The Pittsburgh Steelers held off the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football in Week 18, beating them 26-24 to clinch a playoff spot and win the AFC North for the first time since 2020.
The game started slowly for the Steelers, who failed to convert two fourth-down opportunities in the first half and trailed 10-3 at halftime. Their offense was sluggish in the cold and their defense had no answer for Derrick Henry, who ran for 112 yards in the first half.
Pittsburgh clawed back in the second half, however, forcing a wacky interception from Lamar Jackson in the third quarter and shutting down Henry, limiting him to just 14 rushing yards after halftime. It wasn’t pretty, but the Steelers pulled ahead 13-10, setting up a dramatic fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium.
The final frame was wild, featuring 27 total points as both sides traded touchdowns late in the game. Jackson hit Zay Flowers for a pair of long touchdown passes to briefly give the Ravens the lead late in the fourth quarter, but Aaron Rodgers responded with a touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III to regain the lead in the final minute.
That’s when things got really wonky.
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Chris Boswell shockingly missed an extra point for the first time this season, leaving the score at 26-24 with less than a minute remaining. Jackson promptly marched Baltimore into field goal range, setting up a game-winning 44-yard attempt for rookie kicker Tyler Loop.
Loop shanked it as time expired, however, ending the Ravens’ season in heartbreaking fashion and sending Pittsburgh to the playoffs for the third straight year.
As the No. 4 seed in the AFC, the Steelers will host the No. 5 seed Houston Texans as Mike Tomlin tries to get his first postseason win in nine years.
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