Tomlin and Steelers grind their way into the playoffs | You Pod to Win the Game

Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson and Frank Schwab discuss Pittsburgh’s unlikely path into the NFL’s postseason. Winning their last two games, and four of the last six to qualify. Was this Mike Tomlin’s best coaching job? Does Big Ben have something left in the tank for the playoffs? And congratulations to TJ Watt for tying the NFL single season sack record at 22.5. Hear the full conversation on the You Pod to Win the Game podcast. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen.

Video Transcript

FRANK SCHWAB: The Pittsburgh Steelers stayed alive. And this was a hard-fought-- like their whole season. A Mike Tomlin, hard-fought, we're going to go down swinging. It's not going to be pretty, but we're going to find a way to win. I give total credit to the Steelers here for beating the Ravens 16 to 13. There was a lot of times when the Steelers just kind of folded up, but they didn't.

I was impressed, man. I mean, again, not the prettiest win. But the fact that they went on the road and won this game-- they didn't know the Jaguars were going to win this game. How could you?

CHARLES ROBINSON: No, of course not.

FRANK SCHWAB: But they just said, hey, we're going to go in there and get a win. And whatever happens, happens. And they find themselves in the playoffs. That's pretty cool. I think this was a really, really great win for the Steelers.

CHARLES ROBINSON: Yeah, and it wasn't like-- Roethlisberger wasn't great, like lights out, but he made some pretty big throws in this game. He showed like, OK, there's still a little bit of juice. He's going to get every last drop out of it before the season ends. And remember, everyone's going to say, well, they were starting Huntley. It's not Lamar Jackson back there. And you just automatically discount-- the Ravens defense is still pretty good, OK? Let's not forget that. And I know they're banged up, and they've lost a lot of personnel, but it's two teams that typically rise to play each other regardless of what the injury situation is.

Just to say this, too, about Mike Tomlin. I don't know, man, there's something to be said about a coach who goes 15 years without having a losing season. Now there's a lot of change coming to this organization. Kevin Colbert, the general manager, reports say he's going to be done when this whole thing is over. I don't know if Omar Khan is ultimately going to be the guy who slides into that spot for Colbert.

But there's going to be a little bit of change, like there was when Ozzie stepped aside for Eric DeCosta with the Baltimore Ravens. So what you're watching now, if you're a Steelers fan, don't just enjoy what happens Sunday night. Maybe enjoy if there's a win to be had here. Now I don't know-- I really don't believe that there is, but hope that maybe they're capturing lightning in a bottle a little bit here.

Another thing, too, real quick before we move on. TJ Watt gets a sack, ties Michael Strahan, 22 and 1/2 sacks. Does it in 15 games, which I think is pretty impressive. I see a lot of people saying, oh, it's fraudulent. It still happened in the 17th game of their schedule. He wouldn't have had the opportunity. Well, guess what, Brett Favre, he laid down for Michael Strahan. So if you want to talk about what's truly fraudulent, that was a play that should never even have happened and is an absolute abomination to the game.

TJ Watt deserves it. I thought it was a great way to get the 22nd and 1/2 sack. Defensive Player of the Year, you got to go through it and dice it up and look through everybody to make sure, but I don't know what else TJ does to win Defensive Player of the Year if not what he did this season, and especially in 15 games.