The San Francisco 49ers are officially back in the postseason, but for offensive lineman Dominick Puni, the moment hit long before the team ever took the field in Week 16.

While the 49ers waited in Indianapolis for their “Monday Night Football” matchup against the Colts, their playoff fate was decided hundreds of miles away at Ford Field. Needing help to clinch a postseason berth, San Francisco got exactly that when the Pittsburgh Steelers stunned the Detroit Lions, 29–24, in one of the most dramatic finishes of the season.

Puni watched it unfold from the team hotel and felt every second of it.

“My heart was racing,” Puni said. “Because I’ve never been to the playoffs.”

Late in the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh missed a field goal that would have put them ahead by eight, giving the Lions one last chance to steal the win. On the final snap, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown lateraled the ball to quarterback Jared Goff as time expired, appearing to score a touchdown, until a late offensive pass interference flag wiped it away and ended the game.

For Puni and his teammates, the emotions swung wildly in real time.

“They scored, and then there was a late flag and we were like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, what happened?'” Puni said. “I swear it was the longest three, four plays I’ve ever seen in my life. The refs were just talking it out, talking it out. And then all we could hear was that the game was over, and we just started celebrating.”

The Steelers upset officially sent the 49ers to the playoffs thanks to the NFL’s tiebreaking procedures, before the 49ers ever played their own Week 16 game.

“It just got us pumped up,” Puni said. “A little more energy. It was nice.”

The 49ers made sure that momentum carried over. On Monday night, they defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 48–27, winning their sixth game in the last seven outings and remaining undefeated in primetime this season. The victory also kept San Francisco in control of its postseason destiny.

Entering Week 17, the 49ers sit at 11–4, currently the No. 5 seed, with a clear path to the top. Win out, and the 49ers would claim both the NFC West title and the NFC’s No. 1 seed, along with a first-round bye straight to the Divisional Round.

For Puni, these final two regular-season games feel like more than just stepping stones.

“These are kind of like playoff games,” he said. “I think it’s great preparation for the playoffs. It’s very exciting.

“We all know what time we’re on,” Puni added. “We’re in the playoffs, and that’s a good thing to have, but it’s not our ultimate goal. The one seed is on the line, and we all know that.”

That urgency will be tested immediately against the Chicago Bears, who enter Levi’s® Stadium as the NFC’s No. 2 seed and one of four teams with 11 wins. Chicago can clinch the NFC North with a win.

For the 49ers, they now face the kind of stakes that define postseason football. Their final two regular-season games come against the current top two seeds in the NFC, Chicago and Seattle, offering exactly the kind of high-pressure environment the team could use before January football begins.