Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says he fell asleep before team clinched playoff spot

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Ben's fourth-down conversion set up the game-winning FG.

Chris Boswell kicked a game-winning field goal after Ben Roethlisberger found Ray-Ray McCloud for a huge fourth-down conversion. (0:52)

1:45 PM

While the rest of Pittsburgh was watching the Raiders and Bolts, Mike Tomlin was asleep.

The Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson kicked a field goal in overtime that sent the team to the playoffs.

"I didzed off," he said. I assumed that I had a workday waiting on me. At one point, the Raiders were up by 15 and that made you feel a bit more comfortable.

I'm probably better off not watching it.

He is not the only Steeler who missed the end of the game. The group was behind when Carlson's field goal prevented a tie that would've kept the team out of the playoffs.

McCloud said that his brother called him. "He said it was rigged, bro." It's rigged. He called me back and said, 'You're good, you're good.'

I was wondering if they made it. I knew they made it when I watched it personally. It was a relief. It was a lot of fun.

The challenge ahead is a tough one for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who only had a 9% chance of making the playoffs entering the last day of the regular season. They'll play the Kansas City Chiefs. Three weeks ago, the visiting Steelers were defeated by the Chiefs.

"They handled us and handled us firmly," he said. We understand that. We are not paralyzed by that. We accept that we didn't play well last time. We accept that we didn't plan well last time. That's the last time.

It wasn't quite a performance his team could take much from.

"I don't know how much you learn from it, to be quite honest with you," he said. They smashed us. It's like a rebirth.

In that game, the Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 258 yards and three touchdown while the Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 159 yards and a touchdown.

Since then, the Steelers have won two straight against Cleveland and Baltimore to get to the playoffs.

"I can't tell you enough about the group," he said. Their buy-in, their fight, their selflessness. Unless you're all of those things and then some, you're not in this tournament.

We don't think we're unique, but we are appreciative of what we've had to do to be a part of this field.

The last two wins were partly due to the fact that Roethlisberger was playing his last home game and last regular-season game. It's our intention to keep riding that wave, said Tomlin.

The experience of those tight games and the roller coaster of the season should help his club in the playoffs.

"We're getting comfortable in many situations where most are not comfortable," he said. I think we have been hardened by this process. I think we're getting comfortable with being in these scenarios because it hasn't been an easy journey for us.

... I think we are able to execute individually and collectively because of that experience. Hopefully, that will help us as we go into the playoffs. The playoffs are a different level.