It took a little late-season magic, a clutch drive from a legendary arm, and a missed field goal to shake up the AFC North — and the Pittsburgh Steelers got it all on Sunday night. Aaron Rodgers, in what may be a final encore season, threw for a season-high 294 yards and orchestrated a 65-yard, six-play game-winning drive, including a 26-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III with just 55 seconds left, as the Steelers edged the Baltimore Ravens 26-24.
The victory secured Pittsburgh’s first AFC North title in five years, ending a tense Sunday night where the outcome hung on a single kick. Baltimore rookie Tyler Loop, who had converted 30 of 33 field goals this season, was wide right on a 44-yard attempt as time expired, cementing the Steelers’ win and sending the home crowd into jubilant disbelief.
“This one’s on me,” said Loop afterward, a 24-year-old who had carried Baltimore through much of the season with his consistency. For the Ravens, who began the year with Super Bowl aspirations, the miss was a bitter capstone to a season that never quite lived up to expectations.
The game was a back-and-forth affair. The Steelers fell behind by 10 early, and Baltimore seemed poised to repeat last year’s playoff blowout. Lamar Jackson, playing through a painful back contusion, passed for 238 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Zay Flowers — a 50-yarder and a 64-yarder in the fourth quarter — that each temporarily put the Ravens in front. Derrick Henry added 126 rushing yards for Baltimore and became just the ninth player in NFL history to reach 13,000 career rushing yards, though he was largely contained in the second half.
For Pittsburgh, resilience was the story. With suspended wide receiver DK Metcalf absent, the offense slowly found its rhythm, and the defense held strong at critical moments. Kenny Gainwell’s two-yard touchdown run with 3:49 remaining briefly put the Steelers back on top, but the Ravens’ Jackson answered with his second long touchdown to Flowers. Still, T.J. Watt’s interception on his return from a three-game absence after lung surgery kept hope alive for a team led by Rodgers, a two-time MVP who has now engineered his 37th career game-winning drive.
The drama wasn’t done. Steelers kicker Chris Boswell missed an extra point — his first in 40 attempts this season — leaving the door open for Baltimore, but Loop’s miss closed it for good.
The win also marked a milestone for Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, whose 193rd regular-season victory ties him with Hall of Famer Chuck Noll for the franchise record. In the 40th meeting between Tomlin and Ravens coach John Harbaugh, all that could be said afterward was admiration for a team that refused to quit.
Pittsburgh (10-7) now turns its attention to the playoffs, hosting Houston (12-5) on Monday, Jan. 12, with hopes of ending a postseason win drought that has stretched nearly a decade. Baltimore (8-9) faces a long offseason of questions, but Jackson, turning 29 this week, remains in his prime and plenty of time to regroup.
For the Steelers, Rodgers’ right arm proved there is still life, and a chance to end one of the franchise’s longest playoff droughts since Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception looms large. For one night in Pittsburgh, it was enough to celebrate a comeback story, a division title, and a thrilling finish worthy of the rivalry’s history.
