(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Tomlin isn’t into “what-ifs?” There’s really no point.

Sure, the Pittsburgh Steelers coach could wring his hands over the impossibly thin line between victory and defeat, one his team received an up-close look at yet again in a riveting 26-24 win over Baltimore on Sunday night that clinched Pittsburgh’s first AFC North title in five years.

Tomlin could ponder an alternate reality where Baltimore rookie kicker Tyler Loop drills the 44-yard game-winning field goal instead of having it drift right, a result that would have led to some serious soul-searching in Pittsburgh on Monday rather than the giddy anxiety associated with preparing for the playoffs.

Only he won’t. Doing so would merely be a waste of energy and time, something the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach learned to avoid long ago.

And if Loop’s kick splits the uprights, the Ravens would be facing fifth-seeded Houston next Monday.

Only it didn’t.

So it’s Baltimore — and not Pittsburgh — that got an early start on what could be an eventful offseason. And it’s Pittsburgh — and not Baltimore — that enters the 14-team tournament with optimism that feels earned after surviving a chaotic fourth quarter that featured four lead changes, a sprinkling of vintage Aaron Rodgers and a dash of hope that its long postseason playoff victory drought may finally end.

“It’s going to give us some belief,” Rodgers said.

And the Steelers think a little belief — along with the return of suspended wide receiver DK Metcalf — could go a long way to ending a six-game playoff skid that at times has felt like an anchor.

Oddsmakers aren’t so sure, making the white-hot and fifth-seeded Texans (12-5) the early favorite even though Houston has never won a road playoff game in its 24-year history.

That’s fine by Rodgers, who knows a thing or two about sneaking in the playoffs and going on a run. Fifteen years ago, Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers earned a playoff spot on the final day of the season, then won three straight road games to reach the Super Bowl, where they beat Pittsburgh to earn the franchise’s fourth Lombardi Trophy.

There’s a long way to go between next Monday night and Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday, Feb. 8.

Still, it beats the alternative.

“It’s good to be part of the 14 (teams left), after so many years,” Rodgers said. “(In Green Bay in) ’22 we lost the last game to make the playoffs. (In) ’23 I was out. (In) ’24 we were terrible, so nice to be back in this position.”

A position that was a mixture of effort, a dash of excellence and maybe — maybe — a little help from above.

Cameras caught a clergy member sprinkling a little holy water on the Acrisure Stadium turf about two hours before kickoff on Sunday. The clergy made a full lap around the field to make sure all the angles were covered, including the end where Loop’s very makeable kick fluttered wide.

Crediting the win to divine intervention would diminish what an undermanned Pittsburgh offense did over the game’s last 32 minutes. (Besides, divine intervention is the “Immaculate Reception’s” corner).

Not that it matters to longtime defensive tackle Cam Heyward.

“I’m not going to ask questions,” he said. “The good Lord made a good decision tonight. I am thankful and we keep moving on.”

And not looking back.

What’s working

Giving the ball to Kenny Gainwell and Jaylen Warren and getting out of the way. The duo combined for 2,314 total yards during the regular season, including 173 against the Ravens. Gainwell was selected as the team’s MVP last week, a fitting selection for a largely anonymous offense that has found a way to be better than the sum of its parts during critical moments.

What needs help

Loop’s miss bailed out a poor performance by the Pittsburgh secondary, which allowed a pair of long touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and then a 26-yard heave in the final seconds that put the Ravens in position to win. Houston’s offense isn’t quite as dynamic as Baltimore’s, but considering how good the Texans’ defense is, it doesn’t have to be. The Steelers can ill afford the kind of breakdowns that nearly cost them a division title.

Stock up

Whenever Heyward’s name comes up for Hall of Fame consideration five years after his retirement, whoever is presenting his case should put Sunday night’s game on a loop. The 36-year-old was everywhere over the course of three-plus hours, finishing with seven tackles while being a general menace no matter where he lined up. That includes shoving younger brother Connor Heyward across the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown run in Pittsburgh’s version of the “Brotherly Shove.”

