5 NFL teams who benefit the most from expanded playoff field

Had the playoffs featured seven teams in both leagues, the Pittsburgh Steelers would have qualified last year. They would have been the No. 7 seed in the AFC, which is remarkable given how chaotic it was at the quarterback position. Pittsburgh only got two starts out of Ben Roethlisberger before a season-ending injury. It was a lot of Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges.

With arguably its best defense in a decade, we should expect the Steelers to return to the postseason after a two-year absence. While they may not be good enough to unseat the archival Baltimore Ravens from atop the AFC Norths’ highest perch, it’s not like the Ravens are going 14-2 again next year. Pittsburgh will close the gap enough to be at least a top-seven seed next year.

Assuming the Steelers get anything close to Pro Bowl-level play out of Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh could be a team capable of winning 10 or so games. A 10-win season would almost guarantee the Steelers a playoff spot. A winning record of 9-7 is probably good enough to get in as well, or be at least in the discussion for it.

Simply put, the Steelers are coming back-to-back years from hell. They may not be a serious Super Bowl contender this fall, but they’re not going to have a third straight year without postseason football. Pittsburgh lives for it and the Steelers will absolutely be a part of it. They are without a doubt the biggest beneficiary of the expanded playoff field in the entire AFC.