Playoffs or not, 2019 will go down as a success for the Steelers

The Steelers season will probably end today.

For this team to make it to the postseason, a lot of things have to go right.

First, Pittsburgh must beat the 13-2 Ravens and must do so in Baltimore. That's no easy feat, not even with Lamar Jackson taking a rest.

If the Steelers find a way to take down the dirty birds, they then must watch and pray for the Texans to beat Tennessee in Houston, which wouldn't be a lot to ask on most days.

On this Sunday, however, there's a good chance Bill O'Brien will sit his stars, as a Chiefs win over the LA Chargers would give the Texans absolutely nothing to play for.  Since Kansas City's game starts at 1, about 3.5 hours before the Texans kick off, Houston can relax and see what the Chiefs do before deciding whether or not to send out the A-team.

In the likely event of a Chiefs win, the Steelers will need a Houston team with nothing to play for to beat a Titans squad with their season on the line. Not exactly an ideal predicament.

Just like last year, when the Steelers needed the Browns to win in Baltimore, Week 17 will be a stressful time to breathe for Pittsburgh. What's different this time, however, is that the Steelers can be proud of this season, even if they fail to get into the playoffs.

The year of our lord, 2018 was one sent straight from hell. The Steelers, who were 7-2-1 through 10 games, should have made the playoffs but missed out because of one of the worst collapses in NFL history. This year, the team had no business winning six games, let alone making the postseason.

Yet, here we are, on the last Sunday of the regular season, a few fortunate bounces away from the Steelers doing what they couldn't do last year with Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown at their disposal.

After several years of underachieving, the Steelers are getting the most out of their talent in 2019, and more than that, the team, overall, is likable.

Last season, we heard all about Le'Veon Bell's absence, Big Ben's radio show adventures, and, eventually, AB losing his mind. On the field, a defense that couldn't get a turnover if its life depended on it plagued the team through several close defeats.

This year, we've been hearing not about drama, but instead about the lovable Devlin Hodges. We've seen the defense transformed by the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade, and a motivated Bud Dupree. We've enjoyed Heinz Field coming to its feet whenever Zach Banner is announced as an eligible receiver.

The only chatter has been about whether or not the team will play football in January, and that's how it should be.

The Steelers missing the postseason would still be disappointing. This was a team many expected to win the AFC North in August, and failing to qualify for the playoffs will leave us all wondering what could have been if Roethlisberger's elbow didn't betray him way back in week two. No matter what happens, this Steelers team overachieved, and when was the last time any of us could say that?