How can the Steelers clinch a playoff berth in Week 15?
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a massive test in front of them on Sunday. We break down how they can clinch a spot in the 2025 NFL Playoffs in Week 15.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 10-3 and playing some of the most complete football in the entire NFL. They can solidify their spot in the playoffs during Week 15, but they face a pretty big test in the Philadelphia Eagles.
With the Steelers at 10-3 and the Ravens at 8-5, the Steelers can’t quite clinch the AFC North in Week 15. The two teams have another game to play and enough divisional games left on the docket that there isn’t a way to make it work mathematically. The Steelers can clinch at least a wild card berth, though.
Steelers playoff berth clinching scenarios
If Pittsburgh wins to get to 11-3, the worst they can finish is 11-6 which would put them out of reach of everyone currently in eighth place or worse.
Pittsburgh can also back in with a loss if both of the seven-loss teams fall to eight losses. Either of these scenarios will guarantee Pittsburgh is playing postseason football:
- Steelers win
- OR -
- Dolphins loss AND Colts loss
The Steelers are 5.5-point underdogs on the road in Philly, per FanDuel Sportsbook. The Dolphins (+2.5) and Colts (+3.5) are both underdogs this week, too.
AFC standings entering Week 15
1. y-Kansas City Chiefs (12-1)
2. y-Buffalo Bills (10-3, SOV 59 wins)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3, SOV 52 wins)
4. Houston Texans (8-5)
5. Baltimore Ravens (8-5, win over LAC)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (8-5, win over DEN, loss to BAL)*
7. Denver Broncos (8-5, loss to LAC)*
8. Indianapolis Colts (6-7, win over MIA)
9. Miami Dolphins (6-7, loss to IND)*
10. Cincinnati Bengals (5-8)*
11. Cleveland Browns (3-10) — eliminated
12. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-10) — eliminated
13. New York Jets (3-10) — eliminated
14. Tennessee Titans (3-10) — eliminated
15. New England Patriots (3-10) — eliminated
16. Las Vegas Raiders (2-11) — eliminated
Note: In the five-way tie between Cleveland, Jacksonville, New York, Tennessee, and New England, divisional tiebreakers first drop the Titans (loss to Jaguars) and the Patriots (common games tiebreaker to Jets). The Jets then drop behind the Browns and Jaguars due to the conference record tiebreaker and the Browns finish ahead of the Jaguars due to head-to-head. Then it’s the Jaguars and Jets, where Jacksonville wins a head-to-head tiebreaker. The Jets and Titans go head to head after that, and New York beat Tennessee. The Titans beat the Patriots, so they are next.
Teams with an asterisk (*) have been eliminated from divisional contention
Teams with an “x” have clinched a playoff spot
Teams with a “y” have clinched their division