No blinking: With the win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Coach Mike Tomlin secured his 19th straight non-losing season, second only to Hall of Fame Coach Tom Landry, who holds the record with 21 seasons.
Tomlin also recorded his 200th career win, including regular season and postseason.
But none of that matters to Tomlin.
What matters to him, are the men in the Steelers locker room who produced the win.
"I'm just so appreciative of the men I work with and the fight that they displayed individually and collectively," said Tomlin. "Certainly wasn't perfect. A lot of adversity, some of it created by us.
"But they didn't blink. That's what's required this time of year. We also talked about the game has got to look a certain way this time of year and it certainly did.
"We were able to run the ball and stop the run and we kind of rode that wave in terms of controlling the game.
"Certainly, we've got to give Detroit a lot of credit. Man, they stormed and fought, we knew they would. We knew what type of game we were coming in to, the gravity of it, the venue. Kudos to their fans, man. This is a tough place to play.
"But I'm just thankful of the fight and the win. We'll keep pushing because that's what you've got to do this time of year. Win or lose you got to keep pushing and we will.
"I'm just really thankful and happy for those men in that locker room."
The Steelers asked multiple players to step up this week due to injuries, and they answered like they have all season.
That is something that doesn't go unnoticed by Tomlin.
"That's what I mean when I say we've got a no-blink group," said Tomlin. "It's not like things are ideal. I can't say enough about Dylan Cook, for example. That's our fourth left tackle. We ran for 200-plus yards today with that guy. But it's a lot of examples of that.
"That's what team is about and I'm just appreciative of their efforts."
The defense held the Lions to a mere 15 yards rushing, not an easy task with the Lions two-headed monster in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.
"Just the efforts of the guys," said Tomlin. "It's that time of year. You've got to do that if you want to control ball games. We've been working hard at it.
"Certainly, we've taken some steps back at times. I just appreciate the overall trajectory of the group. Got a bunch of second year players in that front so it's reasonable to expect them to get better – big picture. But in the midst of it, some of that – and we've experienced some of that, along with some attrition.
"In spite of all of that, they just keep on working."
Never quitting: If there is one word that describes the 2025 Steelers, it's safe to say it's resilient.
This is a team that hasn't let adversity affect them. Hasn't let outside noise bother them.
As a matter of fact, it's been just the opposite.
And that was on display against the Lions.
After taking a 22-10 lead, and then a 29-17 lead, over the Lions, they saw it diminish to a 29-24 lead with the Lions driving until the closing seconds.
They never quit and never stopped believing in themselves.
"I was proud of our guys," said quarterback Aaron Rodgers. "Some games the defense has stood on its head and given us a chance and a few times we've done it.
"And (Sunday) was one of those times where we just kept answering, starting with the two-minute drive in the end of the first half.
"An unbelievable catch by Kenny (Gainwell). If it's just PI, it's three points but to catch it, somehow get his hand under the ball, get up and score was incredible.
"And our other back (Jaylen Warren) - might have heard of him - he had a heck of a game too.
"I thought the line did a really nice job. We settled in, I thought (offensive coordinator) Art (Smith) called an incredible game. And there's still more out there. I thought Art got into a good rhythm, especially in the second quarter on and we executed really well and the line settled in and blocked their (tails) off."
Gainwell and Warren were the story on offense with their play.
Gainwell led the team with five receptions for 78 yards and an amazing 45-yard touchdown, where he caught the ball on his back and got up and ran in for the score, while adding nine carries for 50 yards.
Warren rushed for a season-high 143 yards on 14 carries, a 10.2-yard average, and a pair of 45-yard touchdown runs.
"They've got a good skillset, both of them," said Rodgers. "They're both really good runners, they're elusive.
"But I've got to give those guys a lot of credit, they're playing freaking kickoff, that's like a real play now. Then they obviously have different roles.
"Kenny's been unbelievable in the passing game, just unbelievable. And he's so dang smart. I was telling him I wish I played with him for 10 years just because of the kind of player that he is. You just love playing with that guy.
"And then Jaylen is as sweet as they come, and he's such a decisive runner as well. I think he would be the first one to say it, there were some pretty big holes for those touchdown runs. And we caught them in good coverage. On the one we ran weakside, got in the lead, it was man coverage and DK (Metcalf) went in to block and two guys were with him. So, by the time Jaylen got out there, there was nobody there. The other one was just a toss sweep that we blocked up really well, but the line deserves a lot of credit."
Also earning praise was the offensive line.
"It's fun to play with those guys," said Rodgers. "One of the smartest groups I've been with. They're great with their cadence, they're great with their protection, they make my job really easy.
"They've got a really nice way about them as far as their demeanor and energy. Never get too high or too low, it's like there's not a whole lot that's said. I've had some wild, crazy offensive lines who were energetic and couldn't keep their mouths shut.
"This is a more quiet group, but they're tough, they're really tough and they really care about it. Makes my job easy."
Call of the day: For defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, Sunday's win over the Detroit Lions is one that started with a crazy call, and ended with a crazy call.
