Losing hurts.
And it hurts worse when you outplayed your opponent but still emerged with the "L." When that loss ultimately contributes to keeping your team out of the playoffs?
Yeah. Mega ouch.
Mike Hilton confirmed all this at the end of the Steelers' playoff-less 2018 campaign:
"The one I feel like really got to us was the Chargers one," he said. "We're up double digits in the second half. We close that one out, our season goes a lot different."
In that one, a 33-30 defeat in Week 13 at Heinz Field that dropped the Steelers to 7-4-1, some flat-out wackiness occurred.