Updated AFC Playoff picture: What Steelers need to make playoffs after beating Ravens

It wasn't as easy as it probably should've been for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday in Week 18, but a win is a win. And Mike Tomlin's team picked up its 10th victory of the 2023 regular season by beating the rival Baltimore Ravens, a team playing without Lamar Jackson, among others, in the season finale.

Najee Harris led the way for the Steelers with 112 yards and a touchdown on the ground, but Mason Rudolph's 71-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson proved to be the ultimate difference-maker as Pittsburgh captured the 17-10 win. And more importantly, the win keeps the Steelers' hopes of making the NFL Playoffs alive.

How alive are those hopes, though? Let's take a look at the AFC Playoff Picture after the win and see what the Steelers will need to be playing in the postseason.

Updated AFC Playoff Picture after Steelers beat Ravens in Week 18

1. Baltimore Ravens (13-4)
2. Miami Dolphins (11-5)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (9-7)
5. Cleveland Browns (11-5)
6. Buffalo Bills (10-6)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)

In The Hunt: 8 Indianapolis Colts (9-7), 9 Houston Texans (9-7)

There really were no implications for the Ravens in Week 18. Baltimore had already locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC, which is why they were quick to rest guys like Lamar Jackson, Odell Beckham Jr. and others for the regular season finale against the Steelers.

But in the case of the Steelers, that's where things get interesting. In the standings after the win, they sit at 10-7 overall on the year and in the No. 7 seed. However, Pittsburgh will need some help to lock that playoff spot on Sunday in Week 18.

What Steelers need to clinch playoff spot on Sunday in Week 18

The win over the short-handed Ravens was step one for the Steelers. But now they need a little bit of help, though the results-based metrics are simple. The Steelers need one of the Buffalo Bills or the Jacksonville Jaguars to lose. Pittsburgh will also get in if the Jaguars were to tie or if the Texans-Colts game on Saturday night were to end in a tie as well.

If both Buffalo (playing vs. Miami) and Jacksonville (playing vs. Tennessee) win on Sunday in Week 18, the Steelers will miss the playoffs after losing the head-to-head tiebreaker to Jacksonville in Week 8.