Steelers Keep Playoff Hopes Alive by Fending Off Packers
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Pittsburgh Steelers/NFL(GREEN BAY, Wis.) — The Pittsburgh Steelers are still alive in the AFC playoff chase.
Le’Veon Bell’s one-yard touchdown run with 1:25 left in the game put the Steelers on top for the good, as Pittsburgh fended off a late charge by the Green Bay Packers to win a snow-filled contest at Lambeau Field Sunday, 38-31.
Green Bay almost sent the game into overtime. Micah Hyde’s 70-yard kick return set the Packers up on the Pittsburgh 31-yard line with 1:25 to go. The Packers made it to the Steelers’ one-yard line with 20 seconds left before being penalized for a false start. That penalty shaved 10 seconds off the play clock, giving the Packers only 10 seconds to play with no timeouts. Green Bay had time for one play, a throw by Matt Flynn that sailed out of the reach of Jarrett Boykin’s hands, giving Pittsburgh the win.
The win means the Steelers (7-8) can still secure the final AFC wild-card spot with some help. Pittsburgh first needs to beat Cleveland in Week 17 and then have Miami, San Diego and Baltimore all lose to clinch the six-seed.
“Our mentality hasn’t changed. We can only control what it is that we can control,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said of the teams chances of making the playoffs. “To win the games that are presented to us, the challenge of the week. We hadn’t done enough of that to this point in the season that is why we are in this position. We better stay singularly focused on that.”
Meanwhile, the Packers (7-7-1) will be able to clinch a spot in playoffs next weekend when they play a do-or-die game against Chicago. The winner makes the playoffs while the loser is out.
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