Steelers win thrilling battle with Ravens, advance to playoffs after missed field goal on final play

Pittsburgh will host Houston in the AFC wild card round

In a truly unbelievable finish, the Pittsburgh Steelers recorded a 26-24 win over Baltimore after Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop missed a 44-yard field goal as time expired. 

With the win, Pittsburgh (10-7) has won the AFC North and will host the Houston Texans next Monday night in the AFC wild card round. Baltimore's season comes to an end after nearly making the playoffs after a 1-5 start. 

After taking a 13-10 lead entering the fourth quarter, the Steelers allowed two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Lamar Jackson to Zay Flowers. Both scores, however, were answered with touchdowns by the Steelers that included Aaron Rodgers' 26-yard strike to Calvin Austin III with 55 seconds left proved to be the game-winning score. 

Baltimore still had a chance to win the game after Chris Boswell missed the point-after attempt. The Ravens got into field goal range after Jackson hit Isaiah Likely for a 26-yard gain on a fourth down play, but Loop pushed the game-winning attempt wide right, giving the Steelers the win. 

Rodgers threw for 294 yards on 31 of 47 passing. Jackson, in a losing effort, threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns on 11 of 18 passing. Derrick Henry ran for 126 yards but had just 14 yards in the second half. 

Loop's missed kick 

Baltimore, a year after losing in heartbreaking fashion to Buffalo in the divisional round of the playoffs, had its season end in a similar fashion this season after Loop's kick sailed to the right. A rookie sixth-round pick, Loop made all seven of his field goal attempts from 40-49 yards during the regular season. He made a 40-yard field goal early in the second quarter that gave the Ravens a 10-0 lead. 

Rodgers' brilliance 

After a slow start, Rodgers and the Steelers' offense got hot in the second half. Of Rodgers' 294 passing yards, 209 of those were gained during the second half as the Steelers scored 23 of their 26 points during the game's final 30 minutes. 

Rodgers' took full advantage of Kyle Hamilton's injury after Baltimore's Pro Bowl safety exited the game for good after sustaining a concussion early in the third quarter. Immediately after Hamilton left the game, Rodgers completed passes of 14 yards to Pat Freiermuth and 28 yards to Adam Thielen that set up Connor Heyward's game-tying touchdown. 

Down 17-13 late in the fourth, Rodgers' 30-yard completion to Freiermuth set up Kenny Gainwell's go-ahead touchdown run. And after the Ravens had re-gained the lead with 2:20 left, Rodgers engineered a game-winning drive that culminated in his touchdown pass to Austin, who stepped up in the absence of DK Metcalf, who will be back for Pittsburgh's playoff showdown with Houston. 

Pittsburgh also received a valiant performance from several defensive players that included T.J. Watt, whose interception of Jackson helped the Steelers take their first lead late in the third quarter. 

Jackson gritty in defeat 

After missing last week's game with a back injury, Jackson clearly wasn't himself on Sunday from a mobility standpoint. Despite that, he made several incredible plays late in the game that included his pair of touchdown passes to Flowers. 

Like two heavyweight boxers, Jackson and Rodgers traded blows throughout the fourth quarter. Following Rodgers' touchdown pass to Austin, Jackson responded with another jaw-dropping completion to Likely on fourth-down that put the Ravens in position to win the game on a last-second field goal. But it wasn't meant to be. 

Penalties haunt Ravens 

Baltimore led 10-3 at halftime and had the momentum after stuffing Gainwell a yard away from its own end zone on the final play of the first half. Six penalties, however, prevented the Ravens from enjoying a bigger halftime advantage. 

What's next for Pittsburgh 

The Steelers will host the Texans in what will be their first playoff game since losing to the Browns in the wild-card round of the 2020 playoffs. Pittsburgh is in pursuit of its first playoff win since defeating the Chiefs in the 2016 divisional round. Boswell and Cameron Heyward are the only Steelers remaining from that team. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 11:35 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Loop hooked his FG attempt, the Steelers win and will move onto the playoffs. 27-26. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 11:34 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Tyler Loop will have a chance to kick a 43-yard FG to send the Ravens to the playoffs. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 11:33 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Jackson hits Isaiah Likely for an unreal 26-yard grab over Jalen Ramsey. Ravens have a first down on the Steelers' 24 with 14 seconds left. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 11:31 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Pressure by Herbig forces Jackson to throw outside and incomplete. 

Fourth down. This is it for Baltimore. 21 seconds left. 

I would have called time on that last play. Ravens seemed rushed and flustered at the snap. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 11:29 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Illegal formation on the Ravens moves the ball five yards back. The Ravens also lose four seconds of time. 

Baltimore now facing a second-and-seven at midfield with 39 seconds left. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 11:29 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Ravens on Steelers' 45 with 43 seconds left. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 11:28 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

And all three timeouts to work with. They also get a big return by Keaton Mitchell. Ravens not far from FG range with 47 seconds left. Ravens start at their own 47. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 11:26 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Rodgers hits Calvin Austin III for a wide open touchdown with 55 seconds left, giving Pittsburgh a 26-24 lead. Austin has been overlooked all year, but he delivers here. 

