The Pittsburgh Steelers will be the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs regardless of how Week 17’s NFL action transpires. Therefore, the AFC North division champions will rest several of their most important players, particularly on offense.
The Steelers have won four games in a row, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, wideout Antonio Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell all have played key roles in that success. They deserve a break, especially when it’s unlikely they’ll gain much from playing the awful 1-14 Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
You could make a case that Roethlisberger needs the reps after not playing to his normal standard this month, but good health is most important given his injury history. Pittsburgh won’t make it far in the playoffs if Big Ben is banged up.
In the meantime, these three stars could use the extra rest to begin looking at film for their wild-card round opponent, which could be the Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders or Kansas City Chiefs.
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Hoffman/USA TODAY Sports Images
