The Pittsburgh Steelers downed the Baltimore Ravens in a fantastic 26-24 victory on Sunday, earning them a division title and sending them to the playoffs.
Led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Steelers came back from being down 10-3 at the start of the third quarter. Rodgers ended with 294 yards and a touchdown throw to receiver Calvin Austin, which was the game-winning touchdown.
Steelers running backs Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell continued to shine as a duo, and the offense sort of revived in the second half.
Though the offense clicked, the defense was a different story. On just 11 completions, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had 238 yards and three touchdowns, which forced the defensive line to make up for the secondary’s mistakes.
Derrick Harmon, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig each had a sack in the game and helped the Steelers lock down the Ravens in the run game. In T.J. Watt’s return, he was able to get a big interception to help get the win.
The kickers on both sides of the ball were going to determine the winner of the game. Steelers kicker Chris Boswell has missed a few field goals this year, which is out of character for him as he has been money for years. But he is aging, and no one beats time.
Boswell missed the extra point for the Steelers after the Austin touchdown, which led to a chance for Baltimore kicker Tyler Loop to win the game for the Ravens. After Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers helped Jackson drive down the field in less than 50 seconds, Loop had his opportunity.
With the game on the line and the playoffs at stake, Loop missed the game-winning field goal, which was about a 44-yard kick.
Now that the Steelers have clinched the division and earned themselves a 10-7 record, as the fourth seed, Pittsburgh is the lowest-rated division winner.
On Monday, the Steelers will face off against the Houston Texans in the wild-card round. The Texans are the fifth seed, and they are primarily led by their defense, which will be a tough match for Pittsburgh’s offense.
The Steelers will be able to use their star receiver, D.K. Metcalf, who will be returning to the field after he was suspended for an altercation with a fan during the Detroit Lions game. Without Metcalf, Pittsburgh had little to no threat in the passing game, with their top receivers becoming Scotty Miller and Marquez Valdez-Scantling.
The Texans’ offense is led by quarterback C.J. Stroud, who has had a good season. But if the Steelers’ defense plays as well as they can, then Pittsburgh should be okay throughout the game.
The win against the Ravens gave the Steelers momentum going into the playoffs. Pittsburgh should make the game against the Texans interesting, but they will not complete the game, and it will end in disappointment for Steelers fans and Rodgers fans.
