game out of the final playoff spot in the AFC heading into Week 11. Additionally, the Las Vegas Raiders, who fired their head coach earlier this year, and the struggling Buffalo Bills are just one game out of the loss column from tying the Houston Texans for the last Wild Card position in the AFC. Per playoffstatus.com, the Steelers have a 72% chance of making the playoffs.
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