The NFL’s regular season closed with a familiar jolt of AFC North chaos Sunday night, when the Pittsburgh Steelers edged the Baltimore Ravens 26-24 to capture the division title and the AFC’s No. 4 seed.
Pittsburgh, short-handed in the passing game, found its rhythm after halftime, scoring on four of five second-half drives. Aaron Rodgers hit Calvin Austin for a 26-yard touchdown with 55 seconds left to flip a game that swung repeatedly in the final minutes. Baltimore answered behind Lamar Jackson, who completed seven of his final nine passes, threw two late touchdowns and converted a fourth-down strike to Isaiah Likely to keep the season alive.
But the Ravens’ final sequence became the enduring snapshot of a season that never fully clicked. With 12 seconds left and a timeout available, Baltimore chose to play for a long field goal rather than pushing for extra yardage. Rookie kicker Tyler Loop missed wide right from 44 yards, sealing the Steelers’ win and leaving the Ravens outside the playoff field.
The defeat intensified scrutiny on coach John Harbaugh, whose Baltimore tenure has been marked by sustained contention but repeated postseason frustration. This year’s roster was battered by injuries, and the Ravens stabilized defensively in the second half of the season, but the late collapse against a Steelers offense operating without timeouts underscored lingering concerns about game management and execution in the biggest moments.
Across the league, the final weekend cemented a parity-heavy postseason field. Seattle secured the NFC’s No. 1 seed with a 13-3 defensive win over San Francisco, while Cleveland’s Myles Garrett punctuated his season by setting the league’s single-season sack record with his 23rd. At the other end of the spectrum, the Jets finished 3-14 and became the first team to go an entire season without an interception.
With seeding finalized, the AFC wildcard matchups are set: the Texans (5) at the Steelers (4), the Chargers (7) at the Patriots (2), and the Bills (6) at the Jaguars (3), while the Broncos (1) earned a bye. In the NFC, the Seahawks (1) are off to the divisional round, and the wildcard slate has the Rams (5) at the Panthers (4), the Packers (7) at the Bears (2), and the 49ers (6) at the Eagles (3).
College football playoff narrows to a chaotic final four
The 12-team College Football Playoff continues this week with semifinal games that reflect the sport’s new era. The final four features No. 6 Ole Miss (13-1) vs. No. 10 Miami (12-2) in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8, and No. 1 Indiana (14-0) vs. No. 5 Oregon (13-1) in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9.
Miami reached the semifinals after knocking out defending champion Ohio State, while Ole Miss advanced after a dramatic win over Georgia in the quarterfinals despite an unusual coaching transition late in the season. On the other side, Indiana’s unbeaten rise continued with a commanding victory over Alabama, and Oregon followed a high-scoring first-round performance with a 23-0 shutout of Texas Tech in the quarterfinals.
NBA and NHL scores
In the NBA on Sunday, Detroit beat Cleveland 114-110, Brooklyn topped Denver 127-115, Miami defeated New Orleans 125-106, and Milwaukee beat Sacramento 115-98. Orlando handled Indiana 135-127, Minnesota rolled past Washington 141-115, Phoenix edged Oklahoma City 108-105, and the Lakers beat Memphis 120-114.
In the NHL, Montreal beat Dallas 4-3 in overtime, Pittsburgh topped Columbus 5-4 in overtime, Florida defeated Colorado 2-1, Carolina beat New Jersey 3-1, and Chicago edged Vegas 3-2 in overtime.
Source: The Guardian, The Athletic, nba.com, nhl.com