It was an astonishing admission by the coach of an NFL team that had just won three of its final four games to get into the postseason.
And it wouldn't have been so astonishing if it weren't true.
"We've got a lot of warts," coach Mike Tomlin said. "But we're here."
The Steelers don't have enough cosmetics to cover up the warts that have popped up on their offensive and defensive complexion the past eight games. But none of that mattered on Sunday in Baltimore when they played the way they have been playing for the better part of two months but somehow managed to find their way into the AFC playoffs.
They will play in Kansas City against the No. 2 seed Chiefs at 8:15 p.m. Sunday, and they will be heavy underdogs — especially after the way the Chiefs manhandled them just two weeks ago at Arrowhead Stadium.
But after what happened Sunday, when the Steelers beat the Ravens 16-13 in overtime and the Jacksonville Jaguars upset the Indianapolis Colts, nobody really cared.
"There are things we can clean up, but at the end of the day, it's about getting W's," defensive end Cam Heyward said. "You're not going to say how you got in. But you get a chance to get in the playoffs, you're in. There are going to be some things to clean up, but I look forward to cleaning it up and not packing it up."
The Steelers and Chiefs have only met twice in the postseason in history, each in Kansas City. The Steelers won there, 18-16, in a divisional-round game in the 2016 season, which is the last time they won a playoff game. But they lost in overtime in a 1992 wild card game, 27-24, in Bill Cowher's first season as head coach.
None of that, though, seems to matter to anyone, not after the improbable and unexpected way they landed in the postseason.
The celebration on the field at M&T Bank Stadium and the raucous joy in the locker room — Tomlin was seen dancing with hybrid linebacker Marcus Allen and other players on an Instagram post — illustrated the degree of satisfaction and even surprise the Steelers felt after their victory against the Ravens.
"You can't describe it," Tomlin said. "You have to be a part of a group like that, and then you know what it is. Just know it's special and it's sweet. It wasn't three out of four, we had to win three individually. That was our focus. We were living week to week, and we did what we had to do."
Beating the Ravens (8-9) wasn't a shocker. After all, they finished the season with six consecutive losses, including four against division opponents. But what was a surprise was the continued poor showing by the Steelers offense and defense, a malaise that has afflicted them pretty much since their 16-16 tie with the Detroit Lions on Nov. 14 at Heinz Field.
That game was the beginning of a stretch in which the defense had allowed 36 or more points in four of the losses and 198 or more yards rushing in five games, topped by the season-high 249 yards the Ravens had on Sunday.
"We still have a pulse if you give us a chance," said linebacker T.J. Watt, who tied Michael Strahan's modern-day NFL record of 22 1/2 sacks and also had a pass defensed, forced fumble and three quarterback hits against the Ravens. "To get us in the dance, anything can happen, and that's where we are right now. A lot of guys in there are ready to get into the facility (Monday), watch some film and move forward."
But it hasn't just been the defense that hasn't looked very pretty.
The offense is stuck in a disturbing pattern of mediocrity, waiting until the second half to mount any amount of proficiency. After managing only a field goal in the opening 30 minutes in Baltimore, they have scored just 22 points in the first half of the past seven games. That includes the meeting two weeks ago against the Chiefs when they fell behind 23-0 at halftime en route to a 36-10 defeat. Only a touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson in the final three minutes saved it from being the worst loss in Tomlin's tenure.
But whenever it has mattered most, Ben Roethlisberger has been there to bail them out. He did it again against the Ravens, leading them to the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter and the winning field goal drive in overtime to keep his 18-year career from ending. He got help from a number of different players, too, including Chase Claypool, Pat Freiermuth and Ray-Ray McCloud.
"It doesn't matter," said Claypool, who caught the go-ahead 6-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter and also had three rushes for 33 yards. "Everyone is 0-0. Whatever happens, we use it as good film to watch, and we learn from it and move on."
Warts and all.
