The Pittsburgh Steelers steamrolled the Houston Texans on Christmas day, clinching a first round bye in the process.
Even without star wide receiver Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers cruised to a 34-6 victory which will give AB an extra week to rest during the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
The Steelers, 12-3 on the season, are currently tied with the New England Patriots for the best record in the AFC, although Pittsburgh's Week 15 loss to the Pats has them sitting in the No. 2 seed. The Steelers can sneak into the No. 1 seed, and secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs, if they beat the winless Browns in Week 17 AND the New York Jets upset the Patriots in the regular season finale.
Either way, Pittsburgh will have a week to rest when the playoffs start which is crucial considering Antonio Brown is not expected to be ready to play until the AFC Divisional Round at the earliest. The 29-year old wide receiver suffered a partially torn calf during Pittsburgh's loss to New England in Week 15.
With the Pats and Steelers locked in as the top two seeds in the AFC, here's how the rest of the AFC playoff picture looks after Week 16.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, 10-5, are sitting in the No. 3 seed, followed by the 9-6 Kansas City Chiefs, who have also secured a playoff spot, and the 9-6 Baltimore Ravens. At 8-7, the Tennessee Titans are sitting in the sixth seed, though the Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills are still lurking at 8-7 as well.
The Ravens and Titans can clinch playoff berths with in Week 17 with wins against the Bengals and Jags, respectively. The Chargers will host the Raiders, while the Bills travel to Miami in the NFL's regular season finale.
