The Steelers could play their final game of the regular season Sunday against Detroit the way they did in Buffalo last season -- resting some starters in a game that would be meaningless to their playoff picture.

If the Chargers beat the Denver Broncos Saturday in San Diego, it will clinch the sixth and final playoff spot in the AFC for the Steelers, who play the Lions at Heinz Field. If Denver wins, the Steelers would have to beat or tie the Lions, or the Chiefs would have to lose or tie the Cincinnati Bengals in Kansas City Sunday.

Problem is, the Steelers (10-5) won't know the outcome of the Denver-San Diego game, which starts at 4:30 p.m., until Saturday night, long after their game plan and other strategies are mapped for their game against the Lions (5-10).

Would coach Bill Cowher rest some players if his team clinches Saturday night? Ben Roethlisberger has played the past month with an injured right thumb and was held out of their game in Buffalo last season when it meant nothing. Cowher rested some players in Buffalo and played others, including rookie halfback Willie Parker, who came off the bench to rush for 102 yards, his first 100-yard game that laid the groundwork for him to start this season.

The Steelers would clinch with a win by San Diego (9-6) because they beat the Chargers, 24-22, Oct. 10, the first tiebreaker in a head-to-head matchup. A San Diego win, a Kansas City (9-6) win and a Steelers loss, would leave all three teams at 10-6. That tie first would be broken between the two teams in the same division, the Chargers and Chiefs from the AFC West. The Chargers would win based on best record among common opponents. San Diego, though, would again lose the head-to-head tiebreaker to the Steelers.

If the Steelers make the playoffs, their first game will come in Cincinnati unless the Bengals lose and the Patriots win.

The only way for them to play in New England would be for the Patriots to win their final two games, including last night against the New York Jets, and for the Bengals to lose their last game in Kansas City.