What was at one point this season thought as impossible is now at least attainable into the final week of the regular season.
Three things need to happen in order for the Steelers to officially qualify for the postseason, but the one certainty among those is at least within the Steelers' control: They must defeat the Browns on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.
"It's awesome having a fighting chance to get into the playoffs," Alex Highsmith said during Monday's otherwise quiet open locker room session on the South Side. "We know we've got a big game coming this week against the Browns, fighting for our playoff lives, and I'm excited for that. Yesterday was a huge win, and so we've just got to continue fighting. This week's going to be a heck of a game, and I'm excited for it."
Entering Week 17, the Steelers had slim odds of reaching the postseason, given the lack of tiebreakers owned by virtue of losing to each of New England, the New York Jets, and Miami this season. On Sunday, the Steelers needed to beat the Ravens, they needed the Patriots to beat the Dolphins, and they needed the Seahawks to beat the Jets, in order for hope to be kept alive into Week 18.
Check. Check. Check.
Now, in Week 18, three things must happen for the Steelers to qualify: The Steelers must beat the Browns, they need the Jets to beat the Dolphins, and they need the Bills to beat the Patriots.
If all three of those things happen on Sunday, then the Steelers are in the postseason as the final seed in the AFC.
This, of course, comes after a 2-6 start and a bleak outlook heading into the bye week. Since, though, the Steelers are 6-2 and have won five of those by a one score margin. Each of those two losses were by seven or fewer points. During the 2-6 start, only three losses were by a one-score margin.
"Just keeping the faith and never getting too down," Highsmith said. "2-6, it was definitely the rough part of the season, but we know that after that bye week and we had nine games left. We know the type of team that we can be, and we've just got to continue to fight. Every game that we win just gives us more and more confidence. We're looking forward to this one."
While the Steelers were able to do some scoreboard watching on Sunday afternoon, they will not be able to do so this coming Sunday. Each of the Browns-Steelers, Patriots-Bills, and Jets-Dolphins matchups are scheduled for 1 p.m. kickoffs, as announced by the NFL on Monday.
"Just control what we can control," Highsmith said. "I mean, that's winning the game. It's as simple as that. Not worry about the other scores. We've just got to be worried about winning our game. That's all that matters."
Excluded from those one-score margin losses was the 29-17 loss to the Browns in Week 3. In that game, Nick Chubb bounded for 113 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, as the Browns rushed for 171 yards as a team.
This is a different Browns team, which followed that win over the Steelers with a four-game losing streak and lost six of seven from that point.
The main difference, of course, is the Browns' quarterback, as the formerly suspended Deshaun Watson will be under center as the Browns (7-9) look to play spoiler to the Steelers' playoff hopes. The Browns were eliminated from postseason contention with their loss to the Saints two weeks ago.
"We'd love to do that," Browns defensive end Myles Garrett said on Sunday. "We consider them our rivals. Divisionally, if we can't make it, we're definitely going to make sure those guys can't. We're going to do everything in our power. "Much respect to them for being in that position, but we live for times like this."
While the Browns prepare for their season's Super Bowl, the Steelers will be preparing to actually have a chance at playing for a real one. Just as the Browns are a different team from Week 3, so are the Steelers. And, in Pittsburgh's case, it has been for the better.
Sunday preparations start with Watson, who is yet another mobile quarterback the Steelers will see throughout this stretch to end the regular season. Pittsburgh has had to contain Atlanta's Marcus Mariota and Baltimore's Tyler Huntley twice, while having to shore up its run defense against Atlanta's Cordarrelle Patterson, Carolina's D'Onta Foreman, Las Vegas' Josh Jacobs, and Baltimore's J.K. Dobbins.
Brissett brought mobility traits to the forefront in Week 3, and Watson is expected to be no different on Sunday.
"They're both pretty similar in mobility, and so we've got another challenge this week," Highsmith said. "Playing Tyler Huntley yesterday, he's one of those guys that's able to get out of the pocket. We've got to be disciplined with our rush lanes and be able to keep him in the pocket. When we do that, we'll be able to get him."