Steelers Now
Even in a year where both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have felt lethargic through stretches, this AFC North rivalry delivered an instant classic under the lights. With multiple fourth-quarter lead changes, heroic moments from each Hall of Fame quarterback, and some special teams gaffes for good measure, this game had a little bit of everything. But it was Mike Tomlin’s club who came away with a 26-24 victory in the end and, as a result, took home the division title.
The Steelers will host the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football in the Wild Card round as they look to end an eight-year winless postseason drought. Before we look ahead to another heavyweight bout, let’s talk through some winners and losers from an all-time rollercoaster of a game. Here we go.
Heyward’s list of accomplishments over the course of his illustrious 15-year career may very well be enough to land him in Canton one day. The lone missing component to his resume was that signature game in a high-stakes matchup, like so many of the Steelers greats before him. Tonight was that moment for Heyward, as he seemed determined to will Pittsburgh to the playoffs. He was an impenetrable force versus the run, leading the team with five stops, and his tipped pass turned interception helped set the offense up in scoring position. All-Pro honors are in order as he continues to somehow defy Father Time.
Baltimore only managed a 34% offensive success rate on the night but was still able to have success because there were stretches, particularly late, where they were generating explosive plays at will. Dugger was involved in the miscommunication that led to Zay Flowers running free to the end zone and lost containment on a scrape exchange earlier. Ramsey got beat in the first quarter on a deep crossing route for a touchdown and wasn’t able to break up the pass to Isaiah Likely that set up the final field goal attempt. The good news is that despite all this, the defense survived. However, Ramsey’s lack of playmaking at safety figures to be a talking point this offseason.
The wily vet got off to a slowish start in this one by missing a couple open targets down the field and relying on underneath checkdowns for modest gains. With that being said, the four-time league MVP was absolute nails in the fourth quarter, going 11 of 14 for 133 yards and the go-ahead touchdown score with under a minute to go. When things got tight, we saw glimpses of vintage Rodgers in the clutch as he continued to look at his most comfortable in those no-huddle situations. It’s not always been pretty, but this experiment has gone about as well as the organization could have possibly hoped for, all things considered. Now, we wait to see if he’s got a little more magic left in that...
