A Love Letter to Football - Ravens @ Steelers Recap
Screenshot via NFL+
Just like we drew it up, eh?
I am 30 years old. I often feel like it’s important to bring up my age, because I respect the decorated history of the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise, and I like for my readers to understand the lens from which I write. I’m not from Pittsburgh. My family members aren’t necessarily Steelers fans other than the fact that they like when my mental health is in good shape. I chose this life for myself at a young age around 2004 (ish) and never looked back. There’s a whole lot of Steeler history I wasn’t around for. Sad, but true. So, I hope I don’t sound too ridiculous when I say: I think that was the most fun I’ve ever had watching a regular season Steelers game. That was absolutely incredible. Our Steelers are AFC North Champions for the first time since 2020.
We are not that far removed from those “Fire Tomlin!” chants ringing through Acrisure Stadium. For what it’s worth, I do think he saved his job over the last month of the season, and he proved to us, once again, that when things get tight, Tomlin-coached-teams come out ready to put on for him. We can collectively scream until we’re blue in the face about the coaching decisions that often lead to the tight situations we find ourselves in, and there was a lot of that in this Ravens matchup, but the results speak for themselves - at least in the regular season.
I credit whatever higher power Mike Tomlin has given himself to, or whatever voodoo magic he may, or may not be involved in, but we won this game because of Aaron Rodgers. In my pregame thoughts, I basically said I had no faith that he would be able to get going in this game, and it looked like I was correct for about two quarters. What changed you might ask? - Aaron Rodgers started attacking the middle of the field and making throws that only a few people in the history of the league could make. That seam shot to Adam Thielen in the third quarter, whizzing the ball right past Marlon Humphrey’s ear hole, was one of the most precise throws I’ve ever seen from a Steelers quarterback - and the late hands from Thielen to haul in that catch - unbelievable. And we HAD TO HAVE IT. That was a massive play that set us up for the tush-push touchdown to Connor Heyward. Rodgers finished with a season-high 294 passing yards and 1 TD; the go-ahead touchdown late in the game to Calvin Austin III.
The final 5 minutes of this game was the stuff of legend, to be perfectly honest. 4 lead changes in the fourth quarter. 3 lead changes in the final 5 minutes. 2 missed kicks in the final 30 seconds. Pandemonium of the highest sort. I despise the Ravens and I’m not in the business of talking highly of them other than to say that I respect them. With that being said, hats off to Lamar Jackson, man. He hasn’t had much success against the Steelers over the years, so I, along with many others I assume, have overlooked him a bit at times. But he made some unbelievable throws in the waning moments of this game. The Steelers blitzed the hell out of him, and he took some shots, but he stood in the pocket and made us pay time and time again. Had me shakin in my boots, I won’t lie. Much respect.
I have thoroughly enjoyed watching all the videos of Steelers Nation reacting to the field goal going wide right as time expired. It’s so cool to think that all at once we had the same exact reaction. All over the world. This group is different than usual. Are they Super Bowl different? That remains to be seen. But check out the sideline’s reaction to the missed kick. Listen to the soundbites from NFL films. - Tomlin and Rodgers thanking each other after the game will tug at your heart strings. - Watch the press conferences. I think there’s a belief in each other and a closeness with this group that has, maybe, been missing from the Steelers locker room for a long time. I genuinely believe every starter is all in and wants to be here, and that’s a special thing heading into the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
I recognize I have not mentioned Cam Heyward’s name in this post, and that’s because he’s getting his own post later this week. He played out of his ever-loving mind. Legend.
This concludes the part of the post where I talk about the things that happened on the field in this game, and now I want to reference something that’s deeply personal to me. *Profanity Alert* I’m fairly open about the fact that I consider myself an alcoholic that is in recovery. A few years ago, when I decided that I was tired of all the consequences that come with Jason being drunk, these Pittsburgh Steelers were, embarrassingly, at the forefront of my thinking. Could I ever go to a Steelers game and not have a beer? Would these games still hit the same for me? Do I really care about this shit like I say I do, or am I just drunk all the time? - These are real questions that I had to ponder, and following that terrible 2023 season and the offseason that followed, I wasn’t entirely sure about the answers if I’m being totally honest.
Fast forward to January 4th, 2026, about 10:20 pm local time, you would’ve found me stone cold sober, sitting on the hardwood floor in my living room having heart palpitations (I’m mostly being dramatic). After the Calvin Austin III touchdown, and of course, the missed Ravens FG, you would’ve found me screaming at the top of my lungs and doing laps around my house. Straight up overcome with emotion. - Yes, tears. And, I don’t know that I would’ve been comfortable sharing this with the world, except I’ve seen countless people sharing their experiences from Sunday and also being overcome with emotion. Ya know what that tells me? - That tells me that I’m not crazy and that something is different about this group. Also, for what it’s worth, Monday night’s game against the Texans is the most winnable playoff game we’ve had since 2020.
I have my answers. Emphatically. I love this shit. I love football, and I fuckin LOVE the Pittsburgh Steelers. Alcohol means nothing to that relationship, and I can’t put into words how freeing that is to say. I think I knew that already, but a massive SHAHTAHT and thank you to this 2025 group for giving me that moment and leaving no doubt in my mind. Regardless of how this thing ends, the 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers might go down as my third favorite version of this thing - right after the ‘08 and ‘05 versions. Might. I gotta sleep on that.
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