Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin aren’t done in Pittsburgh just yet. <\/p>\n
In one of the most dramatic ends to an NFL regular season you will ever see, Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers hung on for a 26-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens to secure the AFC North title and the league’s final playoff spot.<\/p>\n
It wasn’t easy, as Pittsburgh needed a missed 44-yard field goal from Ravens kicker Tyler Loop on the final play of regulation to secure the victory.<\/p>\n
But then again, what about this Steelers season has been easy?<\/p>\n
In a Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Steelers were booed off their home field, and their head coach was serenaded with “fire Tomlin” chants.<\/p>\n
In Week 17, all the Steelers needed to do was beat the 3-12 Cleveland Browns to clinch the AFC North, but they couldn’t get the job done.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, they had to once again play without DK Metcalf, as their top wide receiver was suspended two games for an altercation with a fan in Week 16. <\/p>\n
All signs pointed to an off-season of change in the Steel City, but at least for one week, those plans have been postponed. <\/p>\n
Down four with under two minutes remaining, as he’s done so many times in his career, Rodgers orchestrated a game-winning drive and found Calvin Austin for a 26-yard touchdown to take the lead back.<\/p>\n
With a post-season appearance now secured, Rodgers will tie Ben Roethlisberger and Joe Montana for the fourth-most playoff games in NFL history when he steps on the field on wild-card weekend. <\/p>\n
It remains to be seen whether the 42-year-old Rodgers will be back for another season after this one, and the same goes for Tomlin, who is in his 19th season as the Steelers’ head coach.<\/p>\n
But none of that matters right now. <\/p>\n
All the Steelers have to focus on this week is a wild-card matchup with the Houston Texans. <\/p>\n
And for how up-and-down their season has been, that has to feel pretty sweet.<\/p>\n
While it’s going to be a feel-good week in Pittsburgh, the opposite can be said for Baltimore. <\/p>\n
It was a regular-season finale that would almost surely cause major ripple effects for the losing side, and now the Ravens have to face the noise. <\/p>\n
For a team that was a Super Bowl favourite to open the season, missing the playoffs should be seen as nothing other than a major disappointment. <\/p>\n
Yes, Lamar Jackson’s injury-plagued season definitely played a part. But as they’ve done so many times over the past few years, with Jackson on the field, they still couldn’t come through when it mattered most. <\/p>\n
Cut ties with Harbaugh after 18 seasons? Move on from the two-time MVP Jackson? Both? <\/p>\n
Whatever happens, it should be a fascinating off-season to watch in Baltimore for all the wrong reasons. <\/p>\n
Falcons bail out Panthers<\/p>\n
The Atlanta Falcons gained a lot of new fans on Sunday. <\/p>\n
After the Carolina Panthers blew their shot at clinching the NFC South on Saturday with a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, their playoff fate was no longer in their own hands. <\/p>\n
In fitting NFC South fashion, the division title would come down to the result of the game between the two teams already eliminated from the playoffs. <\/p>\n
Thankfully for the Panthers, the Falcons came through with a 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints, gifting Carolina its first NFC South title since 2015.<\/p>\n
It wasn’t particularly pretty, but Kirk Cousins and the Falcons did just enough to beat Saints rookie QB Tyler Shough and his rag-tag group of offensive weapons on Sunday. <\/p>\n
Despite a losing record, the 8-9 Panthers are now headed to the post-season and will host the Los Angeles Rams next weekend. <\/p>\n
They will be heavy underdogs even at home, but they did beat the Rams earlier this season in the same stadium. <\/p>\n
And wouldn’t it just be so NFC South for the Panthers to shock the world and upset the high-flying Rams? We’ll have to wait until next weekend to find out. <\/p>\n
Myles Garrett makes history in style<\/p>\n
For a game that meant nothing in the standings, Sunday’s AFC North clash between the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals sure had a lot of eyes on it. <\/p>\n
That, of course, was because Browns defensive star Myles Garrett needed to bring down Joe Burrow just once to set the NFL’s single-season sack record. <\/p>\n
He cut it close, but with 4:09 left remaining in the final quarter, Garrett got the job done. <\/p>\n
\u201cDespair. I was scared as hell,\u201d\u00a0Garrett\u00a0said of not getting the sack until late in the game. \u201cWe got to deny fate, whatever it is, we got to make it happen. And I just went into it and still had the utmost confidence in myself and my preparation and in my guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garret’s sack brought his total to 23 on the season, surpassing the shared record of 22.5 by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt.<\/p>\n
But it was the way he did it that perfectly encapsulated his historic season. <\/p>\n