So…”that’s that.”
“It is what it is.”
Etc.
The conclusion of the NFL’s 2025 regular season is a somber event for some, and a welcome event for others. An 18-week slog with your favorite squad can be in turns joyous and miserable, dependent on the state of said squad at any time.
For the AFC North’s three non-playoff teams’ fans, the proverbial needle has been mostly pointing towards “miserable”, and its lone playoff entrant isn’t exactly long on fan enthusiasm either.
“There’s always next year!” Something like that.
Best of luck to the Steelers, and kudos for being the sole team to (barely) climb out of the rubble.
Browns 20, Bengals 18
Browns DE Myles Garrett established a new single-season sack record with 23, a half-sack more than the previous record, by getting to Bengals QB Joe Burrow with 4:09 remaining in the fourth quarter. Burrow’s offensive line mostly held firm, but eventually tired of holding off Garrett, whose relentless pursuit may be his strongest attribute.
There’s really not much to highlight on offense for Cincinnati. Burrow (29-39, 236 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) was shakier than usual in the face of the Browns’ persistent pass rush, throwing a rare INT for a touchdown. WR Ja’Marr Chase (8 catches, 96 yards, 1 TD) again led the team in receptions and yards, and RB Chase Brown (13 carries, 72 yards, 4 catches, 18 yards, 1 TD) provided some consistency in the rushing attack.
The Browns fared little better on offense, as QB Shedeur Sanders (11-22, 111 yards, 3 carries, 26 yards) put in another up-and-down effort in a rookie year filled with media-generated controversy and attempts to shed the “immature” label bestowed upon him by multiple sources, fairly or not. The team generated an unremarkable 111 yards passing and 118 rushing on the day, with no real individual standouts. As is often the case, the Browns won on the strength of their defense.
The Bengals posted a solid defensive effort themselves. DE Cam Sample (6 tackles, 2 sacks) provided his best effort since tearing his Achilles tendon last season, and DT B.J. Hill (8 tackles, 1 sack) added some rarely-seen push and run coverage from the embattled interior defensive line.
Pretty obvious what each team needs to improve this offseason.
Ravens 24, Steelers 26
Blah blah AFC North trench battle blah slugfest blah.
All other “commentary” aside, the Steelers and Ravens played a typically-ugly, down to the last-second contest that featured plenty of injuries and a loss-inducing miscue from the NFL’s most-likely perpetrator of them.
The Steelers managed to outlast the Ravens due to a missed 44-yard FG attempt by rookie K Tyler Loop as time expired, sealing the fate of subsequently-deposed head coach John Harbaugh, whose Ravens teams have consistently blown pressure-packed fourth quarter leads, a notable trend that dates back over a decade. Oft-battered Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (11-18, 238 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) looked energetic early, lethargic through the third quarter, and finally motivated in the fourth quarter when he tossed two long TD passes to WR Zay Flowers (4 catches, 138 yards, 2 TDs), who quietly slipped behind the defense twice on what appeared to be the same play on subsequent Ravens drives. RB Derrick Henry (20 carries, 126 yards) was solid throughout.
That the Ravens couldn’t finish the comeback is, sadly, part of Harbaugh’s otherwise very-good legacy.
The Steelers, conversely, found their footing late on offense, scoring 23 of their 26 points in the second half, including a no huddle-driven late TD drive to post the ultimately winning points. QB Aaron Rodgers (31-47, 294 yards, 1 TD) was rarely pressured and was able to read through his progressions unbothered most of the evening. RB Kenneth Gainwell (5 carries, 10 yards, 1 TD, 8 catches, 64 yards) was able to showcase his receiving talents on a day where the Ravens actually contained his rushes. WR Calvin Austin III (3 catches, 55 yards, 1 TD) was able to spring free for a late TD via blown coverage – another theme often seen from the Ravens defense this season.
Overall, the defenses were both good and unsightly.
The Ravens lost all-pro S Kyle Hamilton (9 tackles) to a concussion early in the second half, which opened up several opportunities in the deep passing game for Rodgers and company. LB Trenton Simpson (9 tackles) was targeted often due his his suspect coverage ability, with some success. S Alohi Gilman (8 tackles) did his best Hamilton impression for the Ravens in his absence.
Pittsburgh’s defense also showed a polar nature. Edge T.J. Watt (2 tackles, 1 INT), returning from a collapsed lung that sidelined him for several weeks, pulled in Jackson’s lone INT off a favorable deflection that landed on his jersey number, and DT Cam Heyward (7 tackles) utilized all “five tools” in his arsenal in stuffing the run and amply applying pressure to Jackson. S Jalen Ramsey (6 tackles) was burned twice on Flowers’ late TD catches in perhaps his worst outing all season.
Ce la vie?
Enjoy the postseason. (peace sign emoji)
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