The Pittsburgh Steelers have done it. They have won the AFC North for the first time since 2020 thanks to an improbable win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18. It came down to the final play, and the NFL wouldn’t have had it any other way. The scriptwriters were cooking on this one. Add another instant classic to the rivalry. This one goes to Mike Tomlin and the Steelers.
The Ravens’ superstar running back, Derrick Henry, ran the ball 20 times for 126 yards on Sunday night. It sounds crazy, but Pittsburgh did a great job of keeping him in check outside of a few long runs in the first half. In the second half, they took him down. The Steelers’ defense was getting shredded by Lamar Jackson’s arm, but they were not going to allow a repeat of last season. Henry wasn’t ending their season again this year.
It is impossible to say enough about the duo of Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. Once again, they showed up and handled business to propel Pittsburgh to a win. Despite a lack of weapons, the duo, newly named Pain and Gain, took it upon themselves on Sunday night. Warren had 19 touches for 99 total yards, and Gainwell had the most receiving yards on the team with 64, then added 10 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Aaron Freaking Rodgers. After a shaky first half, he led the Steelers to victory down the stretch. He finished the game 31 for 47 with 294 passing yards and a touchdown, but he channeled Vintage Rodgers in the fourth quarter. In the final frame, he completed 11 of 14 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown to Calvin Austin. At the end of the game, it appeared that his kicker and defense were going to let him down, something he is familiar with, but the wind had other plans.
Cam Heyward looked like a man on a mission Sunday night. The 36-year-old looked like he was 26. He was everywhere. Heyward led the Steelers with seven total tackles and five solo tackles. His batted pass created T.J. Watt’s interception that got the Steelers going. He even played offense, shoving his brother Connor Heyward into the end zone on the Pittsburgh Plunge. Heyward can smell those playoff bonuses, and he deserves them after Week 18.
The Steelers’ Week 18 win had some type of divine intervention involved. Mix that with Mike Tomlin’s voodoo, and Pittsburgh was never going to lose that game. Before the contest, a priest was dousing the Acrisure Stadium endzone with holy water. It happened to be the same endzone that Tyler Loop missed the game-winning kick on. There is no way to put it into words, but there was a higher power in the building on Sunday night.
The Steelers’ win in Week 18 was a great example of why sports are great. In three hours, the people of Pittsburgh got to experience all of the emotions. It looked like the season was in the can when Loop lined up for that kick, but it turned into the type of joy that paralyzes. Now, Tomlin and his team must turn their focus to ending the playoff drought. The Houston Texans come to town on Monday night next week, and the Steelers better be ready for a brawl.
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