The Pittsburgh Steelers don't have the feel of a team contending for a playoff spot.
Five losses in their last seven games have dropped the Steelers' record to 6-6. They are 27th in the league in total offense and 28th in total defense.
Yet the Steelers are in the hunt for a postseason berth and have an important game on Sunday when they visit the Ravens in Baltimore. The Steelers and Ravens are tied for first place in the AFC North despite having .500 records. The Ravens hold the tiebreaker because of their better division record, but the Steelers can take sole possession of first place with a win.
The Steelers did not remotely resemble a playoff team this past Sunday when the Buffalo Bills handled them 26-7 at Acrisure Stadium. Yet the Steelers are far from playing out the string with five games remaining in the season.
"We control our destiny," Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "We've got to win. We've got three division games. Two of them are against Baltimore next week and the last week of the season.
"It's a tough place to play," Rodgers continued, referring to M&T Bank Stadium. "They've got a great fan base. It will be loud and rocking. We've got to bring the right mindset."
In addition to playing the Ravens on Sunday and again at home during Week 18, the Steelers also have games remaining with the Miami Dolphins (5-7), Detroit Lions (7-5), and Cleveland Browns (3-9).
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin wasn't in the mindset of talking about the playoff picture following Sunday's loss. A Tomlin-coached team has rarely played worse during his 19 seasons on the job as the Bills outgained the Steelers 372-166 – rushing for 249 yards – and holding a commanding 41:59-18:01 advantage in time of possession.
"I'm not big picture-oriented tonight," Tomlin said. "Certainly, we understand where we are and the opportunity that's in front of us from a divisional standpoint, that's very secondary as we sit here tonight. We had a poor performance, and that's where our energy is and should be in terms of the analysis of this."