THE STEELERS WERE SO CLOSE AND YET SO FAR AWAY

The ending was equal parts fascinating, surreal, and heartbreaking.

The Cleveland Browns on the Jumbotron at Heinz Field early Sunday evening, fighting the clock and the Baltimore Ravens, driving for the field goal that would erase a two-point deficit and deliver the AFC North Division Championship to the Steelers.

Steelers players, coaches and staff members assembled at the stadium’s south end, celebrating or agonizing after every Cleveland snap.

The stands still packed with fans, the vast majority among the 63,874 who had witnessed the 16-13 victory over the Bengals that had temporarily kept the Steelers’ playoff hopes afloat waiting it out until the bitter end and even chanting “Let’s Go Browns” while there was still hope.

The Steelers and their fans both stayed in there sits and on the field to watch the final minutes of the Browns, Ravens game. Everyone thought it was going to happen.  The Steelers went through a similar situation back in 2015 when Buffalo beat somebody and the Steelers got into the playoffs

But Baker Mayfield’s fourth-and-10 pass from the Ravens’ 39-yard line with 1:06 left in regulation was intercepted in 2018.

The Ravens held on, 26-24.

After that, the Steelers’ postseason hopes were down to Tennessee and Indianapolis playing to a tie on Sunday night.

That didn’t happen, either (the Colts won, 33-17).

In between endings, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger admittedly tried not to reflect but did to an extent, anyway.

The Steelers as a team felt the disappointment in the season. The players were trying not to reflect right then at what went wrong in the 2018 season.

The Steelers played without wide receiver Antonio Brown, inside linebacker Vince Williams and free safety Sean Davis and with new kicker Matt MaCrane replacing Chris Boswell (reserve/injured) against Cincinnati.

They also overcame a 10-0 deficit on the way to finishing at 9-6-1.

Despite the fact that the Steeler nation had to depend on Cleveland to win so that the Steelers could get into the playoffs the Steelers proved that they are fighters and not quitters.

Dangerfield was one of the many who had remained on the Heinz Field playing surface to watch the conclusion of the Browns-Ravens game.

IT’S HOW YOU FINISH: The Steelers had a record of 7-2-1 following a 20-16 victory on Nov. 18 at Jacksonville.

The win over the Bengals on Sunday was the Steelers’ second over the regular season’s final six games.

It’s hard to point a particular turning point but I just think in those critical situations where.  Do you point to the offense, or was it the defense. Regardless the Steelers just didn’t get the job done.

 As an offense, as a defense we needed a play, we weren’t getting it,” defensive end Cam Heyward said. It’s baffling sometimes but as players, as coaches, as a staff, as Steelers they couldn’t make the adjustments that needed to be made. The Steelers had to go out there and do it and they didn’t get it done this whole season, and that’s what’s really going to stick to the team.

Finishing 9-6-1 was of no consolation to the Steeler players.

The team’s goals were higher than that. To know that they didn’t achieve those goals, especially going to the playoffs, will stick with the players until July 2019 when they open training camp.

WHO TO BLAME: Outside linebacker Bud Dupree had high praise for head coach Mike Tomlin and placed the responsibility for missing the playoffs on the shoulders of the players.

Despite the outcome to this season in my book Head Coach Mike Tomlin is still one of the best coaches in the league. If you want Tomlin fired then who are you to get to replace him. If you look at the coaches that were fired on Black Monday, there’s really nobody else who could fill his void.

At the end of the day it’s on the players to perform to go out on to that football field and make it happen. The players have to go out and perform on Sundays. It’s up to them to really go out there and dominate. The Steelers just didn’t finish games like they should have. Tomlin isn’t the one that goes out there and plays the game; it’s the players that do that not the coaches.

WAIT ’TIL NEXT YEAR: No one said anything that occurred in the 2018 season would alter his perception of the Steelers’ potential to win a championship in the 2019 season. Ben Roethlisberger had this to say on Monday.

“No, because I think we have a really good group,” he said. “The (offensive) linemen, as long as they come back, they’re the core. They’re the strength of this team and if they come back; I’ll be back and I feel good. We have guys that just got better. We have young guys that just keep getting better, guys like JuJu (Smith-Schuster) and (running back) James Conner. Guys are just going to keep getting better.

“I don’t think our window’s closed.”

Roethlisberger expressed a desire for as much continuity as possible heading into 2019.

“Anytime that you can kind of keep that core group, keep people together, the less turnover the better, usually,” he said. “From the top down, I think that’s important.”