Steelers win, Jets lose, Bengals likely to host Pittsburgh in Wild Card round

If the Cincinnati Bengals play in the Wild Card round, they'll likely be hosting their biggest rival in a do-or-die playoff game.

The Steelers were victorious in Week 17, whereas the New York Jets fell in Buffalo and have allowed Pittsburgh to win the AFC's No. 6 seed and final Wild Card spot. That means the Steelers will come to Paul Brown Stadium next week so long as the Denver Broncos are able to beat the San Diego Chargers in the afternoon slate of NFL games.

Coming into Week 17, the 10-5 Jets were in complete control of their playoff destiny so long as the were able to beat the 7-8 Bills. While Buffalo did win in New York earlier this season, they've been decimated this season due to injuries, which is why most thought the Jets would come out of this with a win.

As for the 9-5 Steelers, they had to win in Cleveland over a 4-11 Browns team that was more interested in the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft more than actually winning a game. Pittsburgh won with relative ease, but needed New York to lose in order to make it into the postseason.

The Jets would end up losing 22-17 to the Bills after committing a host of gaffes and crucial errors that allowed Buffalo to escape with a narrow win and get Pitt into the playoffs.

The only way the Bengals won't end up playing in the Wild Card round is if Denver loses or ends in a tie at home with the 4-11 San Diego Chargers. The odds of that happening are very unlikely, so expect Cincinnati to be playing next week with Pittsburgh rolling into PBS.

There's also the possibility the Broncos win the AFC's No. 1 overall seed thanks to the New England Patriots losing on the road to the 6-10 Miami Dolphins. However, Cincinnati cannot pass New England in the playoff standings due to the Pats owning more tie-breakers over the Bengals, even though the two teams have not faced each other this season.