Stock down

Chris Boswell is the best kicker in franchise history. Still, the 11-year veteran has been shaky down the stretch. He missed key kicks in Detroit and Cleveland then flubbed his first extra point in nearly two years in the final minute on Sunday night.

Maybe it’s not fair to expect Boswell to be perfect, but given how small Pittsburgh’s margin for error is, he basically needs to be if the Steelers want to make their playoff appearance more than another token cameo.

Injuries

The Steelers somehow head into the postseason relatively healthy.

Key number

1991 — the previous time the Steelers lost a home game on “Monday Night Football,” a streak they will carry into Houston’s visit.

Next steps

Try to advance in the playoffs for the first time since beating Kansas City in the divisional round in 2016, which could quell the incessant “what about Mike Tomlin’s future?” discourse for a good long while.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers stands with defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) after an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Justin Berl)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Tomlin has no interest in shucking the weight of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ recent playoff failures onto the shoulders of his players heading into Monday night’s opening-round visit by Houston.

“I’m certainly not going to unpack my bags on the collective’s bed, if you will,” said Tomlin, who will take a six-game postseason losing streak onto the Acrisure Stadium turf to face the streaking Texans.

The Steelers (10-7) seem intent on carrying it anyway, their future Hall of Fame quarterback perhaps most of all.

Aaron Rodgers, in the late stages of his 21st and perhaps final season, is well-versed in how things work. He wasn’t immune to the noise that reached a hard-to-avoid level in late November when fans chanted for Tomlin’s firing near the end of a blowout loss to Buffalo that left the Steelers at 6-6.

“A lot of you probably in this group, either publicly or privately, were talking about Mike T. getting axed,” Rodgers said. “So it feels good to shut all those comments down. It’s a clean slate now. Anybody can make a run.”

That includes, Rodgers believes, his own erratic team. Pittsburgh responded from the messy end against the Bills by winning four of five to earn its first AFC North title in five years, the final win coming in a heart-stopper in Week 18 against Baltimore that ended up costing longtime Ravens coach John Harbaugh his job.

Tomlin survived, as he has every year for nearly two decades. But he hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season. With a misstep against the impressive Texans and the NFL’s top-ranked defense, the volume about Tomlin’s job status will no doubt be turned back up, even if the conversation is a non-starter internally for a coach whose next losing season will be his first.

“They’ve got to find something to try and get after him,” Rodgers said. “Mike T.’s probably like me, though. He doesn’t (care a whole lot) about any of those comments. (But) we all love him. We want to play for him. We want to win for him.”

Tomlin and the Steelers aren’t the only ones who will bring some baggage to the final game of wild-card weekend. Houston (12-5) comes to Pittsburgh riding a nine-game winning streak but also still searching for its road playoff victory in the franchise’s 24-year history.

The Texans are 5-3 away from NRG Stadium this season, though just one of those wins came against a team that reached the playoffs. Coach DeMeco Ryans thinks his players have “handled themselves pretty well on the road,” though the energy and the stakes will be far higher against a Steelers team that hasn’t lost a Monday night home game since 1991.

Then again, considering the hole the Texans were in after a 3-5 start, in a way their postseason started two months ago.

“Our guys know how to win football games,” Ryans said. “That doesn’t change because we’re in the playoffs. We’ve been in that mode for a while now.”

Steelers’ Metcalf returns from suspension

Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf will be back in the lineup after being suspended for Pittsburgh’s last two games of the regular season as punishment for making contact with a fan at Detroit on Dec. 21.

The Steelers flirted with giving away the AFC North in his absence, limping through a loss to Cleveland before rebounding in the second half against Baltimore on a night Rodgers finished with a season-high 294 yards passing, the final 26 coming on a toss to a wide-open Calvin Austin III for the go-ahead touchdown.

Metcalf, who took responsibility for his actions but declined to get into specifics, was so excited after Baltimore kicker Tyler Loop missed a 44-yard field goal as time expired that he hopped in his car and raced to Acrisure Stadium to join the celebration.

The two-time Pro Bowler, by far Pittsburgh’s most accomplished pass catcher, is thankful for the reprieve.

