Steelers Update.

Brown: Colon, Essex compete for right tackle job
Willie Colon and Trai Essex are competing for the starting right tackle job that became open when Max Starks injured his left knee.

Steelers making December rush — but is it too late?

Point, counterpoint: What went wrong this season?

Steelers notebook

Steelers can make the playoffs if...
The Steelers' playoff scenario at a glance heading into Sunday's home game against Baltimore (11-3):

Their only chance to make the playoffs is as a sixth-seeded team.
The winner of the Bengals-Broncos game on Sunday night will own the tiebreaker against them based on head-to-head play (Denver) or superior record against common opponents (Cincinnati).

If Cincinnati and Jacksonville (8-6) win one more game each, the Steelers can't make the playoffs regardless of how they do in the final two games against the Ravens and the Bengals.

Jacksonville owns the tiebreaker by beating the Steelers 9-0 on Sept. 18.

The Bengals (8-6), who lost to Indianapolis (10-3) 34-16 last night, finish at Denver on Sunday and at home against the Steelers on New Year's Eve. Jacksonville is at home Sunday against New England (10-4) and plays at Kansas City (7-7) on Dec. 31.

Denver (8-6), which beat the Steelers 31-20 in Pittsburgh on Nov. 5, would also bypass Pittsburgh even if it loses to the Bengals by beating the 49ers (6-8) in Denver on Dec. 31.

The Jets (8-6) would jump over the Steelers by beating Miami (6-8) on the road on Christmas and Oakland (2-12) at home on Dec. 31.

The Steelers likely would win tiebreakers against Tennessee (7-7), Kansas City (7-7) or Buffalo (7-7) if any of those teams finish 9-7. A year ago, a single loss in any of their final eight regular season and playoff games would have kept the Steelers from winning the Super Bowl.

This season, they might miss the playoffs because they didn't win one more game -- such as that unthinkable 20-13 loss to the Raiders (2-12) on Oct. 29. Or their 41-38 overtime defeat in Atlanta the week before when a motion penalty on wide receiver Nate Washington in the closing seconds prevented a game-winning field goal try.

In both games, the Steelers were in position to win in the final two minutes and couldn't do so.