I’ve been writing about the Steelers for 14 years (holy wow), and it seems like I’ve used the exact headline as the one for this article countless times.

You can’t blame me. It’s always a good thing when the Steelers make the playoffs, which they did on Sunday for the ninth time since I started writing about them. I don’t know about you, but I just couldn’t sit there and watch the Titans take on the Jaguars at 1 p.m. Obviously, Jacksonville controlled its fate and would be the AFC South champion with a win. The Titans, who came into their regular-season finale with a 5-11 record, controlled nothing but their offseason travel plans.

Would Tennessee be motivated to win for head coach Mike Vrabel and/or legendary running back Derrick Henry? Would the Jaguars just overwhelm the home team on their way to their second-straight division title?

Again, I just couldn’t watch. I endured the stress of the Steelers’ 17-10 victory at Baltimore the night before, and I wasn’t about to go through that again by watching a game between two NFL teams that didn’t use black and gold as their uniform colors of choice.

Instead, I did my Sunday chores and tried to get the Roku TV that my uncle gave me to connect to the Internet (never happened).

I periodically checked in with my smartphone to see the various texts sent my way by friends and family. Maybe you are familiar with the kinds of texts I was receiving if you also have plenty of friends and family who are Steelers fans. The texts consisted of a lot of big-eyed emojis, nervous emojis, vomiting emojis, etc.

I couldn’t tell what was going on by these emojis, but I started to feel good when I saw a text that read: “28-13, Titans, beginning of 4th quarter.”

I relaxed a bit. Could it be happening? Could the Steelers actually qualify for the playoffs after losing to a 2-10 team in back-to-back weeks?

Yes. Wow.

You mean we won’t have to hear about that whole 2-10 business all offseason? Actually, we probably will. I mean, even though the Steelers were playing like a 2-10 team back in early December (and for most of the previous few months) and didn’t gain a new spirit until Mason Rudolph was elevated to the starting quarterback spot, we will likely have to listen to fans bemoan the fact that Pittsburgh, despite being stinky for 14 of its 17 games, only snuck into the postseason with a 10-7 mark and a minus-20 point-differential.

But that’s talk for the offseason, which isn’t here just yet.

The Steelers playoff card was officially punched around 4 p.m. on Sunday, and the rest of the day was blissful. Sunday night was the first week of my winter bowling season, and I was stoked knowing I could enjoy my evening on the lanes without having to glance up at the Bills/Dolphins game every few seconds. Instead of that contest being a Playoff Bowl for the Steelers, it turned into a Sixth or Seventh Seed Bowl. That was far more enjoyable. As a sixth seed, the Steelers would have to travel to Arrowhead Stadium to take on Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. As a seventh seed, they’d have to travel to Highmark Stadium and battle Josh Allen and the Bills.

Pick your poison: Would you rather be stung by a thousand killer bees or mauled by one lion?

Either way, it would hurt badly.

Buffalo stampeded the Dolphins on the road to win its fourth-straight AFC East title and clinch the number-two seed in the conference. The Bills’ win dropped Pittsburgh to the seventh seed.

Whatever.

The fact that the Steelers are in the postseason is just amazing. Forget the whole quarterback thing. What about all of those defenders who came off the couch to play major roles in Pittsburgh’s three-game winning streak to close out the regular season?  Pat Pete playing safety in place of an injured Minkah Fitzpatrick?

Incredible stuff.

Yes, T.J. Watt is out with an MCL, but doesn’t this kind of feel like they’re playing with house money? It also feels like the Steelers could win the game, and it wouldn’t be a total shocker. The last time the Steelers advanced to the postseason as the seventh seed–two years ago–they had to travel to Arrowhead Stadium, and it felt like they were a cream puff college football team taking on a juggernaut during homecoming week.

It feels different this time.

Maybe it’s just the euphoria talking, but maybe not.

Either way, enjoy this week. There’s a certain feeling one gets when their favorite football team is preparing for a postseason game.

It just never gets old when the Steelers make the playoffs.