Football Brainiac

Each week the Impact Segment takes a look at happenings around the NFL and how they affect the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For the remainder of the season we’ll be taking a look at key games and matchups across the AFC that might have an impact on the Steelers as we head into the home stretch.

• The playoffs start Sunday for the Tenessee Titans. They absoulutely need a win this week when they host the Texans. A loss could put the Titans as far as three games back in the AFC South (virtually eliminating them from the division title race) and two games out of the Wild Card chase with four to go. The Titans seem to be the best bet to knock the Browns out of the playoff picture, but it could prove difficult with remaining games against the Chargers and Colts.
• It’s also do-or-die for the Denver Broncos. The team that beat Pittsburgh in October is 5-6 and a game behind San Diego in the AFC West. They host the Raiders this week so it’s a game they should win as well as most of the other games on their schedule (KC, HOU & MIN). The game that could decide this division is the Monday nighter in San Diego on Christmas Eve.
• Game you should keep an eye on #1: Cleveland, .vs. Arizona. This game is important to the Steelers for all the obvious reasons. A Steelers win an a loss to the Cards would put the Brownies, in essence, three games back in the AFC North with four to go giving the Steelers plenty of margin for error. Kurt Warner’s 400+ yard passing game last week and receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald should be a tough task for the Cleveland defense. This one could be a shootout.
• Game you should keep an eye on #2: Jacksonville .vs. Indianapolis. A win for the Colts would give them a 2 game lead in the AFC South and probably wrap up their fourth straight division title. The Jags could force a tie for first with a win, but winning the division still doesn’t look good for them. Jacksonville would have to win all of their remaining games (CAR, PIT, OAK & HOU) and the Colts would still have to lose one more (BAL, OAK, HOU & TEN) which is possible, but not likely given the Colts opponents. The game’s biggest factor might be the play of David Garrard. The Jacksonville QB has yet to throw an interception in 8 games played this season.
  
  Regardless of the outcome, though, it makes the Jags visit to Pittsburgh in two weeks all the more important to the AFC playoff picture given that the Browns are still hanging around.

What are your thoughts about these games? What other significant events do you see happening this week that could affect the Steelers?