NFL schedules Steelers' finale at Baltimore for 4:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday
SEATTLE – The Pittsburgh Steelers will get the first crack next weekend at determining their potential playoff fate.
The NFL, which did not determine the dates/times of Week 18 games until Sunday night, has slotted the Steelers game at the Baltimore Ravens for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday. The game will be televised by ABC.
The Saturday game is one of two in the NFL. The Houston Texans will face the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday night, with the winner securing a playoff berth. The rest of the league schedule will be played on Sunday.
Week 18. It's time for the #NFLSeasonFinale. pic.twitter.com/KOV6OaZIKy
— NFL (@NFL) January 1, 2024
In the most realistic playoff scenario, the Steelers (9-7) need to win at Baltimore (13-3), which has clinched the AFC’s top seed and could rest many of its starters, and have either the Buffalo Bills or Jacksonville Jaguars lose on Sunday.
The Bills face the Miami Dolphins at 8:20 p.m. Sunday night with the winner clinching the AFC East. Jacksonville plays at Tennessee at 1 p.m. Sunday.
If Jacksonville wins in the early game, the Steelers will need to wait until late Sunday night to see whether they will return to the playoffs after missing it in 2022.
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
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