Brutal AFC North

The AFC North has always been unforgiving, but its featured contest the other day managed to distill its cruelty into one final, unblinking moment. The Steelers escaped the Ravens, 26-24, through sheer endurance, absorbing every late shove until the clock expired and the division title finally settled in black and gold. For the hosts, it was a return to familiar territory, albeit far from guaranteed; they were champions and playoff-bound anew, but the path to success was replete with challenges. Meanwhile, the vanquished found the season compressed into a single breath held too long and released only after the cowhide drifted wide right.

To be sure, the set-to unfolded with expected tension. The Ravens struck first, assertive and efficient, leaning into their physical identity to briefly seize control. The Steelers answered in fragments, never quite smooth but decidedly stubborn, keeping the outcome in doubt even when it seemed to favor the visitors. Needless to say, the absence of order seeped into the fourth quarter; leads changed hands, nerves frayed, and execution grew more difficult with escalating consequence. They reclaimed the advantage late, leaning on calmness and confidence borne of equal parts defiance and experience.

The self-assurance was, not surprisingly, embodied by Aaron Rodgers, whose presence throughout their 2025 campaign had been debated more than celebrated. He was neither spectacular nor tentative the other day, but he did provide precision exactly when required. If nothing else, his touchdown pass in the crunch reminded all and sundry that time can still be tamed. The Steelers’ offense may not have dominated, but it trusted itself, and that trust proved decisive in the game’s final exchange.

Make no mistake. The Ravens did more than enough to claim victory. Lamar Jackson engineered the drive he needed, converting under pressure to push the purple and black into position for a seemingly surefire field goal. When the kick missed, however, there was no one to console and no explanation to offer. They had not been undone by a single play, but they were dismissed by the last all the same.

The National Football League is invariably brutal, of course, and none more so than the AFC North. The Steelers move forward because they were steadier in the waning moments. The Ravens head into winter forced to examine how a season with so much promise could end in disappointment. Once again, it turns out, fate proves that a title can simply by inherited by survivors.

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.