PITTSBURGH — Jordan Todman and Fitzgerald Toussaint have spent their respective NFL careers finding work where they could get it, quietly doing their business on the scout team or second string, never wavering in their belief they could be difference makers if given the chance.

In the rain on the road with the season in the balance, the two Pittsburgh Steelers reserves did more than just serve as placeholders for injured starter DeAngelo Williams. They proved they can make it in the unforgiving crucible of the playoffs.

Todman ran for a game-high 65 yards while Toussaint had 118 yards of total offense in Pittsburgh’s 18-16 wild-card win over the Bengals on Saturday. Though Williams is hopeful his injured right foot will be good enough to go at Denver, the Steelers running game appears to be in good hands either way.

“It’s still unbelievable man,” Toussaint said.

Pittsburgh signed Todman on Sept. 6 after he failed to make the final 53-man roster in Carolina (despite a 49-yard touchdown sprint against the Steelers in the preseason finale) and added Toussaint to the practice squad a day later. They worked most of the year as “in case of emergency, break glass” options behind Williams and Le’Veon Bell. Then Bell tore a ligament in his right knee on Nov. 1 and Williams had his right foot crunched while facing Cleveland in Week 17.

So much for being afterthoughts.

Yet Todman and Toussaint (already being dubbed “TNT” in some social media circles) hardly seemed overcome by the stage or facing the league’s seventh-ranked run defense. Toussaint’s first carry lost a yard but his second was an authoritative burst over left tackle for nine. Todman entered late in the first quarter and darted for 23 yards on consecutive carries.