PITTSBURGH -- Observed and heard in the locker room after the Pittsburgh Steelers' 20-12 win over the Kansas City Chiefs:
The Steelers clinched their first playoff berth since 2011 after holding the Chiefs without a touchdown, and the sense of satisfaction was noticeable, especially among the players who endured consecutive 8-8 seasons. “It feels good. Heck yeah. I can’t even lie about it,” center Maurkice Pouncey said. “We’ve been through a lot the last couple of years.” Not like the Steelers were in all-out celebration mode after improving to 10-5. They still have to beat the visiting Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday to win the AFC North and secure a No. 3 or No. 4 seed, which would give the Steelers a home game in the wild-card round of the playoffs. If the Steelers lose to the Bengals, they will be the No. 5 seed in the playoffs and travel for their first game. Several players said the Steelers are peaking at the right time as they chase a seventh Super Bowl title. “You want to be in the dance so you have a chance,” cornerback William Gay said of making the playoffs.
The Steelers privately fumed over a taunting penalty that was called against Gay early in the fourth quarter. Gay was flagged following a third-down stop by the Steelers after he folded his arms and preened in front of his own sideline. The penalty gave the Chiefs a first down -- they would have faced a fourth-and-14 from their own 25-yard line -- and six plays later, Cairo Santos kicked a 43-yard field goal to cut the Steelers’ lead to 17-9. “I don’t even want to get into that,” coach Mike Tomlin said when asked whether he got an explanation for the call. “Ridiculous. We’re not going to apologize for caring. We’re not.” Gay took a diplomatic approach and said he should not have put the referees in a position where they had to make a judgment call. “I respect anything they call, and you’ve just got to roll with it,” Gay said.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said he is fine after hurting his right knee late in the third quarter. Roethlisberger limped off the field after throwing a 3-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown. Steelers doctors checked Roethlisberger’s knee in the locker room as a precaution, but he quickly returned to the field and did not miss a snap. “You always get scared when your franchise quarterback goes down, but he’s tough,” Pouncey said. Roethlisberger got drilled by Chiefs defensive tackle Jaye Howard as he threw the only touchdown pass of the game but said afterward that he didn’t know what exactly happened. “I knew that it just hurt,” Roethlisberger said, “but I’m fine.”
