The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t come down with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15… but it didn’t matter in the end; they still clinched a playoff berth thanks to a little extra help. The Steelers had two potential paths to clinching their playoff berth this week, including a win over the Eagles, as well as a loss or tie for both the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts.

It was the latter that earned them their trip to the playoffs in Week 15, as both the Dolphins and Colts lost to their respective opponents. Miami fell to Houston Texans (20-12), while the Broncos won 31-13 over the Colts.

At this point, the Steelers would hold the third seed in the AFC if the season ended today, including home-field advantage In the Wild Card Round. They maintain a one-game lead over the Baltimore Ravens and will clinch their first AFC North title since the 2020 NFL season, when the team lost at home in the wild card to the Cleveland Browns, 48-37. The team’s last playoff win came back in the 2016 season over the Kansas City Chiefs to go to the AFC Championship, where they lost 36-17.