The Steelers didn’t just beat the Ravens on Sunday - they reminded everyone what this franchise is built on: grit, urgency, and a defense that knows how to close. After dropping five of their last seven, Pittsburgh stepped into one of the NFL’s most physical rivalries and answered the call.
Alex Highsmith summed it up best after the game: “We knew the most physical team was going to win.” That’s exactly what the Steelers were - not perfect, but punishing.
It wasn’t always pretty. They gave up 217 rushing yards, and there were moments where Baltimore looked poised to steal momentum.
But when it mattered most, Pittsburgh’s defense made the plays that defined the game.
Up 27-16 entering the fourth quarter, the Steelers leaned on their veterans to slam the door shut. The Ravens marched into the red zone on each of their first three possessions in the final frame - and all they had to show for it was two field goals and a turnover on downs. The final drive ended with Highsmith bringing down Lamar Jackson as time expired, a fitting exclamation point on a day where the defense, warts and all, rose to the moment.
“Seeing the time left on the clock, nine seconds, really, just empty the tank,” Highsmith said. “We know that’s probably going to be the last play, because they’re going to have to go to the end zone. Getting off the field in that moment was huge.”
That’s the kind of play that can spark something bigger. The question now is whether this team can finally string it together.
The Steelers started the season 4-1, then stumbled through a rough stretch that included a Thursday night collapse in Cincinnati and an up-and-down showing against the Chargers. They beat a surging Colts squad, then couldn’t hold it together against Buffalo - a game where they looked sharp in the first half, only to unravel after halftime.
So this isn’t about potential. The Steelers have shown flashes of what they can be. The issue is consistency - avoiding the kind of emotional and executional dips that have kept them from stacking wins.
“We just got to be consistent,” Highsmith admitted. “We haven’t been over the past couple of months, so we haven’t put together back-to-back wins. We know that we still got four guaranteed opportunities left, and so we got to make the most [of it], and that starts with getting the win on Monday against the Dolphins.”
And those four games? They might be all this group gets.
This is a veteran-heavy roster that knows the clock is ticking. Rodgers just turned 42.
Cam Heyward is 36. Darius Slay is out, but 35-year-old Adam Thielen just came in.
Jalen Ramsey and T.J. Watt are both 31.
There’s no long runway here - this team is built for now, not later.
That urgency isn’t just inside the locker room. Last week’s loss to Buffalo turned up the heat on Mike Tomlin’s future more than it’s been in years.
No one’s talking about a conventional firing - that’s not how this organization operates - but there’s no denying the noise got louder. And the players heard it, too.
“We’re chasing a Super Bowl, and that’s what it is,” Highsmith said. “We have a great team, and everyone in this locker room trusts each other.
First, we got to win the division, of course. But we know if we get in, we’ll make some noise.
We just got to continue to trust the process and continue to look at this film and not get complacent, not get satisfied because we know there’s a lot of ball ahead of us.”
That mindset - urgency without panic, belief without complacency - is what Pittsburgh needs to carry into the home stretch. They’ve had big wins before, only to stumble right after.
This time, that can’t happen. Not with this group.
Not with what’s at stake.
“We have great leaders on our team, we have great leaders in our locker room,” Highsmith said. “So we got to go out there and do the best we can for those guys. But the urgency is at an all-time high, and it starts next week when we’re playing Miami at home.”
Sunday’s win over Baltimore wasn’t just a bounce-back - it was a statement. Now the Steelers have to back it up. Because if this is really their last ride together, they’re going to need more than just one big game to make it count.