(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.
