As soon as the ball left his foot, Baltimore Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop knew his season—and his team's playoff hopes—were over. With three seconds remaining on the clock and the AFC North title hanging in the balance, Loop's 44-yard field goal attempt sliced wide right, handing the Pittsburgh Steelers a dramatic 26-24 victory and ending the Ravens' season in the most heartbreaking fashion imaginable. The miss not only cost Baltimore a division championship but also eliminated them from postseason contention for the first time since 2021, marking a stunning conclusion to a year that began with Super Bowl aspirations.
How the Ravens-Steelers Instant Classic Unfolded
Sunday night's showdown at Acrisure Stadium lived up to its billing as one of the most consequential games of the NFL season. The Ravens jumped out to a 10-0 lead behind a 38-yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson to Devontez Walker and a 40-yard field goal from Loop himself. But the Steelers methodically chipped away, taking their first lead at 13-10 late in the third quarter on a Chris Boswell field goal. What followed was a fourth quarter that featured four lead changes and enough drama to fill an entire postseason.
Jackson connected with Zay Flowers on touchdown passes of 50 and 64 yards to twice give Baltimore the lead, but Aaron Rodgers answered each time—first with a 2-yard Kenneth Gainwell touchdown run, then with a 26-yard strike to Calvin Austin III with just 55 seconds remaining. That final touchdown gave Pittsburgh a 26-24 advantage after Boswell missed the extra point, leaving the door open for the Ravens' last-gasp drive.
Jackson engineered a clutch drive, hitting Isaiah Likely for 26 yards on fourth-and-7 to move into field goal range. After centering the ball with a kneel-down, the Ravens sent out their rookie kicker for what would have been the biggest moment of his young career. According to Next Gen Stats, Loop had a 79% chance of converting the 44-yard attempt. He had been nearly flawless all season, making 30 of 33 field goals (90.9%) and perfect from 40-49 yards. But as the snap arrived, something went wrong.
The Anatomy of a Season-Ending Miss
"The second it made contact with my foot, I felt it lower," Loop explained after the game. "We talk about hitting on the fourth lace of the shoe. It felt a little lower down the foot and hit it thin." The ball sailed right of the uprights, and Loop immediately sank into a crouch, grabbing his facemask in disbelief. Steelers players erupted in celebration while Ravens players stood stunned on the sideline.
Loop faced the media for over seven minutes afterward, taking full responsibility for the miss. "Just want to say I'm super grateful to Baltimore, the organization and the city, just how they embraced me this year has been incredible," he said. "Just for it to end like that sucks, and I want to do better. Unfortunately, the nature of the job is you have makes, and those are awesome, and unfortunately, you have misses, and for that to happen tonight sucks."
Head coach John Harbaugh immediately went to console his devastated kicker, putting his arm around Loop as they walked off the field together. "Just [get] back in the saddle," Harbaugh told him. "Hey, you're going to have more [kicks]. You have to get ready. It sucks, and we have your back, but we have to go.'" That supportive gesture stood in contrast to the often-cruel reality of NFL kickers, who frequently face intense scrutiny after high-profile misses.
Where This Miss Ranks in NFL History
Loop's miss inevitably drew comparisons to other infamous kicking failures in NFL lore. The immediate parallel was Scott Norwood's "Wide Right" miss in Super Bowl XXV, a 47-yard attempt that cost the Buffalo Bills a championship. There were also echoes of Mike Vanderjagt's missed 46-yarder in the 2005 playoffs that allowed the Steelers to upset the Colts—ironically, also against Pittsburgh.
For Ravens fans, the moment evoked painful memories of Billy Cundiff hooking a 32-yard field goal left in the final seconds of the 2011 AFC Championship Game against New England. More recently, the franchise has endured late-game heartbreak in the form of Zay Flowers' fumble near the goal line in the 2023 AFC Championship and Mark Andrews' dropped 2-point conversion attempt in last year's divisional round.
What makes Loop's situation unique is his rookie status and the circumstances surrounding his arrival in Baltimore. The Ravens selected the Arizona standout in the sixth round of the 2025 draft to replace franchise legend Justin Tucker, who was released after serving a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Loop had been outstanding for most of the season, holding college records for longest field goal (62 yards) and success rate (83.75%), and earning All Pac-12 honors in 2023.
The Fallout and What Comes Next
The loss dropped the Ravens to 8-9, giving them their first losing season since 2021 and just their third in Harbaugh's 18-year tenure. They became the first preseason Super Bowl favorite to miss the playoffs since the 2008 New England Patriots, who lost Tom Brady to injury in their opener. Jackson, who threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns in the losing effort, described the emotions as "devastating" and "furious."
Meanwhile, the Steelers celebrated their 10th AFC North title since the 2002 realignment and eighth under head coach Mike Tomlin, who tied Chuck Noll for the most regular-season wins in franchise history with 193. Pittsburgh now advances to host the Houston Texans in the wild-card round on January 12, while Baltimore heads into an offseason filled with difficult questions.
For Loop, the path forward involves processing the miss and preparing for what comes next. His teammates expressed unanimous support, with Jackson noting "He's a rookie, you know. It's all good. Just leave it in the past," and Derrick Henry advising him to "keep his spirits up." The Ravens have shown no indication they plan to move on from their young kicker, who otherwise had an impressive rookie campaign.
The Bottom Line: What We Learned from Baltimore's Collapse
The Ravens' season-ending loss revealed several truths about their team and the NFL at large. First, the margin between success and failure in the league remains razor-thin—a single kick determined not just a game but an entire division title and playoff berth. Second, the psychological burden on kickers remains immense, particularly for rookies thrust into high-pressure situations. Finally, Baltimore's inability to close out games—a theme throughout their season—ultimately proved their undoing.
As the Steelers prepare for their playoff run and the Ravens begin their offseason, Tyler Loop's missed field goal will linger as one of the defining moments of the 2025 NFL season. Whether it becomes a career-defining failure or a temporary setback for the promising young kicker remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: in the crucible of an NFL playoff race, sometimes everything really does come down to one kick.
