The Pittsburgh Steelers entered Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium as a struggling squad. Sure, they were “tied” for the AFC North lead with a 6-6 record. But they were reeling, behind the numbers, having lost 5 of their last 7.
The Steelers left Baltimore after beating the Ravens 27-22, having improved their record to 7-6 and reclaimed the sole lead atop the AFC North.
In many ways, this was a typical Steelers-Ravens contest, Yet, this game added its own, unique aspects. And its no secret as to why the Steelers walked away with a win: Its because the rivalry’s newest participant, Aaron Rodgers, played his best football of the season.
Aaron Rodgers Runs it In. Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham, Steelers.com
Same Concept. New Quarterback. Different Result.
When Aaron Rodgers arrived in Pittsburgh last spring, the burden of proof of answer the “How much does he have left in the tank” question lay squarely on his shoulders. During August and September, Rodgers answered the question in the affirmative.
No, he wasn’t Aaron Rodgers of old, but he was a lot better than anybody the Pittsburgh Steelers had fielded at quarterback in a long, long time. But the month of November was not kind to Aaron Rodgers. His play slipped, and with it so did an already shaky offense.
Then he broke his wrist and Mason Rudolph played well enough in relief to raise questions as to whether Number 2 deserved an extended look.
Sometimes the best remedy for breaking an athlete out of a slump is to have him starethe dragon straight in the face.
After Ben Roethlisberger had struggled for a few games in 2020, Mike Tomlin attempted to do just that on the road at Paul Brown Stadium on a cold December night.
If you’ll remember, on the first play from scrimmage James Washington had his man beat on the deep down on sidelines, Roethlisberger rolled out, and underthrew Washington so badly the DB couldn’t get back fast enough to grab a gimmie interception.
The play was so bad this scribe wondered if we hadn’t just seen the football equivalent of Ali-Holmes.
D.K. Metcalf opens the game with a 52 yard catch. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com
Mike Tomlin prides himself on being a football historian. Fortunately, he believes in letting his players write their own stories, because Arthur Smith opened the action by sending D.K. Metcalf deep down the sidelines.
- 52 yards down the field, Rodgers hit Metcalf in stride, putting Pittsburgh in the Ravens’ Red Zone.
There, Rodgers hit Metcalf again, for 7 yards, advance Pittsburgh to Baltimore’s six.
Three carries from Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell and Connor Heyward netted 4 yards.
So Rodgers ran it in himself.
Pittsburgh was only up 7 to 3, but they’d set the tone for the game: We would see a different Steelers offense this afternoon.
Rodgers Lets It Rip
One deep pass does not an offensive transformation make. But being able to strike downfield sure does change the complexion of the game.
Rodgers connected again with Metcalf for 28 yards to open the 2nd quarter setting up Chris Boswell’s first field goal. After James Pierre’s interception of Lamar Jackson, Rodgers combined passes to Ben Skowronek, Metcalf and newcomer Adam Thielen to get the Steelers into scoring position.
From there, after a questionable penalty on a field goal attempt gave the Steelers another shot at scoring, Kenneth Gainwell ran it in from 6 yards out.
The opening drive of the second half has been a nightmare for the Steelers all season long. Aaron Rodgers opened this one with a 41 yard hook up with Metcalf. The drive stalled forcing the Steelers to settle for another Chris Boswell field goal, but this was a welcome change no less.
After the Ravens responded with a touchdown, Rodgers and the Steelers offense rebounded on the next drive, as Jaylen Warren took a 4 yard dump off pass and ran untouched for 38 yards to put Pittsburgh up by 27 points.
When the dust settled, Aaron Rodgers had passed for 284 yards – that won’t impress Fantasy Football owners, but the reality is that his ability to move he offense down the field with his arm was the difference maker for Pittsburgh.
Steeler Uneven in Trenches, Yet Hold Their Own
IF you looked at the statistics instead of the scoreboard for this game, you’d quickly conclude that the Ravens pulled off a mini-replay of their playoff ridiculing of the Steelers.
- Derrick Henry managed just under 100 yards rushing
- Keaton Mitchell added another 76 on the ground
- Lamar Jackson ran for 43 yards and a touchdown alone
- Combined Warren, Gainwell, Heyward, Rodgers and Kaleb Johnson rushed for 34 yards
Yet, this game added a new element in the trenches not typical of Steelers-Ravens match ups.
Sure, Darnell Washington, Andrus Peat, Malik Harrison all left the game with concussions, so there’s no doubt that physicality that’s so deeply embedded in Steelers-Ravens lore was present.
- But there were elements that the stat sheet failed to capture.
No, the Steelers did not succeed in stopping the Ravens running attack, but they did contain it, outside of Mitchell’s 55 yard run. By the same token, while the Ravens rushed well, they never imposed their will. That’s true in large part because, while Baltimore set up several 3rd and manageable situations, the Steelers stopped them.
And the Steelers stopped them because T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig and Cam Heyward brought pressure on Jackson forcing numerous 3rd down incompletions.
- An inverse dynamic held sway on the other side of scrimmage.
The Steelers offensive line put in an atrocious afternoon of run blocking. Yet Aaron Rodgers had more time to throw than any other Steelers quarterback of recent memory has ever enjoyed — and Rodgers took full advantage.
Play to the Whistle and Good Things Will Likely Happen
The Baltimore Ravens of course, briefly re-took the lead late in the fourth quarter. With 2:47 remaining Lamar Jackson hit Isaiah Likely from 13 yards out. Although Joey Porter Jr. dislodged the ball, the refs signaled touchdown.
To have a completed pass, the receiver must:
1.) Secure control of the ball ✅
2.) Have both feet or a body part (other than hands) in-bounds ✅
3.) Perform a football move (take a third step, tuck the ball away, turn upfield, avoid/ward off an opponent) or to maintain control… pic.twitter.com/H6qxuVybd6— Gene Steratore (@GeneSteratore) December 7, 2025
The instant replay official thought different.
The play was close. Had the touchdown been upheld, it would be hard for Pittsburgh to complain. Regardless, Porter’s commitment to playing through the whistle was indicative of the collective focus that the Steelers displayed in beating Baltimore.
Alex Highsmith ends the game by sacking Lamar Jackson. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com
As it was, the Ravens had 3 shots more shots from inside Pittsburgh’s Red Zone. The penultimate one ended with Alex Highsmith dropping Derrick Henry for a 3-yard loss. The Steelers failed to run out the ball, giving Baltimore one more shot.
On third and one, with the Ravens at Pittsburgh’s 30 with nine seconds left, Cameron Heyward flushed Jackson from the pocket, and Alex Highsmith brought him down as time expired, as the Steelers left the field at M&T Bank Stadium with the AFC North lead.
