With a missed shot by rookie kicker Tyler Loop with the clock running out, the Pittsburgh Steelers won the final game of the 2025 regular season 26:24 against the Baltimore Ravens, winning the AFC North and securing the conference’s final playoff spot.
Ravens @ Steelers: At a glance
- Both kickers missed important kicks in the final phase of the game, but rookie Tyler Loop’s missed shot inadvertently decided the game.
- With this win, Aaron Rodgers is back in the playoffs for the first time since the 2021 season.
- In the end, the Ravens probably failed mainly due to their weak pass rush, while they themselves benefited from two serious mistakes by the Steelers defense.
Ravens @ Steelers: The Analysis
The Ravens started brightly with a 47-yard run by Derrick Henry down the right side. Things went back a bit because of a very questionable blind-side block by wide receiver Zay Flowers, but the guests kept their foot on the gas, ran through Henry and Lamar Jackson via zone reads, and ultimately Jackson found wide receiver Devontez Walker for a 38-yard touchdown pass to take the lead.
As a result, both offenses struggled. Ultimately, both punted after short drives before the Steelers were stopped at their own 45 on an unsuccessful tush push with tight end Connor Heyward under center. However, the Ravens only responded with a 40-yard field goal from Tyler Loop to make it 10-0 in the second quarter. In return, Pittsburgh reduced the score to seven points with a 57-yard field goal from Chris Boswell. And by halftime, the Steelers marched to the 1-yard line one more time. With just two seconds left to play, they went for a touchdown, but running back Kenneth Gainwell was stopped in the backfield by two opponents after a toss play. Halftime score: 10:3 Ravens.
After the break, the Steelers opened their playbook and moved away from stubborn short passes. They started running, and Aaron Rodgers even tried a few deeper passes – including the 28-yard pass to Adam Thielen to the 11-yard line. Ultimately, Connor Heyward managed a touchdown run with a tush push to equalize. The Ravens had previously lost two safeties due to a collision with each other. Alohi Gilman returned later, but Kyle Hamilton missed the second half with a concussion.
The Steelers put more and more pressure on Jackson at the line, and when Cam Heyward deflected a Jackson pass at the line, T. J. Watt was there with an interception. Even then, there was no more than a 25-yard field goal. And that would take revenge, because in the middle of the fourth quarter – after the Ravens had finally managed a 1st down again with a 15-yard pass to Flowers – Jackson wriggled out of an almost certain sack (Alex Highsmith had a clear path) and threw a buttery 50-yard touchdown pass to Flowers on 3rd down, which was covered by linebacker Patrick Queen. A big play out of nowhere and the guests take the lead again.
Dramatic final phase in Pittsburgh
The Steelers’ response: another touchdown drive, which Gainwell completed with a 2-yard run. On the way, Rodgers fired a laser over the middle to Pat Freiermuth at 3rd & Long. The run game did the rest. The problem, however, was that the Steelers wasted their last two timeouts because Rodgers appeared to have helmet communication issues. But the Steelers led 20-17 with less than four minutes to play.
Less than two minutes later, the Ravens ran essentially the same play as the first Flowers touchdown, and again Jackson, this time after a play fake, found a completely open Flowers up the middle for a 64-yard touchdown pass. 24:20 Baltimore – with 2:20 minutes to play. The Steelers shook briefly, Rodgers took over and distributed the ball at high speed. In the end, Rodgers caught a sliding cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin, who was on a go route. Then the shocker: Boswell hit the extra point to the right, leaving Pittsburgh only two points ahead with 55 seconds to play and all three timeouts.
Keaton Mitchell carried the ensuing kickoff 42 yards to the 48, and from there Jackson went to work with 47 seconds left to play. And on 4th & 7, Jackson somehow found Isaiah Likely with a 26-yard jump ball for a new 1st down at the 24-yard line. The preliminary decision? Not at all, because Loop also made the field goal attempt from 44 yards to the right. Game over!
The Steelers won the AFC North for the first time since 2020; the Ravens came away empty-handed. The Steelers will host the Houston Texans in the last game of the Wild Card Round on Tuesday night (2 a.m., live on RTL).
Baltimore Ravens (8-9) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
Result: 24:26 (7:0, 3:3, 0:10, 14:13) BOXSCORE
Ravens @ Steelers: Key stats
- With this game, Henry completed his second season with at least 1,500 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. He is the only player who ever made it at age 30 or older.
- Watt now joins Hall of Famer Julius Peppers as the only players in NFL history with at least 100 sacks and at least 9 interceptions.
- For Boswell it was the first extra point missed this season and the first in four years.
The star of the game: Aaron Rodgers (quarterback, Steelers)
It wasn’t always good, it wasn’t always solid, but when it counted, Rodgers was there and always found the open receivers. The highlight was the touchdown pass to Austin to make the preliminary decision. It remains to be seen whether he will return next season, but next Monday he will play a wild card game in front of his home crowd! His first playoff game since the 2021 season.
The flop of the game: Defensive Front (Ravens)
In the end, they managed two sacks against Rodgers, but the Ravens couldn’t do much more than that to unsettle Rodgers particularly in the second half. The lack of pass rush was a huge problem for a defense that was increasingly falling apart behind the line due to injuries.
Analysis: Ravens @ Steelers – that stood out tactically
- The Ravens started promisingly and attacked the Steelers on the ground and also mixed in zone reads. But all of this only worked in the first drive. Then they repeatedly ran into the Steelers’ massive front, in which the interior linemen accepted two-gap assignments and played in a very disciplined manner.
- The Steelers started offensively as usual: with a lot of short passes that often didn’t even reach the line of scrimmage. The goal was clear: to collect yards after the catch. At first the guests covered it well on the flats, but later they let more slip through. The Steelers, on the other hand, really neglected the run game before the break.
- After the break, however, they became more courageous and Rodgers also tried deeper passes, and there was also more space for the run game.
- What was remarkable was that both of them barely flashed, which meant that the Ravens had a hard time generating any pressure at all, as Rodgers continued to get rid of the ball quickly.
- The Ravens’ home run play with Flowers was based on a bunch formation, with Walker taking the cornerback out of the game on a go route while Flowers ran a deep crosser. While Queen was forced to call the first time but had no chance, the second time there was simply no one in the middle.