The eulogy of the 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers was prematurely written.
After “Fire Tomlin” chants rained down from the home crowd a week ago, the Steelers responded as they have so many times under Mike Tomlin: gritting out a necessary win.
Sunday, they divebombed the Baltimore Ravens and stifled Lamar Jackson just enough for a 27-22 win that gave them control of the AFC North.
Following last week’s narrative that the Steelers were dead, Aaron Rodgers was asked what Sunday’s win meant.
"Means maybe you guys would shut the hell up for a week," Rodgers said, smirking, via the official transcript.
For at least a week, Rodgers shut up the complaints about his game. The 42-year-old four-time MVP came out firing, hitting a 52-yard bomb to DK Metcalf on Pittsburgh’s first play from scrimmage. It marked the first time in more than a month that Rodgers hit a pass 20-plus yards downfield. He also scored his first rushing touchdown since 2022, when he was with Green Bay.
It was the best Rodgers has looked in a Steelers jersey, showing he still owns that ability to escape pressure and make plays.
"He just brought that approach all week," Tomlin said of Rodgers. "I think oftentimes game day is indicative of what transpires during the week. I just thought he had can-do attitude, man. He was wired all week. Texted me after hours, et cetera. But I just appreciate his mindset and what he brought into the building today."
The Steelers knew they needed this win to save a devolving season.
The offense got off to a hot start, scoring on five of its first six non-kneel possessions. The defense made life tough on Jackson early and forced a pivotal second-quarter interception from James Pierre that led to a double-digit lead. The Steelers also held Baltimore out of the end zone in the fourth quarter.
"I just think we were in an aggressive posture all day," Tomlin said. "That's how we got out of bed this morning. That's what's required when you're playing these guys in their venue."
To win a division game on the road after getting steamrolled at home by the Buffalo Bills shows that the Steelers won’t go quietly in 2025.
"We knew not to pay attention to any outside noise," Metcalf said after a season-high 148 receiving-yard day. "Coach T is a great leader for us, and he's done nothing but take the bullets for us. Even when we're high and when we're low, he's always come in every day, has been steady and stayed the same, always motivated us to always play our best ball, and that's what he did last week.
"We knew what was at stake -- first place in this heated rivalry, and yeah, the better team came on top."
Getting to the top of the division mountain is step one. Now they must stay there. Pittsburgh hasn’t had back-to-back wins since a three-game streak in Weeks 3-6. The Steelers end the season against Miami, at Detroit, at Cleveland and then with a home rematch against the Ravens.