I don’t know if you could have scripted a better ending to the NFL regular season than this game.
Last season, Pittsburgh’s season ended in Baltimore as the Ravens thrashed the Steelers in the wild card round. This year, Pittsburgh got their revenge, denying the Ravens a playoff bid and winning the AFC North.
In a game that saw the Steelers and Ravens clash for the division and the last remaining playoff spot in the AFC, it’s the Steelers who come out on top, 26-24 to head to the postseason.
It instantly becomes one of the best games in the illustrious rivalry that is Steelers vs Ravens, and that fourth quarter shootout between these two teams will be talked about for years.
Mike Tomlin will have his chance to break this wretched playoff win drought, dating all the way back to 2016. The Steelers will host the five-seed Houston Texans on Monday night in the wild card round.
There’s a lot to talk about as the Steelers gear up for a playoff game. But, while I try to take a breath, here’s my thoughts on this win.
1: The Legend Of Aaron Rodgers
Of all the games this season where you could say “this is why they brought in Aaron Rodgers,” absolutely none of them compared to this. This was the game the Steelers brought in the four-time MVP for.
Rodgers, at age 42 and with all the experience you could possibly ask for ahead of this game, 31-of-47 for 294 yards and a touchdown. His offense was sluggish in the first half, and Rodgers himself looked pretty off early on. He overthrew a wide open Jonnu Smith and bailed early on a hurry, instead taking an awkward tackle into the sidelines.
But in a rare case of halftime adjustments for Tomlin’s team, they came out in the second half and looked superb. All but three of their points came in the second half.
They saved their best moment for when it mattered most. Calvin Austin, moonlighting as the top wide receiver for the Steelers in this game, was able to take advantage of Chidobe Awuzie tripping while trying to cover Austin’s route. Austin ran wide open towards the endzone, where Rodgers caught him in stride.
We still don’t know if this is the last year for Rodgers in the NFL. He’s been asked about it plenty of times and has danced around the question. Maybe he himself doesn’t know yet.
But we do know that he did everything the Steelers needed him to do to get them into the postseason, and that there is at least one more game for him to play.
2: Front Line Workers
Pittsburgh’s front deserves so, so much credit for their role in this win.
Cam Heyward, TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig all played like men possessed in this one.
The standout was the defensive captain Heyward. He was everywhere, stuffing the run and applying a ton of pressure on the line for the Ravens. He even took the space of Darnell Washington on Pittsburgh’s fourth-and-short plays, making it a true brotherly shove play while assisting his brother Connor.
But it was all of those guys who made big-time plays.
Watt was in the right place at the right time and intercepted a tipped Jackson pass. Highsmith had a sack and a pass defended. Herbig had a huge sack. The Steelers needed splash plays from so many guys on their defense, and they got them.
Getting Watt back was a huge momentum boost for this team as well. Even if he hasn’t had quite the year that we usually expect from the former Defensive Player of the Year, he still is a huge chunk of the heart and soul of that defense.
3: The Power Of Two
Arguably the biggest reasons for the success of this offense was the duo of running backs, Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. They combined for an extremely effective attack on offense, each playing to their skill set on this team.
On the ground, Jaylen Warren provided the Steelers with some strong runs, carrying the ball 14 times for 66 yards. When the team needed a spark in their running game, more often than not Warren was able to provide it.
Meanwhile, team MVP Kenneth Gainwell led the way in the passing game. The running back, who will finish the regular season as the team-leader in receptions, had eight catches for 64 yards. While the Steelers operated with a passing game by committee approach (six guys had at least three catches), Gainwell provided a safety valve for Rodgers anytime the Steelers wanted to get a positive play and didn’t have anything going downfield.
It was a great game played by both of those guys. The best version of their offense runs through those two.
4: Chris Boswell
All of Acrisure Stadium was on their feet and screaming their hearts out as Boswell took the field for the extra point. The reliable kicker was about to make it a three-point game, forcing Baltimore to score a touchdown if they wanted to end this game in regulation.
But a nightmare scenario ensued as Boswell swept his leg. The kick went wide right, missing the upright and leaving the score at 26-24. All the Ravens had to do was kick a field goal, and the North was theirs.
It was Boswell’s just second missed extra point in the last four years. He never puts the Steelers in jeopardy like that. But you could see the anguish in his face as he paced the sidelines from that point until the game’s end.
Immediately after, Keaton Mitchell ran the kickoff 41 yards out to the 47-yard line. The Ravens needed just one first down to realistically be in field goal range. And then, when Jackson hit Isaiah Likely on that 26-yard pass play, it was surely over.
They were in range for Tyler Loop with room to spare. The kick to decide to North was wide right.
For all the cheering, excitement, and exhale let out in Pittsburgh, no one, and I mean no one, let out a bigger sigh of relief than Chris Boswell.
Fair or not, that missed extra point would be all that was remembered of his season if Loop drills that game-winning field goal. I can’t imagine how sick Loop must feel right now.
5: King Henry, Overthrown
Derrick Henry is the biggest game-wrecker the Ravens had, and in the first half, he had a major impact.
On the first play of the game, Henry ran for 47 yards down the sideline before he was finally pushed out of bounds. Even though that run was cut 15 yards short by a penalty, it set the tone for Henry’s production in the rest of the first half. With 15 first-half carries, Henry had 112 yards and averaged 7.5 yards a carry.
But in the second half, he had just 12 yards on five carries. The Steelers did a great job of limiting Henry in the second half, and with Pittsburgh tying the game early in the second half and taking the lead several times, the Ravens had to lean more and more on Jackson and the passing game.
Henry only having 20 carries was a win for the Steelers, and when the game got more and more tense, Henry didn’t break the game. That turned the tide for the Steelers.
Fifth Avenue Sports 
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