Steelers' Mike Tomlin Reveals Potential Plans To Make Big Changes To Pittsburgh's Lineup Against Browns

The Pittsburgh Steelers sent yet another statement to the NFL in Week 16, defeating the Detroit Lions 29-24 in one of the most shocking endings to any game in the NFL season so far. The Steelers are continuing their hot streak and riding the positive momentum forward as they look to next week against the Cleveland Browns as the game that could potentially wrap up the AFC North for the Steelers. Should they win against the Browns, it would ensure that they would be able to rest starters in Week 18 to get the starters ready for the playoff push.

However, there's another very important factor to remember as the Steelers plan for the game against the Browns. Should the Baltimore Ravens lose to the Green Bay Packers this Saturday night, that would make the Steelers AFC North champions and eliminate the Ravens from playoff contention before the game against the Browns even begins. In turn, that would make the upcoming game against the Browns meaningless as well, but the Steelers aren't preparing like the game will be meaningless, at least not according to Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin. 

In Tomlin's weekly address to the media, he was asked about what he would do with regards to making changes to the starting lineup against the Browns, should the Ravens be eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday night. Tomlin's answer reveals that he's not focused on anything but the Browns this week.

"You know, it may," Tomlin said. "I hadn't thought about it all. To be quite honest with you, I just found out this morning that that game is Saturday night. I just learned to be tunnel visioned over the years, but as I sit here and make plans today for tomorrow, in an effort to lay a foundation to engineer victory, that's something that's of very little relevance to me today. I have plenty of time to ponder those things after we get a little bit more solid about preparing ourselves to play the Cleveland Browns."

Here we see Tomlin's insistence that the team is game planning on defeating the Browns regardless of the Ravens result on Saturday night, but Tomlin definitely did not dismiss the idea completely. Leaving the door open to give starters additional rest would be huge, as well as putting other, newer players on the field to see what the team has in their skills, would be very advantageous to the team for the future.

Steelers fans have been begging for rookie quarterback Will Howard to get his first NFL start, and the potential for Howard to get that start is certainly here, should the circumstances permit either in Week 17 against the Browns or in Week 18 against the Ravens. Howard is one of many players who could potentially see the field more if the Steelers lock up the division within the next week, but Tomlin is focused on defeating the Browns before making any of these key changes to the starting lineup.

The Steelers can't take the game against the Browns lightly, considering their defense is one of the best in the league, only allowing 272.3 yards per game throughout the season. This, combined with another important factor, is why the Steelers and Tomlin should stick to their plan of keeping the lineup the same against the Browns, not caring about the Ravens result.

Steelers Need To Continue Building Momentum Before The Playoffs

The Steelers have gone on a tear in the past three weeks, winning all their games in varying ways, and have built up a streak of momentum heading into the playoffs, unlike many past years. The team needs to keep the momentum going by playing the Browns hard and not resting key players even if the division is locked up, and it seems as if Tomlin is preparing to do just that.

What did you think about Tomlin's comments regarding potential lineup changes against the Browns? Let us know in the comments below.

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