Send Out the Clowns

As a Steelers fan who is glad the little Brownies are competitive again (finally resuscitating the storied Pittsburgh-Cleveland rivalry), JPPBs also relish the squirming discomfort, anxiety and angst the Cleveland Browns and their fans must be experiencing this week.

Because the Browns laid a colossal egg on Sunday in Cincinnati, they need help just to make the playoffs. As explained on the Brownies' Web site, here’s how it shakes out for them:

** The Browns and Tennessee Titans are both 9-6 heading into the season's final week.

** The Titans play at Indianapolis in a game that means nothing to the Colts, who have clinched a first-round bye. If the Colts win, the Browns are in. If the Titans win, the Browns are out.

** If the Browns do get in, they'll be the sixth seed and play at Pittsburgh or San Diego.

The Browns = The Clowns.

As for the Steelers, all the speculation about playoff seeding is pointless. They will be the No. 4 seed. The only way the Steelers can finish as the No. 3 seed is if they end the regular season with a better record than the San Diego Chargers, who currently have the same record, 10-5, as the Steelers. If the two teams are tied, either at 10-6 or at 11-5, the Chargers will be the No. 3 seed.

The Chargers play at Oakland (4-11) on Sunday at 4:15 p.m (EST), while the Steelers play at Baltimore (4-11), also at 4:15 p.m.

The Chargers will defeat the Raiders, so the Steelers will enter the playoffs as the No. 4 seed, no matter what they do at Baltimore.

As the No. 4 seed, the Steelers will host the Jacksonville Jaguars. Oh-oh.