The Steelers have had the best record in the AFC throughout the season and, despite their loss to the Patriots, still do.
Tuesday night, they were rewarded with an NFL-best eight players being named to the Pro Bowl.
Receiver Antonio Brown, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le'Veon Bell, guard David DeCastro and center Maurkice Pouncey will all be going back to the Pro Bowl again on the offensive side of the ball. Ryan Shazier, who is out for the remainder of this season with a back injury, also was voted to his second Pro Bowl.
They will be joined by placekicker Chris Boswell and offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva, both of whom were named for the first time.
Bell was the leading vote-getter in the fan voting that closed Saturday. Brown was third. DeCastro, Pouncey, Villanueva and Shazier all led their respective positions in the fan voting, which counts for 1/3 of the vote. The other two thirds come from voting from the league's players and coaches.
A total of 88 players were selected in the AFC and NFC, meaning the Steelers finished with 12.5 percent of the roster. That does not, however, mean they didn't have some players who should have made it and didn't.
Defensive end Cameron Heyward, who leads the Steelers with 10 sacks and is the first Pittsburgh defensive lineman since Keith Willis in 1986 to reach double digits in sacks, did not make the team.
He was beaten out by the Chargers' Joe Bosa, Calais Campbell of Jacksonville and Oakland's Khalil Mack. Unlike those players, however, Heyward largely plays defensive tackle on passing downs.
At defensive tackle, Cincinnati's Geno Atkins, Jurrell Casey of Tennessee and Malik Jackson of Jacksonville were the picks. Atkins leads that group with nine sacks.
The Pro Bowl will be played the weekend before the Super Bowl.
The New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles both had six players to lead the NFC.