Steelers stay alive in playoff hunt

PITTSBURGH (AP) — There’s still a tomorrow for the Pittsburgh Steelers, all they could have asked for only days ago. There’s also a next week for the Baltimore Ravens, or exactly what they didn’t want.

Jeff Reed’s 38-yard field goal put Pittsburgh ahead with 5:25 remaining and the Steelers finally preserved a fourth-quarter lead, beating rival Baltimore 23-20 on Sunday to further jumble the complicated AFC postseason race.

The Steelers (8-7), their season seemingly ended by a late-season five-game losing streak, followed their last-second 37-36 victory over Green Bay with another tight victory helped by Reed’s three field goals and Rashard Mendenhall’s touchdown run. Now, their final regular season game at Miami will have some meaning, although the Steelers could win and still be eliminated.

According to the NFL, the Ravens (8-7) will clinch an AFC wild-card playoff spot if they win Sunday at Oakland. The Steelers must win and hope for some losses as the Jets, Ravens, Broncos, Texans and Pittsburgh all go into the final weekend with the same record.

“It’s been do or die for us for a while, fighting to the last minute. We’re like the cardiac kids,” said Ben Roethlisberger, who threw a touchdown pass while becoming the first Steelers quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards in a season.

For more details, read Monday's Vindicator or visit Vindy.com.