Forty-eight years ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers took the unprecedented step of rewarding another NFL team for helping them reach the NFL playoffs.
When Houston beat Cincinnati, 21-16, a week before Christmas in 1977, it sent the Bengals home for the playoffs and secured a spot for the Steelers.
The Steelers were so appreciative, they took up a collection and purchased leather briefcases for every Oilers player and coach. Times being what they were, it was a magnanimous gesture. There were no Nintendo Switch consoles or big-screen television sets available to be dispatched to Texas.
On Saturday night, although the situation is hardly do-or-die, the Steelers could clinch the AFC North title if the Green Bay Packers defeat the Baltimore Ravens.
A win by the Packers would enable the Steelers to rest some players Sunday for their game at Huntington Bank Stadium against the Cleveland Browns and again on the first weekend of January when they play the Ravens at Acrisure Stadium. Perhaps a few goodies sent to Green Bay will be in order.
Just don’t expect any to come from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who of course spent his first 18 seasons with the Packers.
“I gave them a lot of gifts over the years,” Rodgers said, smiling. “This is payback.”
Defensive captain Cameron Heyward also wasn’t ready to ponder that possibility Wednesday before the Steelers installed their practice game plan for Cleveland.
“I’m just worried about kicking (butt) on Sunday,” Heyward said. “I’m not playing the what-if game. I hope our group is the same way. We’ve got big business on Sunday.”
With a 9-6 record, the Steelers occupy the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoff race. If they win the division title, they likely will remain in that spot and play a home playoff game against the No. 5 seed. The Steelers have a slim chance of moving up to the No. 3 seed, but it would take two losses by Jacksonville (11-4) and at least one by Houston (10-5) — plus wins by the Steelers against the Browns and Ravens — to get there.
The Ravens and Packers kick off Saturday at 8 p.m. from Lambeau Field. Rodgers doesn’t expect to be awake to see the conclusion. Not that it will change his expectations.
“I’m preparing to play and excited about playing,” he said.
Rodgers couldn’t recall an instance when he wasn’t injured and sat out the next-to-last game of the regular season (and the season finale) to prepare for the postseason.
“Most of those situations in a penultimate week, I’ve ended up playing, so it’s not even a question,” he said.
The Steelers can only elevate two players from the practice squad for the game Sunday, and that decision must be made by 4 p.m. Saturday — four hours before the Ravens and Packers kick off. That means coach Mike Tomlin can only rest so many starters if the Steelers have the division title clinched before they take the field Sunday.
“When it’s the penultimate game, you expect to play,” Rodgers said. “When it’s the last week, it’s a different story.”
A year ago, the Steelers rode a four-game losing streak into the postseason and were easily dispatched by the Ravens in the wild-card round, 28-14. This year, the Steelers have won three in a row in December, crippling the playoff hopes for the Ravens, Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions.
“The job isn’t finished,” Heyward said. “The vibe I sense is different with this group.”
The Steelers regained their footing after they lost five times in a seven-game span to take a 6-6 record into their Dec. 7 matchup in Baltimore.
“A couple games ago, we said we’re in the playoffs now,” cornerback Joey Porter Jr. said after the win in Detroit. “We have to play like that, feel the sense of urgency. I think this team has come a long way with that, playing physical, playing Steeler football. We always say we want to bully the bullies, and we did that today.”