Heyward is one of the team's captains who goes out for the coin toss, and is the player who makes the call as to whether the team is going to take the ball, or defer to the second half.
Against the Lions, after the Steelers won the coin toss, he told the officials they were deferring to the second half, starting the game on defense.
Only thing was, that wasn't what he was supposed to say.
The conversation pregame was if they win the toss, Coach Mike Tomlin wanted to put the offense out there first.
"So, one thing I have to explain at the beginning of the game," started Heyward sheepishly laughing. "Aaron (Rodgers) looked at me because I definitely messed up.
"I was supposed to take the ball, and instead I had deferred. They gave me a lot of (crap) for it, but we were able to correct that throughout the game.
"It kind of paid dividends of being able to double dip before the half and then get the ball."
Rodgers said he didn't know what was happening when Heyward made the call.
"I figured that I missed a side conversation between him and Mike T because Mike T came to me and said, 'Are you good if we take the ball?'" said Rodgers. "I said, 'Yeah. For sure.' So, we went out there and Cam, he's real territorial about he's the one who gets to call it and I'm fine. I don't care.
"But we win the toss and he goes, 'Defer.' I looked at him, I said, 'What?' in my head. I didn't say it out loud because I was like oh, I don't want to act like I wasn't in the conversation. But then we jog over and he said, 'I blacked out. I don't know.' I said, 'Hey Head, I thought we were taking the ball.' He goes, 'Oh, I just blacked out.' OK."
That wasn't the only crazy thing that happened.
On the final play of the game, confusion took over when a fourth-down touchdown by the Lions on a wild play was negated by an offensive pass interference call, a call that took a while for the officials to sort out.
"We heard the whistle blow," said Heyward. "So, I didn't see that Jared (Goff) had the ball. There was a lot going on there and I was just asking for clarification on everything, but they weren't willing to share with me. So just kind of had to wait like everybody else.
"I thought we won when he blew it dead, we kind of just stopped after that. So, after that, I kind of just checked out."
One thing the defense didn't do prior to the final whistle, though, was check out.
They played solid, aggressive defense for 60 minutes, holding an impressive Lions ground game to a mere 15 yards, including Jahmyr Gibbs being held to two yards on seven carries.
"Strong tackling all across the board, the attention to detail, staying in our gaps," said Heyward of how it worked. "Hopefully we can build on it.
"It's something that's got to be a staple for us going forward."
What a catch: It was a play that will have Steelers fans, and many in the NFL talking for a while.
And rightfully so.
Kenneth Gainwell came up with one of the biggest plays in the win over the Lions, and one of the best offensive plays of the season.
Calling it a 45-yard touchdown reception would be a disservice as it was much more than that.
With just seconds to play in the first half, and the Steelers trailing 10-3, Gainwell was knocked to the ground but still somehow managed to catch a long pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
There is more, though.
Gainwell had the wherewithal to get up after not being touched while he was on the ground, and scampered to the end zone for the touchdown to tie the game at the half.
"Aaron called a play and he told me just go out and run a go ball," said Gainwell. "It takes unbelievable concentration to catch a ball like that.
"I kind of lost it for a minute in the lights and then the last second it came to me. I just put my hand on the ground, and I don't know how I caught that, but caught it.
"Never give up on a play. Just go score.
"It takes unbelievable concentration, knowing that you have to come back to the ball. What I did was try to draw a flag. If the ball was going to be too far, I tried to draw a flag. But at the same time, I tried to come to the ball and it just sat in my hands.
"I just caught it and went in and scored."
Gainwell's football IQ came in handy, knowing that the play was still live since he wasn't touched.
"That just goes with knowing the rules," said Gainwell. "Knowing if you catch a ball, get up and go score. No matter if I'm running the ball and I fall down, I know I have to get up, I'm not touched down.
"I knew I had to get up and go score. I didn't know if he touched me or not, but I got up and finished."
Sweet as can be: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers referred to Jaylen Warren as 'sweet' after the Steelers defeated the Detroit Lions on Sunday, not the first time this season he has tagged Warren with that personality trait.
One thing is for sure, Warren's performance against the Lions was definitely sweet.
Warren rushed for a season-high 143 yards on 14 carries, a 10.2-yard average, and a pair of 45-yard touchdown runs.
"I believe I was untouched," said Warren. "Running behind those guys (offensive line), it's a blessing."
Warren almost couldn't believe how clean the runs were, looking back over his shoulder as he neared the end zone.
"You just run. You just run," said Warren. "You just run and I look back, which I need to stop doing. I look back when I'm running just to see if anybody's close.
"But you just run and you hope you don't get tackled."
Warren knew the Steelers would have to get the ground game rolling against a tenacious Lions defense, but he also knew, doing it wouldn't be easy.
"We knew what kind of game it was going to be watching film," said Warren. "Obviously explosive on their side. So, we knew what we had to bring to the table.
"We talk about it all week. What we got to bring to the table in December ball. It takes what it takes.
"For it to show out, it's huge."
