Nov 26, 2020 5 min read

“We’re not trying to go 16-0. We’re trying to win a Lombardi Trophy.”

That was what Ben Roethlisberger had to say after the Steelers demolished the Jaguars, 27-3, last weekend in Jacksonville.

But to get to the Super Bowl and have a chance to win the Lombardi Trophy, the Steelers just might need to go 16-0 because Kansas City doesn’t seem to be going away.

The Steelers are 10-0 for the first time in franchise history, which is nice. But the Chiefs are right on their heels at 9-1.

And with only one bye being handed out in each conference this season for the playoffs, getting the No. 1 seed in the playoffs is a big deal.

Home field advantage in the playoffs is nice, but with little to no fans in stadiums across the league, it’s not the big deal it typically might be. Home teams entered this weekend winning 53 percent of their games. Last season, home teams won 52 percent of their games. But from 2010 through 2018, home teams won an average of 57 percent of the time.

But having a bye, now that’s a much bigger deal, especially for the Steelers, who had their bye all the way back in Week 4.

The Steelers have three games remaining against teams with winning records, starting with today’s game against the Ravens. They also play at Buffalo Dec. 13 and host the Colts Dec. 27.

The Chiefs have the 7-4 Buccaneers today, and still have tough games remaining at Miami and at New Orleans.

The Steelers and Chiefs didn’t play each other this season, so all the Steelers have to do is finish with a better record, otherwise tiebreakers come into effect. And that’s no fun.

Since the league went to eight divisions in 2001, a team that finished with three or fewer losses has failed to get the No. 1 seed 12 times, the last being the Steelers in 2017 when they went 13-3 and tied the Patriots for the best record in the AFC.

Given the way the Steelers and Chiefs are playing, this season looks like that will happen for a 13th time.

• If the NFL doesn’t throw the book at the Ravens, no other team, player or coach should be punished for anything the rest of this season.

Strength and conditioning coach Steve Saunders failed to report COVID-19 symptoms, then went maskless inside the team facility, leading to multiple positive tests among the players and the postponement of Thursday night’s game against the Steelers.

The Ravens deserve a very hefty fine and the loss of multiple draft picks. Saunders’ flaunting of the rules – after the league put all teams on intensive protocols – shows a complete disregard for the rest of the league.

And it also cost the league money – likely a lot of it – by having Thursday night’s Steelers-Ravens game moved to Sunday.

This week’s picks

Steelers (minus 4) over Ravens: The Steelers won by four earlier in Baltimore, even though the Ravens dominated the game. They did that by forcing four Lamar Jackson turnovers. The Steelers are coming off another four-turnover game and lead the league with 22 forced this season. And now, they’ll face Robert Griffin III at quarterback instead. They’ve also found something with the empty backfield set they first used a month ago against the Ravens. Roethlisberger has thrown 12 of his 24 touchdown passes when the Steelers use the empty backfield set. Even the Ravens, who have a good group of corners, don’t have enough to cover everyone. Oh, and the Steelers are ticked off about having to play this weekend instead of being off. Take the Steelers,

Browns (minus 6) over Jaguars: The Browns are classic frontrunners. They’ve gone 1-3 against teams with winning records, being outscored 92-19 in those losses to the Ravens, Steelers and Raiders. But they typically handle bad teams well. Baker Mayfield also hasn’t thrown an interception in the past three games. He also doesn’t have a touchdown pass over that span. That gives you an idea how the Browns want to play? And the Jaguars are a bad team. Take the Browns, 27-16

Giants (minus 6) over Bengals: The Giants are playing better after having a brutal schedule early. The Bengals? Well, they’ll be turning things over to Brandon Allen after Joe Burrow was lost for the season. Who is Brandon Allen? He started three games for the Broncos last season, completing 46.4 percent of his passes. This could get ugly. Take the Giants, 31-10

Dolphins (minus 7) over Jets: Tua Tagovailoa got pulled from his start last week against the Broncos because the Dolphins’ offensive line couldn’t protect him. They won’t have any such issues against the Jets, who have just 14 sacks this season despite ridiculously overrated defensive coordinator Gregg Williams blitzing everyone on every play. Oh, and Frank Gore is now the lead running back again for the Jets. When he first started playing football, the ball was made of an actual pig. Take the Dolphins, 26-17

Buccaneers (plus 3) over Chiefs: Tom Brady versus Patrick Mahomes. The Bucs have the far better defense. Brady hasn’t been playing well, especially on his deep passes. And the Bucs are now 1-3 in night games. Good thing for them this game isn’t being played in prime time. This is all about taking the home team getting points. Take the Bucs, 30-27

Last Week: 3-2 ATS Overall: 28-24-3