Steelers win 7 of final 9 games but still fall short of postseason
Emotions were mixed inside the Pittsburgh Steelers’ locker room Sunday.
The elation of winning a fourth consecutive game was tempered by the reality that the Steelers’ season won’t be extended into the playoffs.
Despite a 28-14 victory against the Cleveland Browns that improved the Steelers’ record to 9-8, they fell short of reaching the postseason when Miami defeated the New York Jets, 11-6.
The Steelers and Dolphins finished with identical records, but the Dolphins captured the AFC’s No. 7 seed and a playoff matchup with Buffalo based on a win over the Steelers in the first half of the season.
“I felt like if we got in, we had a good chance to make some headlines,” outside linebacker T.J. Watt said. “But we’ll never know.”
The Steelers won seven of their nine games in the second half to climb back into the playoff picture and had every scenario work to their advantage over the past three weeks until Miami’s win over the Jets.
“I’m not deflated at all,” said free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, the team’s MVP. “We started 2-6 and to finish 9-8 is impressive.”
Fitzpatrick and Watt are among a defensive nucleus that will return next season. The offense grew in the second half of the season under the guidance of rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett and second-year running back Najee Harris.
“We’re young, we’re talented and we’re hungry,” Harris said. “I think that will carry into next year.”
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
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