The NFL had every reason to bump Chargers-Rams from its original slot Sunday night. The Rams are out of the postseason hunt at 5-10 and were just the subjects of a national broadcast Christmas Day in their 51-14 blowout of the Broncos. Plus, the Chargers will be seen by much of the country Monday night against the Colts.
But there were other options to move into that prime-time spot. The Dolphins and Patriots are both vying for playoff spots, the Buccaneers and Panthers will face off with NFC South title implications, and even the Packers are back in the mix ahead of their rivalry matchup with the Vikings.
In lieu of all of those, the NFL chose the Steelers and Ravens to duke it out under the lights in Baltimore. That's a key game for the AFC North crown, given that the Ravens are one game back of the Bengals, and the Steelers technically still have a shot at the postseason as of this writing.
But by the time they kick off at 8:20 p.m., the Steelers could be eliminated already. If the Chargers (8-6) win Monday night — they're favored by 3 1/2 in Indianapolis with a chance to clinch a playoff berth — and the Dolphins (8-7) beat the Patriots (7-8) at 1 p.m. Sunday, the Steelers are done.
"Why flex that," Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen tweeted after the NFL announced the change.
Queen fired back at fans who assumed he was disrespecting the Steelers with that post, but he clarified that he simply meant he'd rather play an early game than a late one. Still, it's clear that even from the ground level, not all participants see this as a potentially epic chapter in arguably the NFL's fiercest rivalry.
But it does speak to the parity of the league this season. With two weeks left, 24 teams remain in playoff contention, tied for the third-most all time behind 2004 (26) and 1982 (25), according to football historian Ivan Urena.
Of course, you can make the case that even if the Steelers find themselves playing meaningless football, it won't be meaningless for a young team in transition. Postseason bid or no postseason bid, there's no erasing the impact of pulling out an emotional victory Christmas Eve against the Raiders.
"I forget who I was talking to about it, but I was saying we don't want to put it all on the rookie's shoulders," defensive captain Cam Heyward said of Kenny Pickett's touchdown pass to take the lead with less than a minute left. "But he did a hell of a job. We needed seven at the end, we needed that touchdown, and for him to answer the bell, for that whole offensive group to answer the bell, was pretty special."
Indeed, Pickett is showing an ability to finish games strong, albeit against subpar competition. He now has two fourth-quarter comebacks in his last three games, if you take out the Ravens loss in which he played just eight snaps before leaving with a concussion.
Down by one in Week 12 in Indianapolis, Pickett drove the offense 75 yards over 5:05 and finished with a touchdown run by Benny Snell plus a two-point conversion pass to George Pickens to give the Steelers a 24-17 lead with 9:55 remaining. Against the Raiders, it was more of a two-minute drill, with Pickett capping a 10-play, 76-yard drive on a 14-yard touchdown strike to Pickens.
"I don't really think too much about winning guys over," Pickett said of those moments. "I think my preparation throughout the week, how hard I play, I hope their opinions are on the brighter side based off that. We all have a really good relationship. We all believe in each other. We have no doubt we're going to win the game when we get out there. I think how tight-knit we are, that definitely bodes well for us."
As much as the Steelers improving their record late in the season will hurt their draft positioning, there's something to be said for success building culture. As someone who has been through his share of ups and downs, Heyward downplayed the notion that an encouraging finish to 2022 can be a springboard for the team in 2023, but ending the season on a high note could be good for all involved.
Confidence can be crucial, and closing an otherwise disappointing year with a four-game win streak — including two road wins, two divisional wins and a momentous tribute to Franco Harris — could spark positivity going into next season.
"It's a long season," Pickett said. "We were finding ourselves earlier on in the season, felt like we started hitting our stride after the bye week — finding our identity a little bit, believing in each other, believing in the plan, and going out there and executing at a high level and finding ways to come out with wins.
"That's all that matters at the end of the day, so I feel like we continue to do that. Whatever happens happens, but we've just got to take it a week at a time."
