2018 NFL Picks, score predictions for Week 17

Cincinnati Bengals (6-9) at Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6-1)

Sunday, December 30, 4:25PM ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers simply can’t afford to lose this game. However, after dropping the ball in Week 16, they’re going to need more than just a win to get into the playoffs. Unfortunately, if the Ravens win as I predicted, the result of this game may not matter.

Essentially, the Steelers will be the Browns’ biggest fans in Week 17. Pittsburgh making the playoffs will have to include a win by Cleveland coupled with its own win at Heinz Field. That’s legitimately the only way for the Steelers to play a January game after they failed to overcome the Saints this past Sunday.

Luckily for the home team, they’ve got one of the worst teams in the league right now coming to town. The Bengals have been awful in recent weeks, failing to capitalize on the strong start they enjoyed in the first few weeks of the campaign. Losing Andy Dalton didn’t help, but they’ve struggled in just about every aspect of the game since the middle of the season.

The Steelers should be able to come away victorious. Suffering a spoiler loss at the hands of the Bengals is always a possibility, but I just don’t see that happening — especially considering Cincinnati’s ineptitude down the stretch.

Prediction: Steelers win 35-16