Ravens booted out of playoff field by Steelers
- - Ravens booted out of playoff field by Steelers
Field Level MediaJanuary 4, 2026 at 10:21 PM
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Jan 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell (14) rushes the ball against Baltimore Ravens safety Alohi Gilman (12) during the first half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images (Barry Reeger-Imagn Images)
Aaron Rodgers connected with Calvin Austin III for a go-ahead 26-yard touchdown with 55 seconds remaining as the host Pittsburgh Steelers edged the Baltimore Ravens 26-24 on Sunday night to clinch the AFC North title and No. 4 seed in the conference playoffs.
Pittsburgh (10-7) will host the fifth-seeded Houston Texans in the wild-card round at 8 p.m. ET on Jan. 12.
"With these fans and this organization and (coach Mike Tomlin) and the leadership that we've got with these guys," Rodgers said, "we found that little bit of something special -- which is belief -- tonight on the offensive side.
"I'm proud of our guys and the way we responded in the fourth quarter."
Baltimore (8-9) fell short in the winner-take-all game, which featured five lead changes, including four in the fourth quarter. The Ravens will miss the postseason for the first time since 2021.
Baltimore kicker Tyler Loop missed a potential game-winning 44-yard field goal to the right as time expired.
Moments earlier, Steelers counterpart Chris Boswell missed his first extra point of the season in 43 attempts following the Austin touchdown. Baltimore returned the ensuing kickoff to its 47-yard line and kept its season alive with a 26-yard pass from Lamar Jackson to Isaiah Likely on a fourth-and-7 from midfield.
"We just didn't play well enough to close it out," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said.
Jackson, who missed a Week 17 victory in Green Bay with a back contusion, was 11-for-18 passing for 238 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He found Zay Flowers for scoring passes of 50 and 64 yards in the final 8:42.
The latter connection followed a 2-yard touchdown run from Pittsburgh's Kenneth Gainwell that gave the Steelers a 20-17 lead with 3:49 left.
Rodgers was 31-for-47 passing for 294 yards and a touchdown. Jaylen Warren rushed for 66 yards on 14 carries and Connor Heyward had a 1-yard touchdown run. Gainwell also was Pittsburgh's top receiver with eight catches for 64 yards.
Derrick Henry had 20 carries for 126 yards for the Ravens while Flowers finished with four catches for 138 yards.
Pittsburgh took a 13-10 lead into the fourth quarter after outscoring Baltimore 10-0 in the third while limiting the Ravens to 18 total yards.
Boswell kicked a go-ahead 25-yard field goal with 4:28 left in the third. The Steelers capitalized on an interception by linebacker T.J. Watt off a deflection. Watt returned to the lineup after undergoing surgery last month on his partially collapsed lung.
Baltimore regained the lead at 17-13 on a 50-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Flowers with 8:42 left.
Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton left the game in the third quarter with a concussion.
Baltimore led Pittsburgh 10-3 at halftime after outgaining the Steelers 165-138.
The Ravens visited the end zone on the opening possession, driving 85 yards in eight plays and 4:06, capping the drive with a 38-yard scoring pass from Jackson to Devontez Walker.
Loop kicked a 40-yard field goal with 13:33 remaining in the second quarter to extend the Ravens' advantage to 10-0.
Pittsburgh responded with a 57-yard Boswell field goal on the ensuing possession.
The Steelers defense steadied, as well, forcing consecutive Ravens punts to get the ball back at their own 9-yard line with 3:09 to go in the second quarter. Sparked by a pair of third-down conversions, including one on a 20-yard Rodgers run, Pittsburgh advanced to the Baltimore 1 with 2 seconds left before halftime.
The Steelers bypassed a short field-goal attempt in favor of going for a touchdown, but the Ravens stopped Gainwell on an outside pitch for a one-yard loss.
--Field Level Media
Source: “AOL Sports”
