THE 50-YARD LINE

Steelers win! Unfortunately, it was too little, too late. Your Pittsburgh Steelers were knocked out of the playoff picture in heartbreaking fashion yesterday. Mrs. Black-N-Gold brings you the Good, the Bad & the Ugly from yesterday's 20-7 victory over the Cleveland Clowns.

1)The Good-Looking on the bright side, the Steelers did go 6-2 in their last 8 games. Rookie RB Le'Veon Bell had 20 carries for 90 yards, a 4.5 yard average, and 1 TD. Congrats to the rook. He broke Franco Harris' record for most yards from scrimmage by a Steelers rookie RB. The defense finished strong, holding Cleveland to 7 points. They also had 1 pick, 1 fumble recovery and 3 sacks.

2)The Bad-Starting your season 0-4 and 2-6 is never a good thing. It's a small miracle that the Steelers were even in the playoff hunt on the final day of the season. Looking back on the wins that could have been: Tennessee, Minnesota, Oakland, the second Baltimore game. Those were "bad".

3)The Ugly-The Steelers have some ugly decisions to make this offseason. The defense is still the oldest in the league. DE Brett Keisel tried to make a case early in the game for the Steelers to keep him. Most of the deal breakers could come down to who is willing to take a pay cut/re-structure his contract. It could get ugly, indeed.

One more note worth mentioning, the defending champion Baltimorons will also watch the playoffs from their couches. And look for Cincy to bungle their way to an early postseason exit.

It will be interesting to see how the front office reacts to another mediocre 8-8 season. Players and coaches may want to update their resumes. No matter what, Mrs. Black-N-Gold will continue to bleed black-n-gold. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!