The final Sunday Night Football game of the season should be a good one to determine the AFC North champion and No. 4 seed in the postseason. The Baltimore Ravens head to Pittsburgh to square off with the rival Steelers in a winner-take-all matchup.
Pittsburgh’s loss to Cleveland in Week 17 kept Baltimore alive, along with their win over Green Bay. The loser between the Ravens and Steelers goes home, ending the 2025 campaign on a sour note.
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Baltimore received a lifeline from rival Cleveland last week when they defeated the Pittsburgh to help keep the Ravens’ slim playoff hopes alive one more week. Now it’s all on Baltimore as they need a win in Pittsburgh to punch their ticket to the postseason and win the NFC North for a third consecutive year. Helping their cause, quarterback Lamar Jackson will return to the lineup after missing Week 17 with a back injury. The Ravens have only missed the postseason once (2021) since Jackson became the full-time starter in 2019.
This win-or-go-home playoff-like scenario could have been avoided had the Steelers handled their business and beaten the Browns last week. Instead, here they are with the entire season riding on one game. Pittsburgh has been hot over the past month, winning three of its last four games, but it needs one more to clinch the AFC North and head into the postseason, and it will have to do so without star WR DK Metcalf, who is out for a second game due to a suspension.
Ravens-Steelers start time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Location: Acrisure Stadium | Pittsburgh
TV channel, live stream: NBC, Peacock, NFL+
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more as the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Baltimore Ravens in a clash for the AFC North division title.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
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Ryan Young
Lamar Jackson had a first down run there, but it was negated due to a holding penalty. That sent them all back, and led to a great punt. Pittsburgh will take over at its own 9 now with 3:09 left in the half.
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Ryan Young
Well, Pittsburgh failed to take advantage. That was three quick incompletions from Aaron Rodgers, so the Steelers are coming back out to punt. Their offense is struggling tonight.
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Ryan Young
An early holding penalty doomed that drive for Baltimore. A sack and then two short Derrick Henry runs led to another punt. So the Steelers will get it back here with a little more than six minutes left in the half.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
Sure, the Steelers ended up getting on the board with a field goal, but Aaron Rodgers DEFINITELY wants back a poor throw to a wide-open Jonnu Smith.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
Tyler Loop’s 40-yard FG pushes the Ravens’ lead to double digits.
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Ryan Young
It’s been all Baltimore so far tonight. The Ravens have 125 total yards and a touchdown already tonight, and they’ve held the Steelers to just 21 total yards in the first quarter.
The Ravens are at the Pittsburgh 23 now at the first break.
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Ryan Young
Connor Heyward tried to convert on a short fourth down, but the tush push was stopped just short. The Ravens will now take over on the right side of midfield here.
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Ryan Young
That’s a huge stop for the Steelers to get the ball back. Nate Herbig got to Lamar Jackson easily for the sack on third down.
They’ll now take over near their own 25.
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Ryan Young
The Steelers had one first down there after an early facemask penalty, but the Ravens then forced a quick punt after back-to-back incompletions from Aaron Rodgers.
Lamar Jackson will get the ball back now still early in the opening quarter.
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Ryan Young
The Ravens just went for it on a short fourth down, and quickly turned it into points. Lamar Jackson found a wide open Devontez Walker for a 38-yard touchdown. That was only his sixth career catch, but the fourth touchdown of his career.
Just like that, the Ravens are out in front.
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Ryan Young
The Ravens have received the opening kick, and game No. 272 of the 2025 NFL season is officially underway in Pittsburgh. The winner will head to the playoffs. Here we go…
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Kate Magdziuk
The final game of the 2025 regular season is about to kick off!
Get your TVs set as the Baltimore Ravens visit the Pittsburgh Steelers in a win-or-go-home game for the AFC North. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET, airing live on NFC, Peacock and NFL+.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
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Tarohn Finley
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has no injury designation and will play in Sunday’s AFC North title game against the Pittsburgh Steelers after a week of full practice. This is the first time that Jackson has participated for a full week of practice in two months.
The stakes are high for Sunday night’s game. It will decide who wins the AFC North, and the loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.
Jackson missed Week 17’s 41-24 win over the Green Bay Packers after suffering a serious back contusion the previous week against the New England Patriots.
Ravens quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley started in Jackson’s absence and went 16-of-20 passing for 107 yards and one touchdown. Huntley was aided by running back Derrick Henry, who rushed for 216 yards and four touchdowns, both of which were career highs with the Ravens.
Jackson practiced Wednesday and Thursday and will wear extra padding to protect his back. Before the back injury, Jackson dealt with hamstring, toe and knee injuries this season. He missed three games earlier in the season with a hamstring injury.
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Kate Magdziuk
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Kate Magdziuk
The Pittsburgh Steelers will get back a key contributor on defense in Week 18, as star pass rusher T.J. Watt makes his return from a partially collapsed lung in the regular-season finale.
Watt reportedly suffered a partially collapsed lung while undergoing a dry-needling treatment at the team’s practice facility prior to Week 15; he later underwent surgery to repair it.
His return couldn’t come at a better time, as the Steelers find themselves in a must-win position against the Ravens in Week 18 and could use Watt fully healthy — even though Watt himself is having a down season compared to his usual production.
He enters Week 18 with 7.0 sacks on the season, with 10 tackles for loss and 53 total tackles. He, along with veteran Jalen Ramsey, were among the two Steelers defenders to make the Pro Bowl this season.
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Kate Magdziuk
With less than 90 minutes remaining until the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers kick off in the regular-season finale, each team has announced its Week 18 inactives for gameday.
Here’s a look:
Ravens inactives
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QB Cooper Rush (Emergency 3rd QB)
Steelers inactives
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Will Howard (Emergency 3rd QB)
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Kate Magdziuk
The Pittsburgh Steelers enter Week 18 in a win-or-go-home situation, seeking a bid to the postseason with an AFC North title that only becomes possible with a win over the Ravens.
Could this mark Aaron Rodgers’ last season?
