It is coming down to one game, the last of the regular season, to determine the Pittsburgh Steelers’ postseason fate.
The Steelers (9-7) host the Baltimore Ravens (8-8) next week at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. The time and date of the matchup are yet to be determined, but one thing is certain: the winner will be the AFC North champion.
A pair of upsets set up the winner-take-all game. The Ravens knocked off the Packers in Green Bay 41-24 on Saturday night, then the Steelers were upended by the Browns 13-6 on Sunday at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland.
All the Steelers needed to do was beat the Browns (4-12) on Sunday, but they couldn’t do it. Now, they must regroup against the Ravens, whom they beat 27-22 on Dec. 7 in Baltimore.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin did not ruminate on the Steelers blowing their chance to clinch their first AFC North title since 2020 by losing to the lowly Browns. The Steelers failed to score a touchdown, settling for two Chris Boswell field goals after falling behind 10-0.
“It was a typical AFC North matchup,” Tomlin said. “We certainly didn't make enough plays today, and we got to compliment (the Browns) on an outstanding winning effort. It’s back to work for us. We've been here before, and so certainly we got a big week ahead of us and a big game, at Acrisure next weekend.”
Tomlin, though, was not discouraged about losing to the last-place team in the AFC North. The Steelers have lost four straight games in Cleveland and six of their last seven.
“I didn't think we played poorly,” Tomlin said. “We just didn't make enough plays. I thought (the Browns) played well. I thought the game was kind of unfolding in the way that you would anticipate, but we never made that signature play that kind of got us over the hump. That generally is the deciding factor in games like this, and we generally make them; we didn't make them today.”
The Steelers will need to make plays next weekend when they face their most bitter rival with a lot on the line. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is confident the Steelers can regain the momentum of the three-game winning streak that ended Sunday.
“When you lose, that's what you do, you move on to the next game,” Rodgers said. “I have full confidence we will go home and win next week (because) we’ve done it all season. We’ve handled adversity well, and we had to play our best ball, which we did other than today.”
Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward is looking forward to the challenge.
“It brings you back to the high school ball, where everything's riding on every single game,” Heyward said. “And if you're a competitor and you understand this rivalry between Baltimore and us, this is what you want.”