The Pittsburgh Steelers punched their ticket to the playoffs once again. They also won the AFC North for the first time since the 2020 season on Sunday night by defeating the Baltimore Ravens 26-24, largely thanks to a missed 44-yard field goal by Ravens kicker Tyler Bass. The win secured the division and confirmed the Steelers as a serious contender heading into the postseason.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Baltimore Ravens kicker, Tyler Loop, misses the a game-winning field goal wide right in Week 18 of the 2025 NFL regular season.
Lamar Jackson got going in the second half and made a number of big plays, trying to pull Baltimore back into the game. The Steelers, however, started to contain Derrick Henry more effectively. Henry opened the game with a massive run and racked up 112 yards on 15 carries in the first half. By the end of the game, he finished with 20 carries for 126 yards, showing that he only got five carries in the second half.
Halftime stats for Derrick Henry:
— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) January 5, 2026
112 rushing yards on 15c.
Score: Ravens 10, Steelers 3 https://t.co/If4CbQYnJu
Steelers former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, speaking on his podcast Footbahlin, expressed disbelief at how the Ravens continued to go away from Henry in the second half. The Steelers’ ability to adjust and limit the impact of one of the NFL’s most dominant runners in the second half was a key factor in securing the win. Their performance Sunday night highlighted their resilience and set them up for a deep playoff run after capturing the AFC North for the first time in several seasons.
"I don’t know," Roethlisberger said. "I feel like their offensive coordinator/play-caller is like our best coach. It baffles me, too. I look at the tale of two halves with the Steelers and Baltimore in the sense that early on, Pittsburgh was going three-and-out. Which meant that Baltimore was able to possess the ball… in the second half, it felt like the Steelers were sustaining drives and Baltimore wasn’t. So then it is harder to use Derrick [Henry] when you are only getting three plays."
Roethlisberger was confused as to why Ravens Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken went away from their star running back in the second half after such a dominant first half.
Ravens.com
Ravens' Derrick Henry.
He couldn’t make sense of how the Ravens used Henry in the second half, but he was thankful that they did.
"That being said, where it blows my mind, on first down, when you hand the ball to Derrick Henry, and he gets one or two yards," Roethlisberger continued. "Now you are in second and eight or nine. They just automatically are like, ok we need to throw the ball, or we need to do something else. I would argue, like, no, give it to him again. If he only gets one or two, then you are in third and six anyway. I feel like he has a better chance of getting you three to four yards every run. With the ability and opportunity to break that long one as we saw early in the game."
Steelers Got Ravens Head Coach Fired
The Ravens’ long-time Head Coach John Harbaugh was fired on Tuesday afternoon. This move comes after the team’s loss to the Steelers and finishing second in the AFC North.
Don Wright / ap photo
Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh (left) and Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin talk on the field prior to a competitive matchup in Pittsburgh, PA.
Rumors have surfaced claiming that the Ravens parted ways with Harbaugh after he refused to entertain any conversations about firing Monken. Whether that is true or not remains to be seen, but one thing is clear. The winningest coach in Ravens history and a Super Bowl champion is no longer with the team. The AFC North in the 2026 season is going to look much different.
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