Believe it or not, it made sense for Steelers fans to cheer on the Bengals in their penultimate regular-season game vs. the Broncos at Paycor Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Not because Steelers supporters wanted to see Cincinnati win or anything. But thanks to that happening–Joe Burrow and Co. prevailed by a final score of 30-24 in overtime–Pittsburgh will now avoid entering the postseason as the seventh and final seed.

The seventh seed was Pittsburgh’s status in 2021, which led to a road shellacking at the hands of the Chiefs. The Steelers were again the seventh seed a year ago and got smashed into a blazing table in Buffalo.

The sixth seed is now the Steelers’ playoff floor, and that would only become a reality if they lose to Cincinnati at Acrisure Stadium next Sunday and the Broncos knock off the unmotivated Chiefs.

The Bills clinched the second seed after blowing out the Jets on Sunday afternoon. If the Bills would have somehow lost their last two games and finished with the same 12-5 record as Baltimore, the Ravens would have been the second seed based on the head-to-head tiebreaker (the Ravens blew out the Bills earlier in the season). It would be wise for the Steelers to avoid Buffalo no matter the seeding. Might that mean a road trip to M&T Bank Stadium for a three vs. six matchup? Yes, but the Ravens are the devils (or ratbirds) Pittsburgh knows. True, the Ravens are damn good and damn explosive, but I don’t think Pittsburgh would be afraid or have no chance.

The chances against Buffalo, however? Yikes.

Obviously, the Steelers want to wrap up the highest possible seed heading into the postseason. That would be the third seed and require a win and a Ravens home loss to Cleveland. Stranger things have happened, but it wouldn’t be so strange for Pittsburgh to defeat the Bengals at home, even if the Bengals will be playing for their postseason lives.

A win over Cincinnati guarantees the Steelers no worse than the fifth seed and a trip to Houston on Super Wild Card Weekend.

I don’t know how you feel, but if the Steelers have to go on the road again for the playoffs, Houston wouldn’t be a bad destination.

At any rate, at least we know the Steelers won’t have to go to Buffalo for the second year in a row…for the first round, anyway.

Sure, it could happen in later rounds, but that would mean the Steelers had won a postseason game or two. By then, all of those playoff fight songs (“Beat them Bills, they’re just a bunch of yonkos” or whatever) and the power of the Terrible Towel will have us believing in the impossible.

But that’s a later-round situation.

As for now, I think we must thank Joe Burrow and Co. for coveting the seventh seed so much that they prevented the Steelers from owning it.