Pittsburgh @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 9, 2016 ) N.Y. Jets 13, Pittsburgh 31

The Pittsburgh Steelers are clinging to the No. 6 seed in the AFC via a tiebreaker and will need to play well over the final two games in order to clinch a playoff spot. The Steelers will try to pull another game above .500 and keep pace with the Tennessee Titans when they visit the New York Jets on Sunday in the penultimate game of the regular season.

Pittsburgh is tied with the Titans for the No. 6 spot but currently owns the tiebreaker based on its 6-4 record against conference opponents. "We recognize what time of year it is," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters. "We recognize the urgency of it. ... That is what you work all year for, that clarity, that ticket to the tournament. The finality of it all. The scarcity that's in our game. I just appreciate that. You don't get 80 plus opportunities to state your case, you don’t get 160. You get 16 opportunities, one a week, over the course of the year to state your case." New York is getting set for another season without a playoff berth but intends to finish strong with the Steelers and Buffalo Bills left on the schedule. "We try to approach every week the same," center Jonotthan Harrison told the team's website. "We approach it as the next game and our goal is to win that game. We don't lean on the side of approaching a game with alternative motives whether it's spoiling clinching a playoff spot or whatever. We set the focus on winning the game and executing at a high level."

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Steelers -3. O/U: 37

ABOUT THE STEELERS (8-6): Pittsburgh had an opportunity to jump a game ahead of Tennessee last week, but quarterback Devlin "Duck" Hodges threw four interceptions in a 17-10 home loss to the Buffalo Bills. Tomlin plans to stick with Hodges at quarterback this week instead of turning back to Mason Rudolph, who also owns a four-INT game this season. "I think it's reasonable to expect growth from young players as they get exposure," Tomlin told reporters. "Sometimes that exposure can be negative exposure, like his experience in the last game, but exposure nonetheless is a tool for growth. Particularly at the quarterback position, I think it's reasonable to expect him to learn from those negative experiences from last Sunday night and apply it to this next opportunity and really, hopefully not make those same mistakes twice."

ABOUT THE JETS (5-9): New York only had one player on the AFC Pro Bowl roster when it was announced earlier in the week, and safety Jamal Adams is getting set to return to the field. Adams, who was named to the Pro Bowl for the second straight season, sat out the last two games with an ankle injury and watched the Jets defense get torched for 430 yards in a 42-21 loss at Baltimore last week. "The past two weeks, I'm not going to lie to you, man, I was in a real low place," Adams told reporters after returning to practice on Wednesday. "I've never had this game taken away from me, so it was tough just sitting on the sideline, not being out there, not practicing with my brothers. Just practicing today, man, I was like a little kid. You never take things for granted that you love, and when you do get those things taken away, it makes you look at it a little bit different."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Jets CB Brian Poole (concussion) sat out the last two games but returned to practice on Wednesday and is questionable.

2. Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) sat out the last four games but is practicing this week and is questionable.

3. Pittsburgh is looking for its first win at New York since a 19-6 triumph on Oct. 13, 2013.

PREDICTION: Steelers 17, Jets 10