I don’t feel like getting too much into the Steelers’ 34-17 loss to the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday. I will say this: It speaks volumes that you’re counting on MyCole Pruitt, Ben Skowronek and even Cordarrelle Patterson to be key contributors in the passing game.

Having said all of that, a different bounce or two on Saturday (or even in Philly the previous Sunday), and we would feel much better about things today.

Anyway, the 10-5 Steelers are floundering with two games to go. They’re regressing. They’re getting unhealthier instead of healthier.

The good news is the Steelers still control their fate when it comes to winning the AFC North. Sure, Baltimore now has the same 10-5 mark and is also 3-2 in the AFC North. Even if both teams win out, overall record, head-to-head and record within the division would all be a wash. That would leave the third tiebreaker for breaking deadlocks within a division: Record against common opponents. If both teams win out, Pittsburgh would be 6-2 vs. common opponents, while the Ravens would be 5-3.

Now, what if these two teams split their final two games? In that case, the Steelers’ victory would have to come against the Bengals in Week 18 and Baltimore’s loss would have to occur at home against Cleveland that same day.

I don’t see that happening, at least not the Cleveland part.

Therefore, the Steelers just have to try and win out. No, it’s not going to be easy, but life in the NFL is never easy, now, is it?

It would have been fantastic if the Steelers wrapped up the division title in Baltimore on Saturday and were able to treat the last two games as “veteran rest days” and tune-ups. But they now have to win them both. They now have to find a way to defeat the defending Super Bowl champions at Acrisure Stadium on Christmas Day. They’ll have a mini-bye after that and a chance to get as healthy as possible before taking on Cincinnati at home in the regular-season finale.

Will the Bengals have anything to play for but pride that day? If Cincinnati is already eliminated from postseason play, will Joe Burrow be off somewhere fighting crime in his Batmobile or will he don his black-and-orange stripes one last time and try and foil Pittsburgh’s plans for an AFC North title and home playoff game?

My guess is Burrow will be inactive if the Bengals are eliminated by Week 18. What an opportunity that would be for Pittsburgh, right?

I mean, you head into Week 18 needing to defeat a Burrow-less Bengals team at Acrisure Stadium in order to win your division. Heck, you’d likely sign your name in blood for that opportunity even with Burrow in the lineup.

Confidence is mighty low for the Steelers now that they’ve lost the first two legs of this three-game gauntlet everyone had feared since the schedule was released last May.

But other than their confidence level, nothing has changed for the Steelers: Win out, and they win the AFC North.

Things are now crystal clear with just two weeks to go.