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.
1. When it mattered the most, Aaron Rodgers delivered
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.
2. Cam Heyward elevated the defense
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 — with the last two coming in the fourth quarter. If not for Tyler Loop’s missed kick, Pittsburgh would’ve given up a third go-ahead score in the final minutes.
But the one clear positive on defense was the seemingly ageless Cam Heyward, who, at age 36 and facing an elite rushing defense, turned in one of the best games of his career. As a defensive tackle, Heyward tied for the team lead in total tackles with seven, adding a quarterback hit and helping deflect the football that became T.J. Watt’s interception.
It might not be obvious from the box score, but Heyward was dominant against the run all night, playing a key role in keeping 13 of Derrick Henry’s 20 rushes at three yards or less.
Heyward was simply all over the place Sunday night.
For a second straight season, there was some fan frustration with the seven-time Pro Bowler over the summer, and at times this season, Heyward has shown signs of age. But like Rodgers, he was at his best in the moments that counted on Sunday night.
3. Odds and ends
- The Steelers defense had some criticism-worthy moments against the Ravens but I don’t see any problem with the play call that left Patrick Queen on Zay Flowers for the first fourth-quarter touchdown. It was a standard Tampa 2 call that just fell apart after Lamar Jackson started freelancing after what should’ve been a sack. Sometimes elite players make elite plays and you can’t really blame the defense.
- Sunday night marked Jalen Ramsey’s worst game as a Steeler. Although it was a tough play, he reacted too slowly on Baltimore’s first touchdown of the night, and then mistimed his jump on the Isaiah Likely catch that set up the almost-game-winning field goal. It’s been a good year overall for the blockbuster trade addition, but the Steelers will need more from him next week.
- Is it time to be slightly worried about Chris Boswell? He’s now missed in close games for three straight weeks. Conditions are rough this time of year, but it’s below the lofty standard he’s set in past seasons.
- Arthur Smith had two very questionable play calls against the Ravens. The fourth-and-goal toss to Kenneth Gainwell wasn’t quite as horrible as everyone made it seem, but asking a non-blocking tight end to make a key block and Gainwell to beat a safety to the outside didn’t seem like the best possible call in that scenario. More frustrating was a fourth-and-one tush push where the remaining yard was clearly longer than most quarterback/tight end sneaks can gain. It was just two plays, but the down and context made them two of the more pivotal missed opportunities for the team.
- That said, the Heyward brothers’ tush push package looks like a keeper moving forward. It needs a nickname — the floor is yours (“Brotherly Shove” would be better if it wasn’t already connected to the Eagles).
- It was good to have T.J. Watt back, wasn’t it? To my eyes, he didn’t look 100% athletically, but his interception was one of the game’s key plays. The ball found him, but there’s a reason why most pass rushers don’t have eight career interceptions. Most don’t have the hands or the reaction time.
- Given the state of the Steelers’ team this year, I didn’t mind the Kenneth Gainwell MVP choice much. He deserved it with the plays he’s made over the season. That said, I still think Jaylen Warren is the better pure running back, and Pittsburgh needs to be putting the ball in his hands a bit more going forward.
- More of an observation than any sort of talking point: James Pierre got the start over Asante Samuel Jr. after returning from injury.
- Logan Lee — a player I’m sure many forgot is still on the roster — deflected a pass to force a big third down in the third quarter. It’s great to see depth players step up like that.
- Another underrated play: Derrick Harmon corralling Lamar Jackson for no gain on third down in the second quarter. Not many defensive tackles can do that to Jackson.
- It will be massive for the Steelers to get D.K. Metcalf back next week. Aaron Rodgers and his pass catchers were able to get just enough done against a banged up Ravens defense, but the lack of separation for much of the game was a real problem. And Houston will be a much tougher test.
- Pat Freiermuth just keeps making big plays late in games. It’s a tired talking point, but he needs to be getting more targets. But credit where it’s due: While Adam Thielen, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Calvin Austin III may be a suboptimal receiver room, they made some massive catches in the clutch against Baltimore.
- This Steelers team has been unpredictable to the point where my preseason predictions have been both right and wrong multiple times this season. One that I 100% hit though is that this team would be more entertaining than last season’s. I don’t think there should be even a question there.
- Aaron Rodgers wanting “his guys” at wide receiver is a meme at this point, but it’s definitely increased his confidence in using the entire field as a passer.
- You could copy-paste this for the last few Steelers’ playoff appearances: While a Wild Card win certainly wouldn’t absolve all the team’s issues over the last few seasons, Pittsburgh is just one better-than-expected game away from flipping a lot of narratives about the team. Am I saying they win in a week? Not at all. But if you’re a fan, it’s OK to have some hope — and some fun. The NFL Playoffs are a magical time.
In a way, the Steelers’ win Sunday night was already a playoff game. Pittsburgh will advance to the next round Jan. 12 at home on Monday Night Football against the Houston Texans.
What are your takeaways from Steelers vs. Ravens? Agree/disagree with the ones above? Join the Behind the Steel Curtain community and let us know in the comments!
