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The Pittsburgh Steelers have already clinched a playoff spot, which means Week 18 against the Cincinnati Bengals won't mean much to them especially if the Baltimore Ravens win on Saturday. That has led head coach Mike Tomlin to the idea of possibly benching his starters, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
“Interesting scheduling quirk from an AFC executive: If the Ravens win in the early window on Saturday, the Steelers will have nothing to play for in their late game against the Bengals,” Schultz wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Not sure if Pittsburgh would rest any starters in that scenario, but it could work in Cincinnati’s favor.”
“Steelers HC Mike Tomlin said he hasn’t given much thought to resting players if the Ravens win earlier in the day,” Schultz wrote in another tweet. “He added that it’s something he might consider later, but doesn’t anticipate taking that route.”
Depending on if the Steelers win or not, they'll have the opportunity to play either the Houston Texans or Ravens in the playoffs. If it was in their best interest, they might want to face the Texans instead of the Ravens. Also, the Steelers are on a losing streak, and they may want to find some type of momentum heading into the postseason.
Should the Steelers rest their starters in Week 18?
There are a lot of variables that can go into the Steelers resting their starters in the final regular season game, but it may be best for them to try and win. They took a rough loss against the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas, and it doesn't seem like anybody is happy about their performance over the past few games.
“That sucked, to be blunt,” Tomlin said via ESPN's Brooke Pryor. “Not the type of ball we want to play and really kind of eerily similar to our last performance in that we're not doing the fundamental things well enough.”
Steelers' veteran Cam Heyward spoke out about how the Steelers have been playing recently.
“The last three weeks, we've played like s–t. Simple as that. I own that; every player's got [to] own that in here,” Heyward said via Steelers Depot on X, formerly Twitter. “Man, just can't squander opportunities, whether it's turnovers, whether it's getting off the field, whether it's scoring touchdowns. It's a multitude of things, and it has reared its big head.”
The Steelers play their division rival Bengals in the final week, and if Cincinnati wins, they give themselves a chance to get into the playoffs if the Broncos lose to the Chiefs. If this was a true rivalry, the Steelers would do everything they can to make sure the Bengals don't win.
