Pittsburgh Steelers Win a Thriller Over the Baltimore Ravens To Punch Their Ticket To the NFL Playoffs
It wasn’t pretty. It rarely is when these two teams get together. But in a game that felt more like a street fight than a football match, the Pittsburgh Steelers found a way to punch their ticket to the postseason, claiming the AFC North title with a heart-stopping 26-24 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
For 59 minutes, it looked like Lamar Jackson might finally drag the Ravens across the finish line of a tumultuous season. Jackson was magic in the fourth quarter, connecting with Zay Flowers on two separate touchdowns that felt like daggers to the hearts of the yinzer faithful. But Aaron Rodgers had one more trick up his sleeve.
Rodgers and the Steelers Refuse To Die
With less than a minute on the clock and the season hanging by a thread, Rodgers orchestrated a drive that will be replayed in Pittsburgh bars for decades. He found Calvin Austin for a 26-yard touchdown with just 55 seconds remaining, putting the Steelers ahead. It was vintage Rodgers, doing just enough to break hearts one last time.
But the drama wasn’t over. A missed extra point by Chris Boswell, his first miss since 2023, left the door cracked open. Jackson, refusing to go quietly, marched Baltimore down the field. He converted a miraculous fourth-down pass to Isaiah Likely, setting up rookie Kicker Tyler Loop for a 44-yard game-winner.
Loop pushed it right. Acrisure Stadium erupted. The Ravens’ season ended in a silence so loud you could hear a pin drop on the sidelines.
Derrick Henry Chases History In Defeat
Lost in the chaos of the final minute was a historic night for Derrick Henry. The Ravens running back crossed the 1,500-yard mark for the season, tying the legendary Barry Sanders for the most 1,500-yard seasons in NFL history (five). Henry has been the engine of Baltimore’s offense all year, a battering ram that refused to slow down even as the team around him struggled. It is a bitter pill to swallow for a player who gave everything, only to watch the playoffs slip away on a missed kick.
Playoff Picture: Steelers Host Houston
So, where does this leave us? The Steelers (10-7) are officially the No. 4 seed in the AFC. They’ll host C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans next Monday night to wrap up Wild Card weekend. It’s a matchup that pits the wily veteran Rodgers against one of the league’s brightest young stars.
More importantly for Pittsburgh, they’re getting healthy at the right time. T.J. Watt returned from lung surgery to snag a deflected interception that swung the momentum in the third quarter. Star receiver DK Metcalf returns from suspension just in time for the playoffs.
For Baltimore, the offseason starts now. Questions about John Harbaugh’s future will swirl, and the agony of what could have been will linger all winter. But for tonight, the night belongs to Pittsburgh. The King of the North resides in the “Steel City.”
