Baltimore Beatdown
The battle for the AFC North came down to a missed field goal in the end. Massive changes have since hit the division as two head coaches were relieved of their duties following the end of the regular season.
The Steelers became AFC North champions for the first time since 2020 with a 26-24 win over the Ravens on Sunday Night Football.
A missed kick by Baltimore’s rookie kicker, Tyler Loop, saved Pittsburgh’s season after Chris Boswell had an extra point blocked on the prior drive. What started as somewhat of a slog of a game ended in fireworks in the fourth quarter as each team traded touchdowns back and forth. Aaron Rodgers was efficient through the air, completing 31 of 47 pass attempts for 294 yards, one touchdown, and zero turnovers. Rodgers finishes his first season in the black and yellow with 3,322 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Jaylen Warren finished the game with a team-high 66 rushing yards on 14 attempts, while fellow running back Kenneth Gainwell led the team in receiving yards with 64 on eight catches, with wide receiver DK Metcalf still suspended. Metcalf is set to return now in a matchup with the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
After allowing the Ravens to march down the field on the opening drive of the game, the Steelers’ defense tightened up, effectively shutting down Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry until allowing multiple big-play touchdowns through the air in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh finished with three sacks on Jackson while T.J. Watt came down with an interception on a batted pass in his first game back from a collapsed lung. With the interception, Watt became the third player with over 100 sacks and nine interceptions in NFL history, joining the Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor and Julius Peppers.
A disappointing season that began with Super Bowl aspirations for Baltimore came to an end with a missed kick in a 26-24 loss to the Steelers.
Lamar Jackson returned to action after missing the previous game with a back injury. After hitting Devontez Walker for a wide-open touchdown on the opening drive, Jackson struggled to do anything against Pittsburgh’s defense for much of the game. That was until the fourth quarter, when Jackson came to life, connecting on two deep touchdowns to Zay Flowers. Jackson finished the game with 11 completions on 18 attempts for 238 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. The two-time MVP finishes a rocky, injury-riddled season with 2,549 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions while adding a career-low 349 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Derrick Henry led the ground attack with 20 carries for 126 yards, finishing just 26 yards behind Buffalo Bills running back James Cook for the rushing title. Flowers led all receivers with 138 yards and two touchdowns on four catches.
An injury to Kyle Hamilton at the start of the second half...
