The Steelers' playoff chances played out just the way many of their games had this season.
The Steelers offered just a glimmer of hope with their victory on Sunday over the Bengals -- however lackluster -- only to watch helplessly on the Jumbotron at Heinz Field as the Browns failed to get into field goal range on four consecutive passes -- the last of which was intercepted -- from the Baltimore 39, clinching the AFC North title for the Ravens with a 26-24 win.
If the loss looked familiar to the Steelers, it was because it was all-too-similar to the fashion in which they had struggled down the stretch, losing four of their final six games.
And just like that, the Steelers were sent into their offseason and into a lot of soul searching.
That they had just won their regular season finale on three Matt McCrane field goals, the last of which came from 35 yards out with 1:56 remaining, to edge the Bengals, 16-13, at Heinz Field, didn't matter. All that mattered were the lost opportunities and leads that had come before this moment.
"We lacked our finish. We lacked stepping up in those critical moments," Cam Heyward said of the season. "I don’t know an exact moment, but as an offense and defense, when we were in those critical moments and we needed a play, we weren’t getting it. It’s baffling at some times. As players, as coaches, as a staff, the Steelers, we’ve got to make those adjustments and go out there and do it. We didn’t get it done this whole season. That’s really what’s going to stick with me."
The Steelers finish at 9-6-1, a half-game behind the Colts for the final playoff spot in the AFC. It could have been a season-opening tie in Cleveland, or any number of losses that came by one score or less. The fact is, the Steelers were 7-2-1 with a 2 1/2-game lead in the AFC North standings on Nov. 18. A month-and-half later, they were on the outside looking in on the playoffs.
"It’s just details, a couple of plays here or there," guard David DeCastro said. "We had a similar season last season but we found a way to win games. This year, we found a way to lose them."
To that point, the Steelers went 8-2 last season in one-score games. This year, including the win over the Bengals, the Steelers were 6-5-1 in those situations. That's a lot of one-score games.
And, in many cases, as they almost were in this game, turnovers were a major factor.
Cincinnati's lone touchdown in the game came on a 58-yard interception return for a score by Shawn Williams in the second quarter. It was Ben Roethlisberger's 16th interception of the season. Coupled with nine lost fumbles and a Josh Dobbs interception, the Steelers turned the ball over 26 times and forced just 15 of their own.
Roethlisberger thought the Bengals had jumped offside on the interception.
"Turnovers have been an issue all year," said Roethlisberger, who threw for 287 yards to become the sixth player in NFL history to throw for more than 5,000 yards in a season.
"How do you change that? I only speak for myself. In turning the ball over, I'm a guy that's going to take chances. I could probably not throw some of those passes that have gotten intercepted, and take a sack instead of forcing balls here or there that end up being good plays. But that's the way I play. Sometimes, fluky things happen. Tonight, for instance, you think you have a free play. I never would have thrown it if I didn't think we had a free play."
There will be an entire offseason to think about how to correct some of these issues. Things will be gone over multiple times and adjustments made.
But it's all too little, too late for this season. Coming off a 13-3 season, this team had the potential for more than this. Obviously, however, there also was the potential for this.
"Potential is a scary word," Heyward said. "If you don’t maximize it, look at us now, looking in from the outside. If you do, you set yourself up pretty nicely. We did not get the job done.
"We’re not in the playoffs. It ends earlier. It still hurts the same (as a playoff loss). I just know we have a great group of guys and to know we didn’t get the job done for each other, it’s tough. Each team changes. Guys are gone. Guys are brought in. But this group will never be the same. We still draft. We still bring people in. Guys get older. You just never know who is going to be here and who is not."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE GAME BALLS
My top three performers:
1. Cam Heyward
Steelers defensive lineman
With the offense struggling to gain its footing for most of this game, Heyward and the defense needed to stand tall. Heyward had just two tackles in the game, but came up with two big sacks, as well.
2. T.J. Watt
Steelers outside linebacker
Watt finished the game with seven tackles, second only to L.J. Fort among Steelers, while also adding a sack and two forced fumbles.
3. Nick Vigil
Bengals linebacker
The Steelers offense was, well, not good for the better part of three quarters. And Vigil was a big part of that. He finished with 17 tackles, including 12 solo, including one for a loss and also had a quarterback hit.
THE GOOD
With the offense off to a slow start, the defense continually found ways to make big plays and get off the field, limiting the Bengals to nine first downs, 196 yards and two field goals.
It also got some stops when needed, even when it did allow a big play, such as this 51-yard run by Joe Mixon, who wound up leading the AFC with 1,168 rushing yards.
Despite that run to the 15, which came on Cincinnati's first play from scrimmage after the Steelers had taken the lead on a 47-yard McCrane field goal that barely squeaked through the uprights, the Steelers came up with a much-needed stop.
