Mike Florio Speculates Whether Steelers Would ‘Rest Key Starters’ Week 17 Vs. Browns

The Pittsburgh Steelers took care of business in Week 15, defeating the Miami Dolphins on “Monday Night Football,” 28-15.

With the win, quarterback Aaron Rodgers and company remained one game ahead of the second-place Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North standings.

Baltimore and Pittsburgh have a potentially crucial head-to-head slated for Week 18.

As Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio pointed out on Tuesday, even if the Steelers were to lose their next two games and the Ravens were to win in Week 16 and 17, that’d still set up a winner-take-all Week 18 showdown for the division crown.

That got Florio wondering if head coach Mike Tomlin could consider resting “key starters” for the team’s Week 17 contest against the Cleveland Browns to be “at full strength” vs. the Ravens for the regular season finale.

“Under that scenario, the Steelers would be 8-8 and the Ravens would be 9-7 entering the season finale: Ravens at Steelers. A Pittsburgh win would result in a 9-8 tie. With a sweep of the Ravens, the Steelers would win the division on the first tiebreaker,” Florio wrote. “And that raises a related question. Would the Steelers decide to rest key starters for Week 17 at Cleveland, with the goal of having everyone at full strength for Week 18?”

Of course, the possibility of a Week 18 game for the division title could be a moot point if Pittsburgh clinches before then.

“By the time the Steelers play the Browns on Sunday, December 28, they’ll know where the Ravens (who play the Packers the night before) stand,” Florio said. “Pittsburgh could be in position to clinch the division with a win over the Browns. But if the Steelers know that they’ll need to win in Week 18 in order to secure the division title, there could be sound football reasons to give some of the veteran players a game off.”

The Ravens have won back-to-back division crowns, while the Steelers are looking to win their first AFC North title since 2020.

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