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Postseason win would be golden for Steelers

4 min read
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PITTSBURGH – The playoff experience is like gold. When you have it, you cherish it as the most valuable thing in the world.

When you don’t, well, you appreciate it, but the importance is diminished.

A positive playoff experience? Well, that’s another story altogether.

The Cincinnati Bengals enter Saturday’s game against the Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium with plenty of experience in the postseason.

Saturday’s Wild Card Playoff game will mark the fourth consecutive postseason appearance for the Bengals. Cincinnati has 35 players who have seen action in two or more playoff games, compared to just 19 for the Steelers.

The difference is that the Steelers have 14 players on their roster who have experienced a postseason win. Cincinnati has three, none of whom has won a playoff game while with the Bengals.

Cincinnati has gone 0-6 in the postseason under head coach Marvin Lewis and hasn’t won a playoff game in 25 years.

“Hopefully, that pays off for us this weekend,” said Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.

But will it?

“The more experience I get, the more (important) I think it is,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “When I didn’t have experience, I wouldn’t acknowledge that.”

Players often talk about how the intensity in the NFL is ratcheted up with each step taken over the course of a season. Camp practices aren’t as intense as preseason games, which aren’t as intense as regular season games.

As for the postseason, in a win-or-go-home situation, the level of competition reaches its pinnacle.

There is no tomorrow to worry about if you don’t win.

“You won’t see guys running out of bounds,” said Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

Understanding that increase in intensity and being able to play at a higher level than your opponent separate the winners from losers in the postseason.

In that regard, the Steelers and Bengals got an earlier glimpse of what might be in store for them Saturday. The two teams met Dec. 13 in Cincinnati, and they traded trash talk on the field and on social media leading up to the game. During warmups, Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict crossed over to the Steelers side of the 50-yard line, causing a scrum to ensue.

Some Steelers admitted they played with more intensity in that game, a 33-20 victory, than at any other time this season.

“I would have to say it was. We had a little pre-game ruckus that kind of woke everybody up,” said Steelers linebacker James Harrison. “I would hope we could try and match that or even get a level above that. That’s something I feel we should come out with every game and not have to be egged into that.”

Steelers’ long snapper Greg Warren has been with the team since 2005, when Pittsburgh won the first of two Super Bowls and played in another during a six-year period. He’s seen the team go on extended postseason runs and also lose its postseason opener. To him, playoff experience doesn’t matter as much as at least one other thing.

“A lot of it has to do with confidence. If you’ve got guys who believe they can win, which I feel this team does, I think that means more than having guys who have been there,” said Warren, one of four Steelers who have two Super Bowl rings. “What we did in the past, will not help us this year. You do have the experience, but unless you get out there and do it again, you really can’t say it mattered. It’s all about your confidence right now, your ability to prepare and get out there and do your job.”

Odds and end zones

Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams, who continues to deal with a sprained foot, was not in a walking boot for the second consecutive day. But he did not practice Thursday. … Brown was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for December, while Steelers’ placekicker Chris Boswell was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month. Brown had 51 catches for 642 yards and five touchdowns in five games last month, and Boswell made 12 field goals. … Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton did not practice Thursday as he continues to work his way back from a broken right thumb. Also sitting out for Cincinnati was tight end Ryan Hewitt (knee). … With a win over the Bengals, the Steelers can match Dallas for the most postseason wins in NFL history with 34.

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