Before the Steelers and Bengals even kicked off in what would be an epic 60-minute battle in the Wild Card playoff game, linebacker Ryan Shazier had a feeling.
No, he didn't know what the outcome was going to be, but he just had that feeling that he was going to have one of those days, a day he will be able to look back on 10 years from now and remember with pride.
He just felt it. He felt something good was going to happen.
"I was feeling it," said Shazier. "I was telling some of the guys before the game that this is going to be a great game, I am feeling great. I knew I could do something like that when the opportunity came. I just have to take advantage of it more often."
What Shazier did was have 13 tackles and two forced fumbles, including knocking the ball away from Bengals running back Jeremy Hill in the final two minutes. Stephon Tuitt recovered and Shazier's play translated into the Steelers game-winning field goal drive.
"When you are feeling good, you almost feel invincible," said Shazier. "You can't really feel that way though, because you know you have to stay on top of it. I was just trying to get the offense back the ball, do my part to help.
"It was crazy. The Bengals defense made a great play. We then knew if we gave the offense a chance they would do something. We did and they handled the rest."
Shazier said he initially tried to pick the ball up himself, hoping to 'scoop and score,' but mishandled it and was happy Cockrell recovered.
"It felt great," said Shazier. "It felt great when the ball started coming out. It felt like things were coming our way. I was trying to do everything I can to help this team get a win. I wasn't ready to go home yet. I felt like nobody was. We just wanted to give the offense a chance."
Shazier, who credited the defense with playing as a unit the entire game and that's what led to the success, also said maintaining their focus was a key.
"We understood how big the moment was and what could happen," said Shazier. "We all just went out there and gave it everything we had, laid it all on the line. Nobody was ready to go home."
