The Pittsburgh Steelers could secure their eighth division title under head coach Mike Tomlin with a win on Saturday in Baltimore. Tomlin’s teams have succeeded in games where a win would clinch the division. They’re 6-1 in these types of games, and undefeated against Baltimore. Let’s look at the different ways that they’ve clinched the division.
2008: Week 15 at Baltimore (W 13-9)
Prolific offense was not on the menu that day in Baltimore. Instead, we witnessed 3-and-outs, pre-snap penalties, sacks and turnovers. Down 9-6 in the fourth, Ben Roethlisberger finally put together a touchdown drive. With 46 seconds left, Santonio Holmes made a leaning catch in the end zone. The tip of the ball barely crossed the plane for the score. Later, William Gay stopped Joe Flacco’s chance at a comeback with an end-zone interception. The two teams met again in the AFC Championship game, where Pittsburgh won 23-14 en route to their sixth Super Bowl victory.
2010: Week 17 at Cleveland (W 41-9)
The game got off to a splashy start with a Troy Polamalu interception on the second play from scrimmage. Roethlisberger followed that up with a 56-yard TD bomb to Mike Wallace one play later. The Steelers never looked back. Splash was in high supply with additional interceptions from Anthony Madison and Ryan Clark, plus forced fumbles by Brett Keisel and Laurence Timmons. And don’t forget about the touchdown pass from Antwaan Randle El to Hines Ward in the second half.
Not as smooth as the Philly Special, but Steelers with some trickery using Randle El against the Browns in 2010. Not sure why they'd burn this play in a Week 17 blowout and not save it for the playoffs, but… pic.twitter.com/wnTAb09t5V
— Scott Kacsmar (@ScottKacsmar) October 17, 2018
2014: Week 17 vs. Cincinnati (W 27-17)
Roethlisberger had the flu but still threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns. Antwon Blake stripped AJ Green in a key moment. Antonio Brown had a 63-yard catch and run, plus a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown.
2016: Week 16 vs. Baltimore (W 31-27)
This game will forever be remembered for Antonio Brown’s game-winning Immaculate Extension on Christmas Day, which I’ll argue is the single-greatest play in Heinz Field history (even above Polamalu’s interception of Flacco in the AFC Championship). The Steelers were down by 10 in the fourth before securing the comeback on the final play.
December 25, 2016: “The Immaculate Extension.” Antonio Brown (@AB84) reaches the ball over the goal line to give the Steelers a 31–27 win over the Ravens & the AFC North title. pic.twitter.com/AdzD2rLjyf
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) December 25, 2020
2017: Week 14 vs. Baltimore (W 39-38)
Pittsburgh gave up 17 points in the third quarter and were down 11 twice in the fourth. The comeback was fueled by an Antonio Brown 57-yard catch and run. Then, TJ Watt sacked Flacco on 3rd and 10 with 16 seconds left to prevent the fourth-quarter comeback. Roethlisberger had 66 passing attempts in this game, connecting on 44 of them for more than 500 yards.
Since there’s now 6️⃣6️⃣ days remaining until the #Steelers season opener, let’s remember the time Ben Roethlisberger attempted 66 passes against the Baltimore Ravens in December 2017. Ben went 44/66 and threw for over 500 yards in an amazing come from behind victory. pic.twitter.com/4WhNVdsyxj
— Daniel Valente (@StatsGuyDaniel) July 4, 2019
2020: Week 15 at Cincinnati (L 17-27)
This is the only loss on this list. The Bengals came into Pittsburgh with a 2-10-1 record and had lost 11 straight to the Steelers. Plus, backup quarterback Ryan Finley was under center for Cincinnati. But Roethlisberger and the offense started the game with seven 3-and-outs in their first eight possessions. Also, Pittsburgh had three first-half turnovers, including a fumble by JuJu Smith-Schuster at the height of his logo-dancing days. The Steelers were down 17 at the half but fought back to within seven in the fourth. However, four straight incomplete passes on Pittsburgh’s final possession sealed the game for Cincinnati. The game is now known as “The Tik Tok Culture Game” in Cincinnati
2020: Week 16 vs. Indianapolis (W 28-24)
A week later, Pittsburgh trailed again at halftime, 21-7. Roethlisberger threw three touchdowns in the second half as part of a 342-yard performance. The defense only allowed a single field goal in the second half. Mike Hilton recovered a fumble after a TJ Watt strip sack. He also had a key fourth-quarter interception to preserve the lead. Phillip Rivers led a final 12-play drive, but it came short of a comeback. The Steelers celebrated in the locker room with “Won Not Done” t-shirts.
