Behind the Steel Curtain
The Steelers closed out the regular season in nail-biting fashion with a two-point victory over their division rival Ravens on Sunday night. As always, there are plenty of takeaways to be had.
It wasn’t a perfect game by any means from the Steelers, or even Aaron Rodgers. The veteran quarterback missed a wide-open Jonnu Smith early in the game. He was brutally immobile in the pocket at times. For reasons both in and out of his control, he called all three of the team’s second-half timeouts before the crucial final minutes.
Needless to say, that wasn’t a performance, by Rodgers or anyone else on the Steelers, that was especially encouraging.
But in wins like these, only the moment matters. Who cares about next year’s roster or coaching staff, or even the upcoming Texans matchup, yet? That was a win for the history books, with sky-high stakes, in primetime, and between two of the fiercest rivals in the NFL.
And with the defense collapsing late, it was Rodgers who led his team to victory, with two fourth-quarter touchdown drives — each following a Ravens score that had flipped the momentum in Baltimore’s favor. And he did it without his top receiver, as well.
Calm, cool, and collected is the cliche. Rodgers might be a little too animated in between plays for that to apply. But his experience playing in games exactly like the one Sunday night certainly showed as he captained a ragtag offense to victory in a sudden late-game shootout.
The Steelers and Rodgers were a pairing this season for precisely those moments. Rodgers wanted to be playing meaningful football late in the season for the first time since Green Bay. Mike Tomlin and the Steelers wanted a quarterback who could once again elevate the team in weighty, late-season moments.
And even though it took an improbable missed kick — and maybe some holy water — Rodgers and the Steelers were able to get enough done to advance Pittsburgh to its first home playoff game since 2020 — and the first one with fans in the stands since 2017.
Again, I’m miles away from blind optimism territory with this team. But I won’t let that get in the way of enjoying an instant classic edition of Sunday Night Football that added to the already incredible legacy of the Steelers-Ravens rivalry.
The Aaron Rodgers signing helped the Steelers exorcise the problems with Baltimore that ended their season last year. Now, the playoffs lie ahead — and of course, Pittsburgh didn’t sign Rodgers just to get there.
We’ll find out what happens next on Monday.
I went back and forth regarding what to write about this defense. It felt like a net positive performance, but it’s hard to overlook the handful of near-backbreaking plays that were allowed. Derrick Henry had three double-digit-yardage runs. Lamar Jackson had touchdown passes of 38, 50, and 64 yards —...
