The Pittsburgh Steelers had a clear path to the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs.
A home loss to the New York Jets on Sunday put those plans on hold, but the Steelers still have a chance to wrap up the AFC North title when they host the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night.
Despite the 22-17 defeat to the Jets, Pittsburgh (10-4) qualified for the playoffs and can secure the No. 2 seed and wrap up the division with a victory over the Panthers (2-12) and a loss by the Baltimore Ravens in Cleveland.
Conversely, the Steelers could find themselves staring at a No. 5 or 6 seed if the Ravens win their final two games and Pittsburgh stumbles against Carolina and at Cleveland in the regular-season finale.
A setback doesn't appear likely against the Panthers, who own the league's worst record, have the most punchless offense and are winless on the road this season.
Carolina snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 19-12 home victory over four-win Arizona on Sunday.
The Panthers managed only 303 yards of total offense, but they limited the Cardinals to just 218 yards as rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen registered his first win in eight starts.
Clausen finished 13 of 19 for 141 yards and one touchdown. It was just his second scoring pass of the season and first since Oct. 3.
Jonathan Stewart churned out 137 yards on 27 carries, giving him 270 yards rushing in his last two games. The Panthers likely will feature a heavy dose of Stewart, who has logged 460 yards in his last four games while averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
The Panthers have cracked the 20-point barrier just twice this season and are averaging a league-low 13.1 points per game. That's a full four points per game less than Miami, which ranks 31st in the league in scoring.
Compounding matters for Carolina is it will be facing a Pittsburgh defense that has allowed an NFL-low 63.4 yards per game and is tied with Green Bay for fewest points allowed (15.7 ppg).
The Steelers are expected to be without All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu for the second straight week due to a strained right Achilles’ tendon.
The Jets were able to move the ball fairly well in the second half against Pittsburgh, which has been having its own struggles on offense.
The Steelers have managed just six touchdowns in their past four games, two of which came from the defense. Rashard Mendenhall had his fourth 100-yard game last week and has 1,173 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns on the season.
Ben Roethlisberger has thrown for two touchdowns in four games and has not had a passer rating above 87.7 in that span. However, he is 11-1 in his career against NFC opponents at Heinz Field.