by Bo Marchionte
Twitter @BoMarchionte

1 : preservation of oneself from destruction or harm. 2 : a natural or instinctive tendency to act so as to preserve one’s own existence.

The Steelers played with a self-preservation mindset, losing to Cleveland 24-22, at First Energy Stadium. The win put the Browns into the playoffs for the first time since 2002, as Pittsburgh elected to rest some of their primary players for the season finale.

“I can’t say enough about the effort of the guys,” Mike Tomlin said postgame. “I compliment the Browns on their play.”

The Steelers decided to rest a list Pro Bowlers that included Roethlisberger, Cameron Heyward, Maurkice Pouncey, and T.J. Watt as the best recipe for success with the playoffs on the horizon.

Mike Tomlin is 3-5 since losing to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV, his impressive postseason resume prior to that loss was 5-2. With a limited amount of time left with Roethlisberger under center, it is coming as close to a now-or-never atmosphere for Pittsburgh.

The idea of self-preservation was the logic essential into trying to obtain the absolute best path towards a playoff victory by resting key players in anticipation for the rematch against Cleveland.

“Guys had an opportunity to play expanded roles today,” Tomlin said. “We will look at that tape and it will provide a lot of information for us as we push into the playoffs.”

Roethlisberger (38), Heyward (31), and Pouncey (31) have a combined 19 Pro Bowls collectively and their on-field presence and availability for their up-coming playoff opponent proved to be more important than competing against with a full arsenal. Although, Tomlin was adamite that winning with the men who walked off the bus today was as important as any game the team played.

Pittsburgh has seven players in their 30’s, three of the four rested this afternoon that fall into that category with Roethlisberger being the oldest at 38 years of age. Their age coincides with the importance they bring to the table as Tomlin and company eye a playoff win for the first time since 2010.

Pittsburgh managed to keep it close to the very end. Despite resting their fearsome foursome, they were a two-point conversion away from trying the Browns with 1:23 left in the fourth quarter. 

“We we’re playing to win,” Tomlin said. “Pressure is everything. Either you are feeling it or applying it. It was our goal today to apply it.”

Tomlin smiled more in this postgame press conference than I recall him doing in some previous victories. The Steelers will host Cleveland next weekend in Pittsburgh and will have enormous build-up with the resurgence of the Browns. The team’s performance really did seem to sit well with Tomlin afterwards, perhaps because this is the first time in three seasons he gets to coach his Steelers into the playoffs. 

“It was cool,” rookie Alex Highsmith said of the intensity of First Energy Stadium. The abundance of fans pounding their seats in critical moments made the atmosphere seem a lot louder than the 12,000 in attendance. “Probably the most fans I’ve played in front of, it was awesome to play in that type of energy.”

The optimism afterwards should play into the favor of the Steelers. Cleveland with a nearly two-decade absence from postseason play and were on their heels trying to interrupt a two-point conversion with under two minutes left to play in the game. Tomlin mentioned during his postgame interview he was pleased the team weathered the initial intensity Cleveland brought to the start of the game. 

Tomlin quickly deflected the notion that Pittsburgh dialed back some of their scheme, interjecting, “I wasn’t worried about next week. I was worried about this game and rightfully so.”

We will not know if the experiment of resting its core players was a success until next weekend concludes and Pittsburgh is victorious.

Makes me wonder if this were decades ago with this rivalry at its peak – If anyone would have been rested?

Photo Credit Frank Hyatt