Boswell missed the extra point though, so the Ravens could win with a field goal. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 11:25 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Tried to hit Thielen over the middle, but he was double covered. Third-and-10 coming up. Obviously, four-down territory for Pittsburgh. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 11:24 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Steelers have a second and 10 on the Ravens' 26 after Rodgers throws incomplete on first down with 1:03 left. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 11:22 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

The Steelers are on the Ravens' 49-yard-line at the two-minute warning, trailing 24-20. 

Remember, Steelers are out of timeouts. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 11:19 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Jackson fakes a pitch on third-and-1 and hits Flowers again for a wide open TD that gives the Ravens a 24-20 lead with 2:20 remaining. Who expected a shootout tonight?? 

Unreal. That wasn't even a good pass from Jackson. Flowers that THAT wide open. 

Rodgers will try to respond again. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 11:14 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Team MVP Gainwell scores from two yards out, giving the Steelers a 20-17 lead with 3:49 to go. 

Ravens still have all of their timeouts left. We'll see if Jackson can respond again. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 11:11 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Rodgers can't hear the plays, so he's running over to get the play from Arthur Smith. Rodgers had to call timeout again with the play clock running down. Steelers now have no more timeouts. Rodgers is extremely hot. 

Third-and-goal coming up. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 11:08 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Rodgers hits Pat Freiermuth for a 31-yard gain, giving Pittsburgh a first-and-goal with under six minutes left. Rodgers uses Pittsburgh's second timeout with 5:19 left. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 11:03 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Jaylen Warren rumbles for 15 yards as the Steelers have the ball near midfield midway through the fourth quarter. 

Nate Wiggins down on the field. Baltimore will play the rest of the game without Pro Bowl safety Kyle Hamilton. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 11:01 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Tyler Loop kicks the ball out of bounds, giving the Steelers a first down on the 40. 

Rodgers' left hand is clearly injured. Going to be interesting to see how this impacts Pittsburgh's drive. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 10:58 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Unreal TD pass by Lamar Jackson on third down. He breaks two would-be tacklers before stepping up and hitting Zay Flowers in stride for a 50-yard scoring strike. 

Ravens take 17-13 lead with 8:42 left. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 10:50 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Rookie Mike Green pulls down Rodgers to force a punt. Ravens needed to make a stand given how things have gone. The sack was also set up by Rodgers' misfiring on first down on a deep pass intended for MVS. 

Something else to monitor is Rodgers favoring his injured left wrist as he was leaving the field. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 10:47 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Rodgers hits Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 13-yard gain that moves the chains. MVS bounces back after his tough performance last week against the Browns. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 10:43 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

After three quarters, the Steelers have a three-point lead and will be on the move with the fourth starter about the start. Kyle Hamilton's injury may be the thing that turned the game on its head. 

Rodgers was 5 of 8 for 63 yards in the third quarter. Pittsburgh also ran for 35 yards on 11 carries while dominating time of possession during the quarter. Henry had just 11 yards on three carries over that span. Jackson has run just twice for seven yards. He's clearly compromised by his back. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 10:39 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Kyle Hamilton has been ruled out for the remainder of the game with a concussion. A massive blow to Baltimore's defense. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 10:38 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

After a first-down run by Henry, a penalty contributed to the Ravens being forced to punt late in the third quarter. Jackson has really struggled after his hot start. He's thrown for just 67 yards on 5 of 10 passing. 

Baltimore led in time of possession in the first half. Pittsburgh now has the edge in that department. The Steelers have taken over on the strength of Rodgers' improved play and a defense that has made Baltimore's offense one-dimensional. 

Barring a turnover, the Steelers will have the lead going into the fourth quarter. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 10:29 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Rodgers and Freiermuth unable to connect on third-and-2, so Steelers have to settle for a Boswell field goal and a 13-10 lead with 4:28 left in the third. 

Alohi Gilman was defending Freiermuth on the play. Gilman was cleared to return after being evaluated for the concussion. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 10:25 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Two strong runs by Jaylen Warren has put the Steelers inside the 10-yard-line. 

Baltimore still playing without Kyle Hamilton. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 10:23 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Jackson's third-down pass is deflected and picked off by T.J. Watt who is playing in his first game in a month. The pass was tipped by Cam Heyward and Alex Highsmith. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 10:21 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Steelers now potentially suffering a big injury as Jalen Ramsey is down on the field. Baltimore has potentially lose their Pro Bowl safety, Kyle Hamilton, for the game. 

Ramsey is walking off under his own power. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 10:17 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Connor Hayward sneaks it in from a yard out as the Steelers tie the score. 

With Hamilton out, the Ravens have lost a huge part of their defense and the Steelers took full advantage of it on that drive. Rodgers 3 of 5 for 48 yards on the drive with the 28-yard completion to Thielen. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 10:15 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Connor Heyward sneaks for the first down on fourth-and-1 inside the Ravens' 5-yard line. Steelers now a yard away from tying the score. 

Kyle Hamilton being carted into the locker room. 

[Jan 4, 2026 at 10:12 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

With Baltimore's secondary battered, Rodgers goes over the top with completions to Pat Freiermuth and Adam Thielen. Steelers back in the red zone early in the second half.