Strackbein Mailbag: Steelers Playoff Scenarios, Pro Bowl Snubs and What Happened to James Conner?

There are two games remaining for the Pittsburgh Steelers to claim their spot in the 2019 playoffs. A team that controls their own destiny, the Steelers have questions they'd like not to have this late in their playoff push.

From a drop off in Mike Tomlin's season to questionable coaching decisions and Pro Bowl snubs, there were plenty of good questions asked this week. We took eight of the best to give everyone a mix of what you're wondering this week.

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Let's get started:

QUESTION: What are the real expectations of James Conner this Sunday?

Noah - Expect Conner to come back to a full workload in Week 16. The Steelers didn't want to push him to a breaking point after seeing what happened in Cleveland. It was a cautious approach, maybe too cautious, on Sunday but it was needed so they could keep him around for the remainder of the year.

Devlin Hodges isn't someone the Steelers are leaning on to win games. They believe he'll bounce back but the game plan won't be to stick with a pass-heavy offense. Conner will run a lot more than he did in his first game back since Week 11.

QUESTION: Should the Steelers consider signing a different QB? Not even Kaepernick but someone else.

Noah - No. It's Week 16, any quarterback who comes into the locker room now won't even know the playbook well enough to start and be reliable before the postseason. By then Hodges could be a superstar.

It's too late to move on from the people in the locker room. You don't change quarterbacks in Week 16 unless you drastically have to. Mason Rudolph is the next man up if need be. Absolute worst-case scenario, Paxton Lynch gets his name called a few times at practice - AT PRACTICE.

Don't look further than this week. See what Devlin Hodges does before we start worrying about the quarterback situation for the playoffs. If there's a playoffs.

QUESTION: Can the Steelers get into the playoffs with another loss?

The Steelers have a few situations they can still find themselves in the playoffs with. The easiest one is to win out but I guess that's not what we're being asked here.

As long as they finish with the same record as the Tennessee Titans they're in. For Pittsburgh to still make the postseason, these are the situations that could occur:

Steelers win last 2 games.
Steelers win 1 of last 2 games + Tennessee loses 1 of last 2 games.
Steelers win 1 of last 2 games + Indianapolis wins last 2 games + Houston loses last 2 games + Tennessee wins last 2 games

Remember, the Titans play the Texans in Week 17 and Houston could be in a situation where the game doesn't decide anything. Pittsburgh doesn't want a situation where they need to rely on anyone to lose for them to get in.

QUESTION: Will the Baltimore Ravens play their starters in Week 17?

The Ravens need to get the first seed before saying anyone isn't starting. That could happen this week if they win. If they lose, they need the Chiefs and Patriots to lose this weekend. But no matter how it happens, as long as they've got their first-seed locked down they won't play a few players next week.

Those players should include: Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram, A LOT of defensive starters, and maybe a few veteran offensive linemen.

It'll be RGIII vs the Steelers defense in Week 17 if everything unfolds correctly. An easier game for a team that's had their fair share of turnovers against inconsistent quarterbacks.

QUESTION: Which Steelers got snubbed from the Pro Bowl?

Bud Dupree is the biggest snub in the Steelers locker room. The outside linebacker has 9.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles this season compared to Von Miller's 7 sacks and 0 forced fumbles.

On top of that, he's been an impact player for a team that is winning solely because of their defense. The entire Steelers defensive unit should be considered for the Pro Bowl but Dupree is a definite.

The numbers don't lie, the playmaking doesn't lie and the wins don't lie. Bud Dupree is a force for the Steelers and deserved a spot.

Besides that, Steven Nelson and Joe Haden should've been considered. They're one of the best lock-down duo's in the NFL this season.

QUESTION: What does Sunday's lost mean for Mike Tomlin's Coach of the Year chances? Is he still a front-runner?

Right now, the last thing Mike Tomlin is thinking about is Coach of the Year. But yes, his candidacy was hurt by the Bills lose. It doesn't matter though because if he can win out these last two weeks and lead a Steelers team with Devlin Hodges at quarterback to the playoffs he's looking pretty good.

There are good coaches up for the award. You'd have to imagine Sean Payton, Jim Harbaugh and Kyle Shannahan are up there with Tomlin for Coach of the Year.

I'd say these last two weeks mean more than the rest of the season. Overcoming Duck's worst performance and a loss to the Bills can go a long way in the eyes of the voters. Really, if Tomlin can pull this off he deserves it.

QUESTION: Is there a reason Conner's reps were low last week? With a rookie quarterback is risking re-aggravating Conner's shoulder worth losing football games?

Truthfully - and I mean truthfully - anyone who says they know exactly why James Conner only ran the ball 8 times against the Bills is lying. Not even Conner himself has any idea why his rep count was so low or why he wasn't allowed to gain momentum after big runs.

The man broke open the game with a 15-yard burst and was sidelined for the next eight plays. What?

The only reason I can think of is his injury. The Steelers wanted to be cautious after the Cleveland incident and decided to hold back him numbers. Once they were down late in the second half there was no choice but to throw the ball and hope for something to click.

It was too cautious of an approach for an offense with a rookie quarterback but I don't stand on the sidelines for a reason.

QUESTION: Does a playoff team sign Antonio Brown?

The last time I checked the Steelers made 53 roster moves this season and none of them were a veteran wide receiver. It's hard to imagine that changes with two weeks left, and if you're thinking Antonio Brown - LOL.

So, we'll scratch the Steelers from that list immediately.

The Patriots aren't going back on their word and AB has done too much nonsense since they've cut him in Week 2. The Texans, Chiefs and entire NFC are completely out of the question. They've never even discussed it and were smart enough to keep their names out of everything as it was happening.

The Bills though, the Bills are a possibility. I personally believe AB's NFL career is over but if Buffalo believes they're one superstar away from making a real playoff run they could think about it. Brown's latest incident

Thanks for participating in this week’s mailbag. There were great questions sent and with the season in full blast, it’ll be just as eventful next week. Make sure to send all mailbag questions to our Twitter and Facebook pages.