Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin believes that his side's development as a team over the past few weeks was crucial for them to reach the post-season.
The Steelers secured their place in the playoffs by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 20-12 at Heinz Field, and will now compete in January for a place in the Super Bowl for the first time in two seasons.
Tomlin told reporters: "The big thing is that we've evolved throughout. We were young at the early stages of the year. Same guys but they've matured through the process.
"That maturation process is sometimes not easy. We were a highly penalised group early. We got control of that.
"Started minimising big plays. We're doing what teams need to do this time of year which is ratcheting it up and being a more difficult team to beat. We're beating ourselves less which is good."
The Steelers can win the AFC North division with a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in their final game of the season.
Simon Sinclair
