They can slip into the top seed in the conference Sunday at Tennessee.

The battle in Nashville between the two AFC teams that have locked up a playoff bye could be a precursor to the conference championship game, and it could determine where that game would be played.

Tennessee is 12-2 and Pittsburgh 11-3, but the Steelers would move ahead of the Titans with a victory Sunday based on the first tiebreaker, head-to-head result. Then all the Steelers would need to do to wrap up the top seed would be to beat Cleveland at Heinz Field in the finale. If the Titans win Sunday, they earn the No. 1 seed and the Steelers are No. 2.

Regardless of what happens Sunday, the teams would meet in the AFC title game if they each win one playoff game.

"We clinched a first-round bye. We have another big game," said Hines Ward. "We would love to have that number one spot and try to get the easiest path there. But in the AFC, I don't think there is any easy way."

The Steelers went the hard way when they won Super Bowl XL as a sixth seed, playing all their games on the road following the 2005 season. They lost AFC title games at home after the 1994, 1997, 2001 and 2004 seasons, and they won at home after the 1995 season before they lost to Dallas in Super Bowl XXX.

But the No. 1 seed is important to them this year.

"Getting a home playoff game in front of our fans is very big," coach Mike Tomlin said. "Winning our division is a prerequisite to being the kind of team that we want to be. We're excited about those things. Hopefully there's hardware that we picked up along the way to the ultimate prize that we pursue."