Should the Steelers rest their starters vs the Browns?

Thanks to a massive comeback by the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, they have secured their seventh AFC North crown under head coach Mike Tomlin. There is still the business at hand of the team’s Week 17 road game against the Cleveland Browns before the playoffs start.

As of this week, the Steelers are the No. 2 seed in the AFC but depending on what happens in Week 17, Pittsburgh can do no worse than the No. 3 seed. In a normal year this would be a huge deal because the top two teams in each conference would get a bye week leading into the playoffs. But with the bye week only going to the top seed, and win or lose Pittsburgh can’t drop lower than the No. 3 seed, do they use Week 17 as a de facto bye week?

My vote is no. Everyone saw the Steelers really get some traction in the second half against the Indianapolis Colts and by making their comeback quieted the critics and proved to themselves they are a contender.

Resting their starters would provide the team with some rest and there’s no denying it they need it. After having their schedules moved around twice due to other team’s COVID-19 issues, this team is exhausted.

But is it more of a detriment to give up the momentum they got in the second half of today’s game? Especially for Ben Roethlisberger, the guy who needs the rest the most?

But I want to pass the question off to Steeler Nation. Should the Steelers choose rest or momentum?

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