The Ravens' season has come to an end, and it did so in heartbreaking fashion.
The Ravens fell to the Steelers, 26-24, Sunday night, ending their season without an AFC North championship and without a playoff berth for the first time since 2021.
Sixth-round rookie Tyler Loop pushed a game-winning 44-yard field goal attempt wide right as time expired.
Here's how the AFC North title game went down:
Turning Point
Prior to Loop's miss, the Ravens gave up a wide-open, 26-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Calvin Austin III, who burnt cornerback Chidobe Awuzie on a stutter-and-go after he slipped for an easy score.
That touchdown gave the Steelers a two-point lead and put all the pressure on the Ravens to go on a game-winning drive with 55 seconds left.
Top Play
Trailing 13-10 in the fourth quarter, Lamar Jackson shrugged off two Steelers defenders barreling in on him on third down and zipped a 50-yard pass to Zay Flowers for a go-ahead touchdown.
The Jackson-to-Flowers connection came through again on a 64-yard score that gave the Ravens a 24-20 lead with 2:20 remaining. Flowers finished with 138 yards on four receptions.
Scoring Summary
| Scoring Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | Ravens: (10:54), Devontez Walker 38-yard pass from Lamar Jackson | 7-0, Ravens |
| 2nd Quarter | Ravens: (13:33), Tyler Loop 40-yard field goal | 10-0, Ravens |
| Steelers: (8:52), Chris Boswell 57-yard field goal | 10-3, Ravens | |
| 3rd Quarter | Steelers: (8:23), Connor Heyward 1-yard run | 10-10 |
| Steelers: (4:28), Chris Boswell 25-yard field goal | 13-10, Steelers | |
| 4th Quarter | Ravens: (8:42), Zay Flowers 50-yard pass from Lamar Jackson | 17-13, Ravens |
| Steelers: (3:49), Kenneth Gainwell 2-yard rush | 20-17, Steelers | |
| Ravens: (2:20), Zay Flowers 64-yard pass from Lamar Jackson | 24-20, Ravens | |
| Steelers: (0:55), Calvin Austin III 26-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers | 26-24, Steelers |
Statistical Breakdown
Offensive Stats
| Ravens | Steelers | |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Leader | Lamar Jackson (238 yards) | Aaron Rodgers (294 yards) |
| Receiving Leader | Zay Flowers (138 yards) | Pat Freiermuth (51 yards) |
| Rushing Leader | Derrick Henry (126 yards) | Jaylen Warren (66 yards) |
Defensive Stats
| Ravens | Steelers | |
|---|---|---|
| Sacks | 2 | 3 |
| Turnovers Forced | 0 | 1 |
Team Stats
| Ravens | Steelers | |
|---|---|---|
| Time of Possession | 25:49 | 34:11 |
| Total Yards | 359 | 390 |
| Penalties | 9 for 78 | 5 for 45 |
| 3rd Down Efficiency | 4-of-12 | 9-of-16 |
| 1st Downs | 12 | 24 |
Stock Watch
Self-Inflicted Wounds
The Ravens shot themselves in the foot on several occasions. Loop's kickoff out of bounds gave the Steelers strong field position on their first go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. A questionable Tyler Linderbaum holding penalty wiped a Jackson 20-yard keeper off the board in the second quarter. Ronnie Stanley batted up a deflected Jackson pass that led to an interception and a Chris Boswell field goal.
Tackling was also an issue throughout the entire night for a Ravens defense that gave up 26 points and 390 yards to a Steelers offense that was without its top weapon in DK Metcalf.
RB Derrick Henry
Henry ran the ball 20 times for 126 yards. The All-Pro tailback started off the night hot but fizzled out as the Steelers' defense took him away in the second half.
Jackson
Jackson finished 11-of-18 passing for 238 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
