Steelers win AFC North as Ravens' kick sails wide

PITTSBURGH -- Thanks to a missed last-second field goal attempt by Baltimore Ravens kicker Tyler Loop and fourth-quarter clutch plays by Aaron Rodgers, the Pittsburgh Steelers are AFC North champions.

Pittsburgh outlasted the Ravens 26-24 in a back-and-forth thriller that ended when Loop missed a 44-yard field goal attempt as time expired on the final play of the NFL regular season.

Rodgers and the Steelers now head to the postseason and will host the Houston Texans on "Monday Night Football" (8:20 p.m., ESPN) in the wild-card round next week. The 25th division title is their first since 2020.

"It's pretty emotional, honestly," Rodgers told NBC after the game. "It's been a great year. I'm thankful for these guys and excited to be going to the playoffs for the first time in a long while.

"It's been a grinding year. And two years before that were tough, as well. It's been an absolute blessing to be here. ... We found that little bit, that something special, which is belief tonight on the offensive side. And I'm proud of our guys for the way we responded in the fourth quarter."

The Steelers took a 20-17 lead with 3:49 left in the game, but it came at a cost as Rodgers had to burn the team's final timeout when the in-helmet communication appeared to go out. Rodgers switched helmets before the third-down call, but a few seconds after lining up, he called the timeout and demonstratively gestured at his helmet. The Steelers scored on a rushing touchdown by running back Kenneth Gainwell a play later.

Though the defense largely shut down running back Derrick Henry after a 79-yard first quarter, it gave up two big passing touchdowns in the fourth quarter to keep the game close. Zay Flowers broke free on both, scoring the first on a 50-yard catch and the second on a 64-yard pass some 6 minutes later to put Baltimore up 24-20.

Pittsburgh, though, responded each time, ultimately taking a 26-24 lead when Rodgers hit Calvin Austin III for a 26-yard touchdown with less than a minute to go. But a missed extra point try by Chris Boswell kept it a 2-point game.

Baltimore used a big Keaton Mitchell kickoff return to get near field goal range, then saw Lamar Jackson hit Isaiah Likely for a 28-yard gain on fourth down to put the Ravens within Loop's range. But the rookie's kick darted right, his first miss in the fourth quarter this season.