“My teammates gave me another opportunity to come back, so just big shoutout to them,” said Metcalf, whose 850 yards receiving led the team but also marked a career low.

Kickin’ it with Ka’imi

Acrisure Stadium is one of the trickier places to kick in the NFL, as Loop found out last week when his potential game-winning kick sailed wide right on the final play.

The Texans aren’t worried about the conditions affecting Ka’imi Fairbairn, who made the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career after tying an NFL record by making 44 field goals during the regular season.

“I have all the faith in the world in Ka’imi no matter where we are,” Ryans said.

Fairbairn could come up big this week for a team that has a habit of playing in tight games. Seven of Houston’s nine victories during their current winning streak have been decided by eight points or less.

“I tell our guys: ‘You take for granted when you have such a great kicker who is able to secure you points, even if things don’t go your way in the red zone,’” Ryans said. “You want to score touchdowns every single drive, but it doesn’t happen. You get in range, and you got a sure-footed kicker who can make those points.”

Texans bring fearsome duo of Anderson and Hunter

The key to Houston’s stellar defensive performance this season is clear to Ryans.

“For us and how we play defense all year, it’s really predicated on how we get after the passer,” he said.

Leading that charge against Rodgers on Monday will be defensive ends Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., who have combined for 27 sacks.

Tomlin raved about the duo.

“Will Anderson and Hunter are simply the most dynamic edge rush tandem in the National Football League in 2025,” he said.

And he knows what they’ll have to avoid if they want to give the 42-year-old Rodgers time to operate.

“We better stay out of a bunch of one-dimensional passing circumstances, because if we’re in those circumstances we’re going to be in trouble,” he said. “That’s just the reality of it.”

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt is introduced prior to an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) Allegheny County Executive Sarah Inamorato will host a pep rally for the Pittsburgh Steelers at noon on Monday, January 12th before their game in this year’s AFC Wild Card Game against the Houston Texans set for 8 p.m. that same night at Acrisure Stadium. According to a recent release from Allegheny County, here are the details about this event:

• Steelers Pep Rally prior to Monday night’s playoff game. Rally is open to the public; all are welcome to join.

WHEN: Noon, Monday, January 12, 2026

WHERE: Courtyard inside the County Courthouse. Public entrances on Fifth and Forbes between Ross and Grant.

WHO: 

• County Executive Sara Innamorato
• Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor
• Steelers Legend Brett Keisel
• More special guests

(Credit for Photo: Gregory Shamus/NHLI via Getty Images, Caption for Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins original owner Jack McGregor drops a ceremonial puck between Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ryan Getzlaf #15 of the Anaheim Ducks at PPG Paints Arena on October 15, 2016 in Pittsburgh.)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Jack McGregor, a former state senator and the original founder of the Pittsburgh Penguins, died on Tuesday at the age of 91. The Penguins announced the news in a social media post yesterday. According to his biography on the United States Senate Library, McGregor served in the state Senate from 1963-1970. He was a Republican who represented District 44 in Allegheny County. The NHL granted a franchise to Pittsburgh in 1966 after McGregor formed a group of investors that included H. J. Heinz II and Art Rooney. That same aforementioned biography also states that McGregor was named president and chief executive officer by the investors and represented Pittsburgh on the NHL’s Board of Governors. The team played its first game at the Civic Arena in 1967. McGregor was the owner of the team for four years before he sold it.   

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – San Diego Padres’ Ryan O’Hearn celebrates after hitting a grand slam during the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sept. 23, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — By his own admission, Ryan O’Hearn did some digging when the Pittsburgh Pirates approached the All-Star first baseman/outfielder in free agency.

The more digging O’Hearn did, the more the Pirates seemed like the right fit.

“It’s a team that can pitch and is one or two pieces away from being a legit contender,” O’Hearn said Thursday after finalizing a, $29 million, two-year deal with Pittsburgh. “That’s what I’m here to do.”

The left-handed first baseman and outfielder is coming off the best season of his big league career. O’Hearn hit .281 with 17 home runs and 63 RBIs in 2025 and made the All-Star team for the first time while playing for Baltimore and San Diego.

