Songs may already have been written about the epic conclusion of Sunday night’s AFC North title decider between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The football world is still abuzz about Ravens kicker Tyler Loop’s unbelievable missed kick that doomed the Ravens and their hopes to go to the NFL playoffs. Moments before that, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reminded his defense not to let the game come down to Loop’s legs, as heard from a video shared on Monday by NFL Films.
“The field goal kicker is 1 for 4 from plus 50, but we still can’t be f***ing around. We’ve got to win this early,” Tomlin told T.J. Watt and company before both teams took the field for the game’s final drive.
Game 272 lived up to the hype 🍿@InsideTheNFL | @Steelers pic.twitter.com/GUEaoRzuGQ
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) January 5, 2026
The Ravens managed to thwart Pittsburgh’s defense enough to give Loop a chance to win the game on a 44-yard kick, but his attempt went wide right, giving Pittsburgh the 26-24 victory and a ticket to the postseason.
If anything, Tomlin fed his team with the right scouting report on Loop, who was indeed 1-of-4 on the season from 50-plus yards but also entered the game with a perfect 29-of-29 line from kicks taken under 50 yards.
The Steelers now prepare for an AFC Wild Card Round matchup against the Houston Texans in the same venue where they ended the Ravens’ playoff dreams.
