PITTSBURGH — The Jacksonville Jaguars knocked the Steelers out of the playoffs in 2007 and 2017, delivering crushing postseason defeats to Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger. On Sunday afternoon, Tomlin, Roethlisberger and the rest of the Steelers will become the biggest fans of the NFL's most dysfunctional franchise.
For one week, at least.
In order to make the playoffs, the Steelers must beat the Ravens in Baltimore and then have the 2-14 Jaguars upset the 9-7 Colts. Even if that happens, the Steelers still would need the Chargers-Raiders game on Sunday night not to end in a tie.
Not that the Colts losing to the lowly Jaguars is likely. The Jaguars have lost eight consecutive games and are coming off a 50-10 drubbing to the Patriots.
It's the longest of long shots, but the Steelers have overcome steeper odds to make the playoffs. In 1989, they needed to win their final game in Tampa Bay and have three other outcomes go in their favor. They got their Christmas miracle and rode the momentum to an AFC wild-card game victory in Houston the following week before they fell in Denver in an AFC divisional round game.
But that was the rare occasion when relying on another team to lose worked in the Steelers' favor. This is the sixth time in Tomlin's 15-year tenure as head coach that he's had to win the regular season finale and get help to make the playoffs.
"I'm capable of talking myself into anything," Tomlin said Tuesday afternoon during his weekly news conference. "I get singularly focused on purple. On the Baltimore Ravens. And that will be my focus all week. And that will be my sentiment that I relate to our football team. And I expect them to follow."
Only once in those six previous opportunities under Tomlin did things fall the Steelers' way. In 2015, the Steelers needed to beat the Browns in Cleveland and hope the 10-5 Jets lost to the 7-8 Bills in Buffalo.
The Steelers beat the Browns, 28-12, and then found out on the field the Bills had upset the Jets, 22-17. The Steelers went on to beat the Bengals in an AFC wild card game in Cincinnati before losing to the Broncos in a divisional round game.
In 2009, 2013, 2018 and 2019, Tomlin and the Steelers weren't as fortunate. In 2013, the Steelers needed to win and have three other results go in their favor. They did their part by beating the Browns at Heinz Field and all they needed for a playoff berth to be clinched was for the Chiefs to beat the Chargers. It looked like it was going to happen, too, until Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop missed a 41-yard field goal near the end of regulation. The Chargers ended up winning in overtime.
In 2018, the Steelers eked out a win over the Bengals at Heinz Field and then needed the Browns to upset the Ravens. The Browns were in position to pull it off, but Baker Mayfield was intercepted by C.J. Mosley to end the game as the Browns were driving for the potential winning field goal.
Now the Steelers have to win and put their hopes in a Jaguars team that is in contention for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft for the second year in a row. The Jaguars' two victories this season came against the Dolphins and the Bills, but they've mostly been a train wreck. They fired Urban Meyer last month less than a year after he was hired. And they enter the game with an unbelievable point differential of minus-219 for the season.
But if Steelers fans want a sliver of hope, there is this: The Colts haven't won in Jacksonville since the 2014 season.
So you're saying there's a chance?
Injury update
Tomlin said it was too early to determine if any of the players who were injured during the Browns game would be available for the Ravens game. Offensive linemen Dan Moore (ankle) and Trai Turner (knee) and safety Terrell Edmunds (groin) are questionable heading into the final week of the regular season.
Tomlin also said many of the players on the COVID-19 list will be eligible to return. The Steelers played Monday night without their starting inside linebacker duo of Devin Bush and Joe Schobert.
"Figuring out their level of readiness will be a big part of this week's preparation," Tomlin said.
New line coach has 'tremendous impact'
The Steelers had the unique circumstance of losing a position coach before the Browns game when Adrian Klemm left to start his new job at the University of Oregon. His replacement, Chris Moore, received some high praise from Tomlin for his contributions in the win over the Browns.
"I thought he had a tremendous impact," Tomlin said. "I don't want to overstate it, obviously. He ran the offensive line room and made critical decisions regarding the division of labor and in the formation formulation of the plan. He'll do similar things this week.
"We had a great run day. But that's just a day. I'm looking forward to watching his contributions and our plan develop this weekend and add to that body of work."
The only change in personnel for the Browns game was J.C. Hassenauer starting in place of Kendrick Green, who was active but did not start due to a calf injury. Tomlin was asked Tuesday if Hassenauer did enough to earn another start. And while he did not answer the question, he did acknowledge Hassenauer was a big part of Najee Harris running for a career-high 188 yards.
"I liked a lot of what I saw last night, not only in his play but in his communication," Tomlin said of Hassenauer. "He did a nice job of communicating with the group and in identifying people both in the run and in the pass."
Tomlin said it was an easy decision to start Hassenauer in place of Green against the Browns because Green only participated in one practice last week. He expects Green to be healthier this week and for his decision to be more difficult as a result.
"[Green] will probably have a level of readiness that happens earlier in the week, but we'll make the decisions that are best for us in terms of putting ourselves in position to just have a good offensive output and thus win the game."
