Mike Tomlin - Steelers want 'stench' of losing streak 'off of us' - ESPN

PITTSBURGH — While the Bengals will be fighting for a playoff spot in Saturday night's regular-season finale at Pittsburgh, the Steelers enter the prime-time rematch with just as much motivation to secure a victory.

With their playoff berth locked up, the Steelers are hoping to snap a three-game losing streak in the regular-season finale Saturday night against the Bengals.

«Certainly, they're a motivated group trying to play their way into this tournament, but certainly we're a motivated group to be quite honest with you,» coach Mike Tomlin said of the Bengals on Monday.

«We got to get the stench of the last few performances off of us, and there's no better way to do that than a home divisional win versus a formidable group going into the tournament, and so that's our mentality as we stand here today.»

The Steelers, however, might wind up with little to play for by the time they kick off against the Bengals on Saturday night. The Baltimore Ravens could secure the AFC North crown and the home playoff game that comes with it by beating the Cleveland Browns in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC).

If that happens, the Steelers would be guaranteed to go on the road for the wild-card round, no matter the outcome of Saturday night's game. A win would give the Steelers a better chance to face a banged-up Houston Texans team as the No. 5 seed, but a loss could make it more likely the Steelers wind up at No. 6 with a rematch in Baltimore. But Tomlin said he's not thinking about how he would manage playing time in the event of a Ravens win.

«I haven't pondered that at all to be quite honest with you,» Tomlin said of potentially resting starters. «That might be a thought for later in the week, but as I