Week 17 Blog: Something special

Dec 22, 2025 at 02:53 PM

Teresa Varley

Steelers.com

Monday, December 22

Something special: Special teams ace Ben Skowronek finished first in the fan voting for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games, and while the Pro Bowl Games roster has yet to be announced, he doesn't take the love from the fans for granted.

"It's cool," said Skowronek. "It's something I've had as my goal, to be All-Pro, a Pro Bowl guy, so it's cool.

"I just want to keep winning. That's cooler to me."

Skowronek said the love Coach Mike Tomlin gives to special teams is something that means a lot too, knowing the head coach puts a huge emphasis on it.

"It's in the limelight to Mike Tomlin," said Skowronek. "Every Thursday we spend a lot of time doing special teams. I take great pride in it. It's something that I've realized the fans recognize too.

"Even my first couple weeks here, I was going out to eat and the bartender said, hey, you're the gunner, aren't you? So, it's cool, man. The City of Pittsburgh, they appreciate football players."

Skowronek is one of the gunners on special teams, a role he embraces and knows comes with a certain mindset.

"You've got to have a relentless mindset," said Skowronek. "You're going to lose some reps. You're going to get double teamed if you're worth something in this league. To have two guys on you and to fail, to get beat, but to keep going. And I'm talking about in the same rep. You're going to lose part of the rep and at the end of the day you want to win the last part of it. So just got to have the grit and determination."

It's a mindset that Skowronek said he always had from the time he was a kid.

"My parents always joke that I was a bulldog," said Skowronek. "I'd never quit. I was the youngest kid in my neighborhood. I had an older brother, and he'd always have his friends over and I just played with them. So, I was always the youngest guy. I'd go to his practices. When I was kid, four or five years old, I would always go to his practice, and they'd let me practice against the older guys. So, now I'm just used to that.

"When I started playing basketball, my dad always put me the age group above on the worst team. I remember being 0-28 one year and then winning the last game of the season.

"So, I give it as a testament to my environment growing up. My parents always put me in hard situations, and I appreciate them for that."

Getting along great: Sometimes the reason a unit can work together as one can be something really simple.

Such is the case for the Steelers offensive line.

"We actually like each other," said tackle Dylan Cook.

Now before you think that isn't a big deal, think again.

Relationships on the offensive line are some of the most important ones in football, a unit that has to work together as one to get the job done.

"We hang out outside the building," continued Cook. "Chemistry, can't say enough about chemistry. We're all cool."

And the person that leads the charge is offensive line coach Pat Meyer. While he might not be out there hanging out with the linemen outside the building, what he brings in the building to the unit is invaluable.

"Really great offensive line coach," said Cook. "He knows what he's talking about. Super reliable source for information, obviously, otherwise he wouldn't have his job, right.

"So, he definitely just brings us together and gets us working in duos, gets us working as an offensive line as a unit.

"Major credit to him."

Major credit to the whole line was flying after the Steelers win over the Lions on Sunday at Ford Field. The ground game exploded for 230 yards, including 143 from running back Jaylen Warren.

And it came one week after Cook said he wanted to improve his run blocking.

Mission accomplished all around.

"We preach finishing all week," said Cook. "Coach (Mike) Tomlin called them a bully group, so we kind of took it upon ourselves to make sure we're the bullies. And we just had that mentality going in the game."

Steelers playoff scenarios: While the NFL has yet to release the Week 17 Playoff Scenarios yet, the Steelers can clinch a playoff berth and the AFC North title with a win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at Huntington Bank Field. Kickoff for the game is set for 1 p.m.

This will be the second meeting this season against the Browns, who the Steelers defeated, 23-9, in Week 6 at Acrisure Stadium.

The Steelers head into the game with a 9-6 record and a two-game lead over the Baltimore Ravens, 7-8, in the AFC North, with two games remaining.

The Steelers could also know their playoff fate before they take the field on Sunday.

If the Green Bay Packers defeat the Ravens on Saturday night at Lambeau Field at 8 p.m., the Steelers would also clinch the AFC North. The Packers are 9-5 and also fighting for a playoff spot.

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Pittsburgh Steelers safety Kyle Dugger (29) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) and Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth (88) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) and Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell (14) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Ben Skowronek (15) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf (4) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington (80) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen (6) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Keeanu Benton (95) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith (81) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Keeanu Benton (95) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Brandin Echols (26) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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The offense during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Scotty Miller (13) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Warm ups during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson (41) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Detroit, MI. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)