The erratic Steelers blew a chance to clinch the AFC North in Cleveland. Week 18 could go either way

PITTSBURGH — It was always going to end up like this for the Pittsburgh Steelers, wasn't it?

Week 18. At home. Their biggest rival on the other sideline. A playoff spot on the line.

It's a proposition the perpetually erratic Steelers happily would have taken four months ago when they began the season with the NFL's oldest player at quarterback and plenty of question marks surrounding him.

Funny, it doesn't quite feel that way now.

Not after a chance to clinch the AFC North disappeared into the muck in Cleveland on Sunday, when Aaron Rodgers and an offense that sure played like it missed suspended wide receiver DK Metcalf spent three hours running scared from Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.

The loss — Pittsburgh's fourth straight on the shores of Lake Erie — set up a winner-take-all showdown with Baltimore next week for the division title and the postseason berth that comes with it.

And while everyone from Rodgers to coach Mike Tomlin to longtime defensive captain Cam Heyward tried to spin it forward, the reality is that when the Steelers step onto the Acrisure Stadium turf next Sunday night in the final game of the NFL's regular season, they will be the ones carrying all the pressure.

Maybe, but the onus is on the franchise as a whole to generate legitimate forward momentum.

While the Steelers made moves in the offseason designed to set the club up for the longer haul, like acquiring Metcalf and defensive back Jalen Ramsey and giving them new deals, they also signed Rodgers with the idea that the now-42-year-old might have enough left in the tank to win a game or two in mid-to-late January.

Rodgers has been fine. Some days, he will show flashes of his former MVP form. Others, he looks very much like the only player on the field born when Ronald Reagan was president. At the very least, he will escape this season with his legacy intact.

Tomlin, however, has far more at stake. While his resume is such that he's nearing a lock for the Hall of Fame one day, he finds himself and his team in the same spot it's been in for most of the last 15 seasons: on the fringe of contention.

The NFL rules stipulate that the winner Sunday night will receive the home playoff game that serves as the reward for earning a division title. If the Steelers survive, they'll enter a wide-open AFC with the fewest victories (10) of any club in the seven-team field.

Tomlin insisted after watching his team get bullied in Baltimore in the first round last January that the franchise was not stuck. Asked why, the longest-tenured head coach in major North American professional sports said because stuck implies hopelessness, and he was confident the Steelers were not hopeless because they had a plan.

Over the last 12 months, that plan has led the franchise back to an all-too familiar spot: mediocrity.

A chance for Tomlin to reset the narrative and Rodgers to enjoy one final playoff push awaits with a victory on Sunday night.

What's working

Unleashing Alex Highsmith. Often considered the ''Robin'' to T.J. Watt's ''Batman,'' Highsmith had one of the best games of his career in Cleveland, sacking Shedeur Sanders twice, drawing a holding penalty and generally being a menace nearly every time he lined up.

Game plans that don't get tight end Pat Freiermuth the ball. While Freiermuth did play nearly 70% of the snaps and caught three passes for 63 yards, two of those receptions came during a desperate last-minute drive. That's not nearly enough on a day the Steelers were missing Metcalf.

Stock up

Rookie linebacker Jack Sawyer is blossoming in real time. The third-round pick from Ohio State caught the attention of Pittsburgh's coaching staff ahead of the draft because of his ability to produce plays in critical moments. It happened again on Sunday when he collected his second interception of the season and returned it 27 yards.

Stock down

There's a reason Marquez Valdes-Scantling was available at midseason after being released by San Francisco in an injury settlement. While Valdes-Scantling still has elite straight-line speed, his route running and hands are average at best. Rodgers went just 3 for 9 when targeting Valdes-Scantling on Sunday, and the misses weren't particularly close.

There's a chance Watt is available after missing the last three games while recovering from surgery to repair a partially collapsed lung. ... Veteran LG Isaac Seumalo's triceps injury has forced him to sit out consecutive weeks. ... TE Darnell Washington, who has excelled as both a blocker and a pass catcher this season, is dealing with a broken arm. ... WR Calvin Austin III's hamstring may be healed in time to face Baltimore.

Key number

5-2 — Pittsburgh's all-time record (playoffs included) against Baltimore in games played in January.

Next steps

Hope the potential return of Watt is enough of a spark to avoid a late collapse.