Steelers loose, in light mood after what (maybe) was final practice of their season

More than five dozen times since training camp at Saint Vincent broke in mid-August, Pittsburgh Steelers have filed off a practice field at their UPMC Rooney Sports Complex headquarters.

Friday, perhaps, was the final time the group known as the 2022 Steelers did so.

Their regular-season finale set for Sunday at home against the Cleveland Browns, the Steelers need a win and losses by the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots to qualify for the postseason. If neither happens, they won’t hit the practice field again until May — and by then, the inevitable annual roster turnover will have transformed the group into an entirely different team.

But before the 2023 Steelers are put together, the 2022 Steelers had one last regular-season practice. Judging by the way they came off the field and into the locker room for the half hour or so following its conclusion, the Steelers are a loose and confident bunch on the heels of winning five of their past six.

“We are still alive,” defensive co-captain T.J. Watt said. “We still have a pulse. We are trying to win this game and see where the chips fall.

“You can’t go into a game tight. You want to be loose. We had a really good week of practice.”

Multiple players confirmed that in a light moment on the field just after practice ended – presumably following the informal team announcement that Minkah Fitzpatrick had been voted team MVP – long snapper Christian Kuntz was lifted onto players shoulders while teammates chanted, “Ru-dy, Ru-dy,” as a way to playfully tease Chartiers Valley High School product Kuntz as akin to the protagonist in the popular football movie “Rudy.”

After practice, players continued to jokingly tease Kuntz. Coach Mike Tomlin joked with players who were playing cards. Music played and some players ribbed each other.

If it indeed was the final practice day for the 2022 Steelers, they seemed to go out on a positive, contented and sanguine manner.

But if the Steelers beat the Browns, coupled by wins by the Buffalo Bills (against the Patriots) and New York Jets (versus Miami), the Steelers will be right back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex next week for another work week of practice, meetings and preparation.

“We are young, but we have been very, very focused, and each week we have gotten more focused,” Watt said. “It’s been a good week of practice. I don’t want guys being super tight going into this game.”

Note: If the Steelers do make the playoffs, they can be no higher than the No. 7 (and final) seed in the AFC playoffs. Under the parameters of the modified NFL schedule/system approved Friday, the Steelers’ only possible opponents for the first round are on the road at either the Bills or Kansas City Chiefs. The Steelers can no longer play the Cincinnati Bengals in the wild-card round.

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