Baltimore Ravens kicker Tyler Loop went for what could have been the winning field goal in the last two seconds of the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Jan. 4.
The ball was passed back, and Loop went forward; he made contact with the ball. It flew up into the air, but started hooking right, making Loop miss the goal posts.
This game reflected the wild twists and turns that usually accompany the classic AFC North rivalry between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. The game decided which team goes to the playoffs in the final regular season game of the 2025-2026 NFL season, the Pittsburgh Steelers winning 26-24.
The Ravens started the game off with first possession. After pushing down the field, the Ravens wide receiver Devontez Walker scored a 38-yard touchdown, and Loop scored a plus-one field goal.
While the second quarter started with the Ravens up 7-0, the Ravens went towards the end zone, but came up short, in which the team decided to go for a 40-yard field goal.This field goal, scored by Loop, brought the Ravens up to 10 points with Pittsburgh still at zero. Half way through the second quarter, the Steelers kicker Chris Boswell scored a 57-yard field goal, making the score 10-3, with the Ravens still in the lead.
After half time, the Steelers were ready to tie it up after they pushed the ball to the one yard line. Steelers tight end Connor Heyward scored a one-yard touchdown, and the Steelers scored a plus one to tie up the game 10-10. The Steelers were not done scoring yet, as they later had Boswell score a 25 yard field goal for the final points in the third quarter, having the score come to 10-13 and putting the Steelers in the lead.
Coming into the beginning of the fourth quarter, Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers caught a ball thrown by Jackson to score a 50-yard touchdown with the kicker scoring a plus one field goal bringing the score to 17-13. Later on in the quarter, Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell scored a 2 yard rushing touchdown, helping the Steelers start to win (17-20). Flowers then scored another touchdown after receiving Jackson’s 64-yard pass. With this, the score is 24-20 with the Ravens winning with around two minutes left in the game. The Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III received a 26-yard touchdown pass from Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers had missed the plus one bringing the score to 24-26 with under a minute left in the game. With two seconds remaining in the game, Loop goes for a 44-yard field goal to try and win the game, but the ball hooked right giving the Steelers the number one spot in AFC North and sending the Ravens back to Baltimore.
The game had a huge effect on the Baltimore Ravens because it not only ended the season but the long 18-year tenure of Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. This means the Ravens will spend some of the off-season searching for a new head coach. Harbaugh had a successful career with Baltimore, but will now either retire or head to a new team.
Pittsburgh fans are extremely excited about the win over Baltimore. This means they go into the playoffs and have a chance to go and win Super Bowl LX.
Senior Jacob Mott is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and he was very happy about the missed field goal.
He watched the entire game through and witnessed all the ups and downs of the Steelers gameplay.
Mott was nearly giving up hope before the last two seconds of the game changed everything for the Steelers, bringing them to the play-offs.
“I thought our season was over,” Mott said. “I was feeling all of these emotions, and then I saw the kick drift right and I jumped in the air.” The rivalry was great and both teams showed great skill and performance. Overall though the Steelers won the fight against the Ravens and the birds went home to roost.
Mott was very excited during the game and afterward. His favorite team made it to the wildcard match after defeating their biggest rivals.
The Steelers had won after Loop missed the game winning field goal, but Ravens fan and freshman Callen Rausch was not at all happy about this. The Ravens’ newest kicker had his first moment to prove he can do everything Justin Tucker could. But all Ravens fans had been disappointed in his performance in the last moments of the game.
“They should not have put him in that position because he is new to the team,” Rausch says. “He didn’t make the winning shot that the Ravens hoped he would have.”
