Can Steelers make the playoffs after Week 16 win over Raiders?

Monday update: The Chargers beat the Colts on Monday night, which doesn’t push the Steelers out of the playoff race just yet. A Chargers loss would have kept a wild card spot open for another week and given them a little more leeway.

Ravens beat writer Jamison Hensley gives us more details moving forward:

Sunday update: The Steelers are still in playoff contention after a Miami Dolphins loss on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

Results update: The Steelers have defeated the Raiders, and now need some help from the Packers and Colts. If the Dolphins and Chargers both win/tie, the Steelers would be eliminated despite this win over Las Vegas. If either team loses, the Steelers are still alive.

Saturday 5 p.m. update: The Steelers got some help in the early slate of games. The Patriots lost to the Bengals to drop to 7-8 and just a half game up on the Steelers. New England has the head-to-head tiebreaker so depending on if there are other ties, Pittsburgh needs to finish clear of them. Additionally, the Browns lost so the Steelers can move a game clear of them in the playoff standings. If the Steelers beat the Raiders, they would move into tenth place overall, although they could potentially move as high as eighth depending on how the head-to-head tiebreaker shakes out.

The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Las Vegas Raiders in the final game on Christmas Eve and it’s a must-win for Pittsburgh. The game kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET and the Steelers will have Kenny Pickett back in the starting lineup. Pittsburgh is a 2.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Steelers playoff chances

Record: 6-8
Odds to make playoffs: Yes +3000
Remaining opponents: Week 16 vs. Raiders, Week 17 @ Ravens, Week 18 vs. Browns

If Pittsburgh loses to the Raiders, they are eliminated from playoff contention. Even if they win, they would be eliminated by either wins by the Chargers and Dolphins or wins by the Chargers and Patriots plus a Dolphins tie. If the Steelers finish in a tie with the Raiders, they are eliminated by one of three scenarios: Chargers win/tie + Patriots win/tie, Chargers win/tie + Dolphins tie, or Chargers tie + Dolphins tie + Patriots win.

The Steelers are tied with the Raiders and Browns in the overall AFC standings. They’re in 13th place, behind those two due to losing the head-to-head divisional tiebreaker with Cleveland. All three are two games back of the Chargers and Dolphins for the final wild card playoff berths. The Patriots, Jaguars, and Jets all sit between those groups of teams.

Current playoff standings

Wild card

5. Ravens, 9-5
6. Chargers, 8-6
7. Dolphins, 8-6

8. Patriots, 7-7
9. Jaguars, 7-8
10. Jets, 7-8
11. Raiders, 6-8
12. Browns, 6-8
13. Steelers, 6-8