Bengals @ Steelers
Bengals vs Steelers: This game doesn't have much of an impact on the Broncos, but it will be interesting to watch. Both teams face tough schedules to end the year and could fall out of the playoff race. However, if the Steelers lose, they would be 7-8 and firmly on the outside looking in on the AFC playoff picture.
Following, they'd head to Seattle, and then end with Baltimore. A loss to the Bengals could end their season. On the other side, the Bengals have their last game that they should win this week. They end with the Chiefs and the Browns, two of the top five teams in the AFC. A Steelers win would make both teams 8-7, but they would both be on track to finish 8-9 based on their remaining schedule, and 8-9 would miss the playoffs.
This game would start the clock on when these two seasons might come crashing down. Notably, the Steelers are set to start Mason Rudolph this week. So Rudolph vs Jake Browning.
Game of note: Browns @ Texans
The Browns and Texans face off this week, in a matchup of likely AFC playoff teams. As the Browns continue to push the envelope for the AFC's top wild card spot, the Texans are riding off an improbable win last week under Case Keenum, and now are in the hunt for the AFC South title as the Jaguars continue to fall.
A Texans win would push the Jags to a need-to-win scenario to stay atop the AFC South, and a Browns loss would push them closer to the rest of the pack in the AFC, and could signal the end of the Joe Flacco magical run.