In a win-or-go-home-for-the-winter Sunday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to the playoffs and the Baltimore Ravens' season has ended in Week 18, far short of their high preseason expectations.
Pittsburgh defeated Baltimore, 26-24, following a missed field goal at the buzzer by rookie Tyler Loop to clinch the AFC North title, its first since 2020. The fourth-seeded Steelers will host the No. 5 Houston Texans on Monday night to wrap up Wild Card Weekend.
Head coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers (10-7) are now bound for their third straight postseason after a topsy-turvy 2025 regular season in which they began the year at 4-1 before sputtering to .500 at 6-6. Thereafter, Aaron Rodgersand Co. rallied off three straight wins before they were upset in Week 17 by the Cleveland Browns to set up the dramatic Week 18 finale.
Subsequently, John Harbaugh's Ravens (8-9) saw their string of two straight division titles snapped, right along with a three-season run of playoff berths. It's a massive fall from grace for a Baltimore squad that began the 2025 campaign as a Super Bowl favorite.
Instead, superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens will join Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs and Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals at home for the postseason in a stunning shift.
Consequently, Rodgers is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2021 with the Green Bay Packers.
Tomlin, meanwhile, has earned his eighth AFC North title since becoming the Steelers' head coach in 2007, a tenure that now includes 13 playoff stops.
There are loftier goals ahead for Tomlin and the Steelers, though, as they have lost their last six playoff games, a streak that extends back to the 2016 season, when Pittsburgh last claimed a postseason win en route to an appearance in the AFC Championship Game.
The playoffs are almost here and you won't want to miss a moment. Now you don't have to! With NFL+ Premium, watch every playoff game live on mobile, get NFL RedZone during the regular season, stream game replays, and more! And for a limited time, get 40% off an NFL+ annual plan. Offer ends 2/16/26. Sign up today!