“When I got to Baltimore for whatever reason, it kind of clicked,” Hearn said.

He hit .277 across the last three seasons after being acquired by the Orioles in early 2023. He spent the first five seasons of his big league career in Kansas City.

“You know how it is in this game. When you’re struggling, you can just kind of feel defeated because it’s every day,” he said. “But it’s the same thing when you start to have success, you start to realize, ‘Hey, I’m a guy.’ I think that happened for me in 2023.”

The rare splurge by the Pirates is their second significant acquisition in less than a month. Pittsburgh acquired two-time All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe from Tampa Bay on Dec. 19 as part of a three-team deal that included sending starting pitcher Mike Burrows to Houston.

O’Hearn, who connected with Lowe during the All-Star Game last season, said the trade “moved the needle” toward signing with Pittsburgh. So did a 45-minute call with Pirates manager Don Kelly.

Immediately afterward, O’Hearn told his agent he was ready to become the first player to sign a multi-year free agent agreement with Pittsburgh since pitcher Ivan Nova agreed to a three-year pact in 2016.

Pittsburgh has vowed to build around a pitching staff that includes reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and rookie Bubba Chandler. The Pirates are coming off a 71-91 season in which the offense finished at or near the bottom of the majors in most significant statistical categories, including runs and home runs.

“To be a winning team, you have to pitch,” O’Hearn said. “You have to have a starting rotation. You have to have great bullpen guys. On that side of the ball, you got to be good. That’s one thing that really stood out to me about this team. Obviously, Paul Skenes is a generational talent. In addition to him, there’s other young guys that have great stuff that are coming into their own.”

O’Hearn is joining a lineup that includes Lowe, outfielders Bryan Reynolds and Oneal Cruz and first baseman Spencer Horwitz. O’Hearn could bounce between first and the outfield while also serving as an occasional designated hitter.

“We went into the offseason thinking, ‘We have to improve the offense. There are different ways to do that,’” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “You can score runs with some strikeouts mixed in. You can score runs with a lot of contact. I don’t think there’s absolutely one way to do it. It is nice to have a little bit more balance in terms of the style. Ryan helps with that.”

(File Photo of State Representative Roman Kozak

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) Representatives Roman Kozak (R-Beaver) and Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington) are now inviting people to join the “Defending Our Daughters” campaign to show support for Pennsylvania’s female athletes as well as to both defend and protect them. All Pennsylvanians, specifically the leaders of the state, are invited to sign the “I Believe” promise at defendingdaughters.com to highlight the rights of girls to have an equal, fair and safe playing field, to compete to win championships, games and titles, to earn scholarships and to have locker rooms spaces that are private, without males being present. 

(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of the Pittsburgh Steelers)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The Pittsburgh Steelers will kick off their play in the NFL postseason this year on Monday, January 12th
when they host the Houston Texans for the AFC Wild Card Game at Acrisure Stadium. According to a release from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Terrible Towel and they will rally
fans through a series of initiatives that are regional and global taking place throughout AFC Wild Card
Playoff Week as they enter the playoffs. More information can be found by clicking here.

(File Photo of the Blackhawk School District Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) University of Nebraska linebacker and former Blackhawk high school football standout Marques Watson-Trent has declared for the 2026 NFL draft, which will be held in Pittsburgh from April 23rd-25th, 2026. Watson-Trent made this decision on Saturday and if he is drafted, he will be the first Beaver County football player to be drafted since MJ Devonshire, the Aliquippa alum and former Pitt defensive back who is now a cornerback on the practice squad of the Buffalo Bills. Devonshire was selected as the 229th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders. 

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Matt Slocum/AP)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) According to PuckPedia, the Pittsburgh Penguins placed defenseman Egor Zamula on waivers yesterday for the purpose of terminating his contract. The Penguins suspended Zamula on Sunday because he did not report to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. The Penguins traded Philip Tomasino to the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday in exchange for the twenty-five-year-old Zamula. Zamula signed with the Flyers as an undrafted free agent in September of 2018 and had spent the last six seasons with them, earning 41 points and 33 assists in 168 NHL games with the Flyers.