Steelers ‘energetic’ about getting chance to face Bills in AFC wild-card matchup
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In his previous five NFL seasons, Mason Cole never had played for a team that reached the playoffs.
Once that drought ended late Sunday afternoon, it didn’t matter to the Pittsburgh Steelers center whether the destination in the wild-card round was Buffalo or Kansas City.
“I knew the weather would be crappy either way,” Cole said Monday morning.
He also didn’t bother staying awake Sunday night to find out. Cole said he had no idea until the morning that the Steelers drew Buffalo once the Bills won their fifth game in a row by beating the Miami Dolphins in prime time to clinch the AFC East.
“Once I knew we were in, I slept like a baby,” Cole said. “I had no trouble sleeping. It’s the best sleep I’ve had in a while.”
The Steelers had their playoff ticket punched earlier in the day when the Jacksonville Jaguars were upset by the Tennessee Titans, 28-20. That outcome knocked Jacksonville from the playoffs and guaranteed a spot for the Steelers and Bills.
It was just a matter of whether the Steelers would be the No. 6 or No. 7 seed. The Buffalo victory at Miami assured the Steelers of being the lowest-seeded team in the AFC tournament. Had Jacksonville won in the afternoon, the Steelers would have needed a Buffalo loss to get the final playoff spot.
“It was a huge relief,” Cole said. “It was nice to be able to go to bed at a decent time and not stress over that game. It was just good to know we were in.”
Pro Bowl special teams player Miles Killebrew and other members of the secondary gathered in the afternoon to watch the Jacksonville-Tennessee game.
“We were high-fiving each other,” he said. “It was definitely a relief. Look at what happened. We would have needed Buffalo to lose, and they won. It was super exciting. I rarely find myself rooting for another team, but that was the case.”
Inside linebacker Myles Jack found himself rooting against his former team. Jack spent his first six seasons in Jacksonville before joining the Steelers last season and coming out of retirement this year to accept a spot on the practice squad.
“I’ve had this little rivalry with the Titans,” he said. “But shoutout to Tennessee. They did pretty good.”
The matchup pits two teams peaking at the right time of the season. While Buffalo rebounded from a 6-6 start to win the division title, the Steelers won their final three games to reach 10 wins for the first time since 2020.
That the Steelers are viewed as a decisive underdog mattered little to the players when they reported to the team’s practice facility to begin preparations for the wild-card matchup.
“It feels pretty energetic in here,” Killebrew said. “It feels a lot different than other teams I’ve been on in the playoffs. It feels different. There is a lot of excitement, a lot of energy. I’m very optimistic with how we are going to go out and play this weekend.”
The last time the Steelers ventured to Buffalo, they suffered the worst loss in the Mike Tomlin era, 38-3, in an October 2022 game that represented Kenny Pickett’s first NFL start at quarterback.
This season, the Steelers presumably will have Mason Rudolph under center. He is 3-0 as a starter, posting at least a 112 passer rating in all of his starts.
“It definitely seems like this Steelers team that you are seeing play today is a lot different than maybe at the beginning of the season,” Killebrew said. “That might come with experience, comes with the camaraderie that is being built. Ultimately, I’m encouraged by everyone having each other’s backs.”
On defense, the Steelers won’t have All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt available because of a knee injury, but they could get free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick back. Safety Damontae Kazee also is cleared to play having served a three-game suspension for a helmet-to-helmet hit.
The Steelers enter the postseason having relied on castoffs such as Eric Rowe at safety and Mykal Walker and Jack at inside linebacker.
“You don’t know what is going to happen in life,” said Jack, who purchased a minor-league hockey team in his native Texas during his premature retirement. “I definitely didn’t expect to play football again. To be in this building, to be in the playoffs, I’m eternally grateful and excited to get to it.”