Tyler Loop, Chris Boswell trade missed kicks in wild AFC North finish

Sunday night’s AFC North showdown between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers ended in pure chaos, with kickers Tyler Loop and Chris Boswell becoming unlikely headliners in a 26-24 Steelers win at Acrisure Stadium.

The fourth quarter turned into a full-blown shootout. Baltimore grabbed a 24-20 lead with 2:20 remaining when Lamar Jackson hit Zay Flowers for a 64-yard touchdown strike.

TOUCHDOWN ZAY FLOWERS AGAIN!!!!!!

Tune in on NBC!!!! pic.twitter.com/bX1jX4Nc7H

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 5, 2026

It felt like the Ravens had just delivered the knockout punch…

Instead, Pittsburgh answered immediately. Aaron Rodgers found Calvin Austin III on a 26-yard touchdown to put the Steelers back on top, or so it seemed.

RODGERS. CALVIN AUSTIN. TOUCHDOWN.

STEELERS LEAD WITH 55 SECONDS LEFT.

(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/0nHM6R95gg

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 5, 2026

Chris Boswell’s extra point would have pushed the lead to three, but the veteran kicker missed wide right, keeping the door open for Baltimore.

Chris Boswell just missed his second extra point in the last 4 years

At the absolute worst timepic.twitter.com/IxhijFbrdc

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 5, 2026

The Ravens walked right through it.

A strong kickoff return set them up near midfield, and despite a costly penalty on Ronnie Stanley, Baltimore stayed alive by converting a massive fourth-and-seven on a pass to Isaiah Likely.

ISAIAH LIKELY ON 4TH DOWN TO SAVE THE SEASON.

BALvsPIT on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/aIpzCbqdEY

— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2026

Suddenly, rookie kicker Tyler Loop was lining up for what looked like a game-winning field goal. Then the script flipped again. Tyler Loop pushed his kick wide right, mirroring Boswell’s miss just moments earlier. Ballgame over. Steelers win.

TYLER LOOP MISSED

STEELERS ARE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFSpic.twitter.com/UbpNDXwvec

— Pick 6 Pack (@Pick6PackFB) January 5, 2026

The missed kick sealed a 26-24 victory for Pittsburgh, clinching the AFC North and locking in a 10-7 finish. The Houston Texans now head to Pittsburgh for the Wild Card Round, while Baltimore is left replaying a brutal final sequence where one clean kick could have changed everything.

Two kickers. Two misses. One division title decided in the most painful way possible.

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