The Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns 28-14 on Sunday, January 8.

The Pittsburgh Steelers needed to beat the Browns last weekend in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. They won by 14 points, making their record 9-8 and making the Browns record 7-10.

Steelers Head coach Mike Tomlin is thankful for the team.

“I’m just appreciative of the collective. I’m appreciative of the men, not what they’re capable of, but what they’re willing to do. In the face of adversity that football presents, in the face of adversity that life presents, we have an opportunity to kind of display some things in all of that,” says Tomlin.

In order to make the playoffs, they needed a few things to happen: the New England Patriots needed to lose to the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets needed to beat the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots did lose to the Bills, but the Dolphins beat the Jets, which ruined the Steelers’ playoff hopes and ended their season.

Tomlin was hoping for the playoffs.

“I don’t know if I pondered that. I was preparing for the potential next week,” says Tomlin.

The season was not a success for the Steelers, but they developed their team for the following years and they kept Tomlins’s streak of never having a losing record alive.

Rookie wide receiver George Pickens is happy with his performance, but he wants to improve going into the next year.

“I think I made a good jump there in the learning curve. I want to make that leap into year two now,” says Pickens.

Going into the offseason with hopes of a good draft, the Steelers should have a successful season next year.