Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin aren’t done in Pittsburgh just yet.
In one of the most dramatic ends to an NFL regular season you will ever see, Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers hung on for a 26-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens to secure the AFC North title and the league’s final playoff spot.
It wasn’t easy, as Pittsburgh needed a missed 44-yard field goal from Ravens kicker Tyler Loop on the final play of regulation to secure the victory.
But then again, what about this Steelers season has been easy?
In a Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Steelers were booed off their home field, and their head coach was serenaded with “fire Tomlin” chants.
In Week 17, all the Steelers needed to do was beat the 3-12 Cleveland Browns to clinch the AFC North, but they couldn’t get the job done.
On Sunday, they had to once again play without DK Metcalf, as their top wide receiver was suspended two games for an altercation with a fan in Week 16.
All signs pointed to an off-season of change in the Steel City, but at least for one week, those plans have been postponed.
Down four with under two minutes remaining, as he’s done so many times in his career, Rodgers orchestrated a game-winning drive and found Calvin Austin for a 26-yard touchdown to take the lead back.
With a post-season appearance now secured, Rodgers will tie Ben Roethlisberger and Joe Montana for the fourth-most playoff games in NFL history when he steps on the field on wild-card weekend.
“The belief level in the locker room after a win like this is exponentially greater,” Rodgers said after the game about his team moving forward.
It remains to be seen whether the 42-year-old Rodgers will be back for another season after this one, and the same goes for Tomlin, who is in his 19th season as the Steelers’ head coach.
But none of that matters right now.
All the Steelers have to focus on this week is a wild-card matchup with the Houston Texans.
And for how up-and-down their season has been, that has to feel pretty sweet.
What’s next for Ravens?
While it’s going to be a feel-good week in Pittsburgh, the opposite can be said for Baltimore.
It was a regular-season finale that would almost surely cause major ripple effects for the losing side, and now the Ravens have to face the noise.
For a team that was a Super Bowl favourite to open the season, missing the playoffs should be seen as nothing other than a major disappointment.
Yes, Lamar Jackson’s injury-plagued season definitely played a part. But as they’ve done so many times over the past few years, with Jackson on the field, they still couldn’t come through when it mattered most.
With the local media already speculating about the relationship between head coach John Harbaugh and Jackson, where do the Ravens go from here?
Cut ties with Harbaugh after 18 seasons? Move on from the two-time MVP Jackson? Both?
Whatever happens, it should be a fascinating off-season to watch in Baltimore for all the wrong reasons.
Falcons bail out Panthers
The Atlanta Falcons gained a lot of new fans on Sunday.
After the Carolina Panthers blew their shot at clinching the NFC South on Saturday with a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, their playoff fate was no longer in their own hands.
In fitting NFC South fashion, the division title would come down to the result of the game between the two teams already eliminated from the playoffs.
Thankfully for the Panthers, the Falcons came through with a 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints, gifting Carolina its first NFC South title since 2015.
It wasn’t particularly pretty, but Kirk Cousins and the Falcons did just enough to beat Saints rookie QB Tyler Shough and his rag-tag group of offensive weapons on Sunday.
Despite a losing record, the 8-9 Panthers are now headed to the post-season and will host the Los Angeles Rams next weekend.
They will be heavy underdogs even at home, but they did beat the Rams earlier this season in the same stadium.
And wouldn’t it just be so NFC South for the Panthers to shock the world and upset the high-flying Rams? We’ll have to wait until next weekend to find out.
Myles Garrett makes history in style
For a game that meant nothing in the standings, Sunday’s AFC North clash between the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals sure had a lot of eyes on it.
That, of course, was because Browns defensive star Myles Garrett needed to bring down Joe Burrow just once to set the NFL’s single-season sack record.
He cut it close, but with 4:09 left remaining in the final quarter, Garrett got the job done.
“Despair. I was scared as hell,” Garrett said of not getting the sack until late in the game. “We got to deny fate, whatever it is, we got to make it happen. And I just went into it and still had the utmost confidence in myself and my preparation and in my guys.”
Garret’s sack brought his total to 23 on the season, surpassing the shared record of 22.5 by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt.
But it was the way he did it that perfectly encapsulated his historic season.
Garrett crossed the line of scrimmage in just 0.23 seconds after the snap, per Next Gen Stats.
That’s the fastest get-off time on any sack this season. To put that in context, Garrett came into the league with a league-leading average get-off time of 0.70 seconds.
Not a bad way to etch your name into the history books.
Rest vs. seeding debate takes centre stage
As is always the case in the final week of the NFL regular season, a few playoff-bound teams decided to rest some key stars and let the chips fall where they may.
But at what cost?
The Philadelphia Eagles lost a shot at the No. 2 seed in the NFC by resting several key starters, including QB Jalen Hurts, in a 24-17 loss to the Washington Commanders.
Because the Chicago Bears lost to the Detroit Lions, if the Eagles won on Sunday, they would’ve jumped the Bears for the No. 2 spot.
Instead, the Eagles are the No. 3 seed and will host the 49ers on wild-card weekend. Sunday’s loss could also cost the Eagles a home playoff game in the divisional round if the higher seeds all win next weekend.
Health is the most important thing in the playoffs, no doubt. But if the defending champs do end up making an early exit, their Week 18 decision will make a lot of headlines.
Playoff picture set
It’s never too early to take an early look at wild-card weekend.
Here’s a look at the matchups as well as our favourite game from each conference:
AFC
No. 1 Broncos (BYE)
No. 7 Chargers @ No. 2 Patriots
No. 6 Bills @ No. 3 Jaguars
No. 5 Texans @ No. 4 Steelers
NFC
No. 1 Seahawks (BYE)
No. 7 Packers @ No. 2 Bears
No. 6 49ers @ No. 3 Eagles
No. 5 Rams @ No. 4 Panthers
Favourite AFC game: Bills vs. Jaguars
The Jaguars’ offence has been on an absolute tear of late, and they enter the post-season playing their best football of the season. But the Bills have Josh Allen, and that’s often enough.
Odds are this one could be a shootout, and no one will complain about that.
Favourite NFC game: 49ers vs. Eagles
The defending champs hosting Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers in the first round? What more could you ask for?
Both teams are dealing with some key injuries, so those will be worth watching in the lead-up to the game.
