An exciting NFL regular season came to an end Sunday night with a win-and-in playoff game between divisional rivals Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Lamar Jackson was back after an injury-riddled season, and Derrick Henry was coming off his best game in a Ravens uniform. The Steelers, meanwhile, were fresh off of a loss to the Browns that could have clinched the playoffs for them. All the momentum coming into the game seemed to tip the scales towards Baltimore.
At the end of the first half, trailing 10-3 with 2 seconds left, Mike Tomlin opted to go for it from the 1 yard line. A pitch play to Kenneth Gainwell lost yardage, and they went in the half trailing, once again feeding energy to the Ravens. The rest of the second half was quiet until the last few minutes, where multiple drives of back and forth quick touchdowns had the Steelers leading by two with under a minute left. A well led drive headlined by an excellent Isaiah Likely catch had the Ravens in field goal position with two seconds remaining, but rookie kicker Tyler Loop's kick veered right, giving Mike Tomlin another playoff birth, and keeping Aaron Rodgers alive in what may be his final season.
As for the Ravens, the future is hazy. An awry start to the season had Head Coach John Harabaugh's job in question, something that would be a foreign thought just a year ago. The core is solid, but I don't see this current team as a championship contender. It's not far off, but changes need to be made in Baltimore.
The Steelers will play at home against the Houston Texans next Monday at 8:00 p.m.
Eli Knight
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