Though they lost the battle for Pennsylvania, but the Pittsburgh Steelers still earned a playoff berth.
The Steelers cliched a postseason spot despite their 27-13 oss to the Philadelphia Eagles thanks to losses by the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
It’s the second playoff trip in as many seasons for the team and the 12th in head coach Mike Tomlin’s illustrious 18-season tenure helming the Steelers.
Now 10-4, Pittsburgh remains atop the AFC North. Winning the division will no doubt be next up on Tomlin and Co’s checklist, though their lead is now down to one game following the Baltimore Ravens' win over the New York Giants earlier in the day.
Pittsburgh’s loss to Philadelphia kicks off an arduous final stretch to the regular season that will surely have the Steelers battle-tested for the playoffs. Next up, they’ll face the rival Ravens on Saturday on the road. The Steelers then host the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day before wrapping up the regular season against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18.
With a postseason ticket that has been punched, Pittsburgh will now look to win its first playoff game in quite some time.
The Steelers have lost their last five playoff games and haven’t won a postseason tilt since 2016, when they advanced to the AFC Championship Game.
They took the first step toward snapping that streak on Sunday.