In what was one of the most chaotic endings to a game we have seen in quite some time, the Pittsburgh Steelers held on to a 26-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens to clinch the AFC North for the first time in five
years. Let’s dive into the best and worst performances of the night.
Varsity
QB Aaron Rodgers
That was as vintage a performance from Aaron Rodgers as you could ask for. With arguably the worst collection of weapons in the NFL without DK Metcalf, Rodgers went 31-of-47 for 294 yards and a touchdown pass, helping the Steelers score two touchdowns in the final four minutes of the game – his touchdown to Calvin Austin proving to be the game-winner. With their backs against the wall, Rodgers had a few bullets left in the chamber and helped the Steelers escape in a shootout.
DT Cam Heyward
Heyward had one of the best games of his career on Sunday night. Per Next Gen Stats, he had seven tackles, six of which were stops, which is a play that is categorized as a successful play for the defense. He was constantly a thorn in the side of the Ravens’ offense, and the Steelers may not win if not for his high level of play.
DT Keeanu Benton
In the same light, Benton had arguably the best game of his career. He had seven tackles, five of which were stops, and he added two pressures on Lamar Jackson
EDGE Alex Highsmith
Highsmith was terrific. He had a sack, two tackles for loss, and tipped a Lamar Jackson pass that was picked off by T.J. Watt.
EDGE T.J. Watt
Welcome back to the lineup, Trent Jordan Watt. The former Defensive Player of the Year picked off a Lamar Jackson pass that led to a field goal for the Steelers. He also had a pressure percentage of 18.8 percent, per Next Gen Stats.
Offensive line
We’ve come a long way from watching Mason Cole and Trai Turner. It’s nice knowing the offensive line is a strength of the Steelers, and it certainly was last night. The Steelers ran for 100 yards and gave Rodgers the time he needed to make plays in big moments. Mason McCormick deserves a special shoutout for his block on the goal line to create a lane for Kenneth Gainwell to score.
RB Kenneth Gainwell
The Steelers’ 2025 MVP had another top performance in Week 18. He caught eight passes, several of which moved the chains, and scored a late touchdown to put the Steelers in front of Baltimore.
RB Jaylen Warren
Jaylen Warren was very good in his own right. He tallied 99 yards from scrimmage on 19 touches, and he and Gainwell ended the season as the only running back tandem in the NFL to have 1,000 yards from scrimmage each.
TE Pat Freiermuth
Freiermuth had three catches, but his biggest was a 31-yard reception late in the fourth quarter to put the Steelers inside the red zone. Kenneth Gainwell scored to cap off the drive.
WR Calvin Austin
With under a minute to play, Austin hit Chidobe Awuzie with a double move, which caused the Ravens’ corner to slip and left the Steelers’ wide receiver wide open for the game-winning touchdown. He finished the game with three catches for 55 yards.
Junior-Varsity
Secondary
Lamar Jackson completed 11 passes on Sunday night – three of them were for long touchdowns of 38+ yards, two of which came in the fourth quarter. Multiple miscommunications led to some of the most wide-open fields you’ve ever seen in an NFL game, both of which sprung the best receiver on the Ravens’ roster to have no one within a 15-yard radius of him. Those things can’t happen, especially not during a game of that magnitude.
Fourth-Down Play Call
The Steelers decided to go for a touchdown on the final play of the first half rather than kick a field goal from the one-yard line. It was absolutely the right decision, but the play-call was terrible. They ran a toss to Kenneth Gainwell to the weak side where his only blocker was Pat Freiermuth. The Ravens sniffed it out, and the Steelers went into the half with just three points.
K Chris Boswell
Boswell is rarely put on this list, but his missed PAT nearly cost the Steelers the win.
The Steelers will now get set for a Monday night playoff game against the Houston Texans – keep in mind that the Steelers have won 23 straight home Monday night games. If that streak continues, they’ll snap their eight-year playoff winless streak.
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