Giovanni Bernard was stopped for a three-yard gain on first down, then Jeff Driskel threw incomplete to Bernard on a short pass on second down.
Javon Hargrave was penalized for being offside on third down, moving the ball to the Steelers' 7 for a third-and-2 play, but Heyward snuffed out the Bengals' chances to retake the lead with a third-down sack.
"We got stops today, but those were the things that were missing at times during the season," Heyward said.
THE BAD
The high-powered offense was running on low octane for much of the first half. The Steelers were just two for seven on third downs and, coupled with Roethlisberger's interception, trailed 10-0 until adding a 39-yard McCrane field goal as time expired.
Worse still, Roethlisberger was getting a lot of pressure, making it difficult to find open receivers, especially without Antonio Brown, who missed the game with a knee injury.
"It was everything. We were just taking turns," said DeCastro of the mistakes. "It was sloppy out there. It was guys taking turns. It was a recipe for disaster. The situation was what it was. We were feeling sorry for ourselves. We picked it up in the second half, which was nice."
THE PLAY
After McCrane barely snuck his 47-yard field goal through the uprights, the Steelers had to have some trepidation facing a third-and-10 from the Bengals' 34 with 2:38 remaining.
"I didn’t hit the 47 too well. I got lucky with it," McCrane, who was signed Friday when Chris Boswell was placed on injured reserve, said. "I told coach in warmups 55 was my range. When I hit the low pipe on the 47-yard, I think he was a little worried."
A kick from the 34 certainly might have been outside of where the Steelers were comfortable to attempt a potential game-winner.
Roethlisberger and Eli Rogers took care of that, however, connecting on a 10-yard pass to convert the first down. And it came thanks to a nifty move by Rogers, who caught seven passes for 57 yards, made on corner KeiVarae Russell.
"I just tempoed him off the line because they know we run shallow routes, so I tempoed him and looked at him to create separation, I caught the ball and I saw him running hard, overstriding almost, I knew I had him," Rogers told me. "I just waited for the right moment and when his leg crossed over, I stopped on him. I knew that would make it hard for him to stop. When I did that, I knew I had the first down."
Four plays later, McCrane kicked his final field goal of the game, this one from 35 yards.
"To get out and make the first two was big. And then to go three-for-three, it’s an unreal feeling," McCrane said.
THE CALL
After two third quarter possessions failed to generate a first down, it was obvious the Steelers needed some kind of offensive spark.
Without Brown to be concerned about, the Bengals were double-teaming JuJu Smith-Schuster and challenging the other receivers to make something happen.
That's exactly what rookie James Washington did to open the Steelers' third possession of the third quarter. Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner dialed up a double-move for Washington that freed him up down the field.
"We were just going back and looking at the iPads and seeing how the defense was playing," Washington said. "Randy came up with that and we executed it."
And Roethlisberger finally connected with the rookie on the deep pass, something they had struggled with through the season.
This was the same play Washington had dropped in a 24-17 loss at Denver, when he inexplicably left his feet to try to make the catch.
"We are on the sideline and Randy said who do you want, JuJu or James," Roethlisberger said. "I said I want James. I came into the huddle and I told them, 'We are going to call the same thing we did in Denver. I want you to make the play.' And he did. I'm just so proud of him."
That catch not only set up an 11-yard touchdown pass to Smith-Schuster that was the Steelers' lone touchdown of the game, it pushed Roethlisberger over 5,000 yards for the season.
THE OTHER SIDE
The Bengals finished the season at 6-10 after a 4-1 start, losing nine of their final 11 games. That has once again led to speculation that head coach Marvin Lewis might be finished in Cincinnati after 16 seasons and a team-record 131 wins.
"It's ridiculous," Lewis said when asked about cameras following him off the field for perhaps the last time. "I think it's ridiculous. I think it's sad that's the only thing they can point to. This isn't about me; this is about the football team and what they do. To make this about one person, it's not about one person. This is my job. That's it."
THE INJURY UPDATE
• Antonio Brown, receiver, did not practice all week because of a knee injury and was held out of this game.
• Sean Davis, safety, returned to practice Friday with a quad injury, but was held out of this game.
• Vince Williams, linebacker, was held out of the game with a toe injury
THE SCHEDULE
The Steelers will have an open locker room at 1:15 p.m. Monday. I'll have coverage of that and the Mike Tomlin season-ending press conference, which will be held Tuesday or Wednesday, the final decision has not yet been made on that.
Finally, here is the Steelers home and away schedule for next year: Home, Bengals, Ravens, Browns, Bills, Dolphins, Rams, Seahawks and Colts. Away, Bengals, Ravens, Browns, Patriots, Jets, Chargers, Cardinals and 49ers.
THE COVERAGE
Visit our Steelers team page for everything from this game.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Steelers vs. Bengals, Heinz Field, Dec. 30, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS