The erratic Steelers blew a chance to clinch the AFC North in Cleveland. Week 18 could go either way

PITTSBURGH (AP) — It was always going to end up like this for the Pittsburgh Steelers, wasn't it?

Week 18. At home. Their biggest rival on the other sideline. A playoff spot on the line.

It's a proposition the perpetually erratic Steelers happily would have taken four months ago when they began the season with the NFL's oldest player at quarterback and plenty of question marks surrounding him.

Funny, it doesn't quite feel that way now.

Not after a chance to clinch the AFC North disappeared into the muck in Cleveland on Sunday, when Aaron Rodgers and an offense that sure played like it missed suspended wide receiver DK Metcalf spent three hours running scared from Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.

The loss — Pittsburgh's fourth straight on the shores of Lake Erie — set up a winner-take-all showdown with Baltimore next week for the division title and the postseason berth that comes with it.

And while everyone from Rodgers to coach Mike Tomlin to longtime defensive captain Cam Heyward tried to spin it forward, the reality is that when the Steelers step onto the Acrisure Stadium turf next Sunday night in the final game of the NFL's regular season, they will be the ones carrying all the pressure.

Tomlin said famously a year ago that Pittsburgh's stretch of postseason failures — the club hasn't won a playoff game since the final days of former President Barack Obama’s administration — is his burden alone to carry.

Maybe, but the onus is on the franchise as a whole to generate legitimate forward momentum.

While the Steelers made moves in the offseason designed to set the club up for the longer haul, like acquiring Metcalf and defensive back Jalen Ramsey and giving them new deals, they also signed Rodgers with the idea that the now-42-year-old might have enough left in the tank to win a game or two in mid-to-late January.

Rodgers has been fine. Some days, he will show flashes of his former MVP form. Others, he looks very much like the only player on the field born when Ronald Reagan was president. At the very least, he will escape this season with his legacy intact.

Tomlin, however, has far more at stake. While his resume is such that he's nearing a lock for the Hall of Fame one day, he finds himself and his team in the same spot it's been in for most of the last 15 seasons: on the fringe of contention.

The NFL rules stipulate that the winner Sunday night will receive the home playoff game that serves as the reward for earning a division title. If the Steelers survive, they'll enter a wide-open AFC with the fewest victories (10) of any club in the seven-team field.

Just like they did as a wild card in 2023. And 2021. They were the sixth seed a year ago, thanks to a tiebreaker over Denver. All three of those appearances ended with double-digit losses and a quick exit.

Tomlin insisted after watching his team get bullied in Baltimore in the first round last January that the franchise was not stuck. Asked why, the longest-tenured head coach in major North American professional sports said because stuck implies hopelessness, and he was confident the Steelers were not hopeless because they had a plan.

Over the last 12 months, that plan has led the franchise back to an all-too familiar spot: mediocrity.

A chance for Tomlin to reset the narrative and Rodgers to enjoy one final playoff push awaits with a victory on Sunday night.

Unleashing Alex Highsmith. Often considered the “Robin” to T.J. Watt's “Batman,” Highsmith had one of the best games of his career in Cleveland, sacking Shedeur Sanders twice, drawing a holding penalty and generally being a menace nearly every time he lined up.

Game plans that don't get tight end Pat Freiermuth the ball. While Freiermuth did play nearly 70% of the snaps and caught three passes for 63 yards, two of those receptions came during a desperate last-minute drive. That's not nearly enough on a day the Steelers were missing Metcalf.

Rookie linebacker Jack Sawyer is blossoming in real time. The third-round pick from Ohio State caught the attention of Pittsburgh's coaching staff ahead of the draft because of his ability to produce plays in critical moments. It happened again on Sunday when he collected his second interception of the season and returned it 27 yards.

There's a reason Marquez Valdes-Scantling was available at midseason after being released by San Francisco in an injury settlement. While Valdes-Scantling still has elite straight-line speed, his route running and hands are average at best. Rodgers went just 3 for 9 when targeting Valdes-Scantling on Sunday, and the misses weren't particularly close.

There's a chance Watt is available after missing the last three games while recovering from surgery to repair a partially collapsed lung. ... Veteran LG Isaac Seumalo's triceps injury has forced him to sit out consecutive weeks. ... TE Darnell Washington, who has excelled as both a blocker and a pass catcher this season, is dealing with a broken arm. ... WR Calvin Austin III's hamstring may be healed in time to face Baltimore.

5-2 — Pittsburgh's all-time record (playoffs included) against Baltimore in games played in January.

Hope the potential return of Watt is enough of a spark to avoid a late collapse.

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Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington (80) catches a pass in front of Cleveland Browns safety Grant Delpit (9) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) tries to break a tackle by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump warned Iran on Monday that the U.S. could carry out further military strikes if the country attempts to reconstitute its nuclear program as he held wide-ranging talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his home in Florida.

Trump had previously insisted that Tehran's nuclear capabilities were “completely and fully obliterated” by U.S. strikes on key nuclear enrichment sites in June. But with Netanyahu by his side, Trump raised the possibility that suspected activity could be taking place outside those sites. Israeli officials, meanwhile, have been quoted in local media expressing concern about Iran rebuilding its supply of long-range missiles capable of striking Israel.

“Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again,” Trump told reporters gathered at his Mar-a-Lago estate. “And if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down. We'll knock them down. We'll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.”

Trump’s warning to Iran comes as his administration has committed significant resources to targeting drug trafficking in South America and the president looks to create fresh momentum for the U.S.-brokered Israel-Hamas ceasefire. The Gaza deal is in danger of stalling before reaching its complicated second phase that would involve naming an international governing body and rebuilding the devastated Palestinian territory.

At a news conference with Netanyahu after their meeting, Trump suggested that he could order another U.S. strike.

“If it’s confirmed, they know the consequences, and the consequences will be very powerful, maybe more powerful than the last time,” Trump said.

Iran has insisted that it is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country, trying to signal to the West that it remains open to potential negotiations over its atomic program. The two leaders discussed the possibility of taking new military action against Tehran just months after June’s 12-day war.

The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s warning.

Trump, with Netanyahu by his side, said he wants to get to the second phase of the Gaza deal “as quickly as we can.”

“But there has to be a disarming of Hamas,” Trump added.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that Trump championed has mostly held, but progress has slowed recently. Both sides accuse each other of violations, and divisions have emerged among the U.S., Israel and Arab countries about the path forward.

The truce's first phase began in October, days after the two-year anniversary of the initial Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people. All but one of the 251 hostages taken then have been released, alive or dead.

The Israeli leader, who also met separately with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has signaled he is in no rush to move forward with the next phase as long as the remains of Ran Gvili are still in Gaza.

Gvili’s parents met with Netanyahu as well as Rubio, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in Florida on Monday.

“They’re waiting for their son to come home," Trump said of the family of the young police officer known affectionately as “Rani."

The path to implementing Trump's peace plan is certainly complicated.

If successful, the second phase would see the rebuilding of a demilitarized Gaza under international supervision by a group chaired by Trump and known as the Board of Peace. The Palestinians would form a “technocratic, apolitical” committee to run daily affairs in Gaza, under Board of Peace supervision.

It further calls for normalized relations between Israel and the Arab world and a possible pathway to Palestinian independence. Then there are thorny logistical and humanitarian questions, including rebuilding war-ravaged Gaza, disarming Hamas and creating a security apparatus called the International Stabilization Force.

Two main challenges have complicated moving to the second phase, according to an official who was briefed on those meetings. Israeli officials have been taking a lot of time to vet and approve members of the Palestinian technocratic committee from a list given to them by the mediators, and Israel continues its military strikes.

Trump’s plan also calls for the stabilization force, proposed as a multinational body, to maintain security. But it, too, has yet to be formed. Whether details will be forthcoming after Monday's meeting is unclear.

A Western diplomat said there is a “huge gulf” between the U.S.-Israeli understanding of the force's mandate and that of other major countries in the region, as well as European governments.

All spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that haven't been made public.

The U.S. and Israel want the force to have a “commanding role” in security duties, including disarming Hamas and other militant groups. But countries being courted to contribute troops fear that mandate will make it an “occupation force,” the diplomat said.

Hamas has said it is ready to discuss “freezing or storing” its arsenal of weapons but insists it has a right to armed resistance as long as Israel occupies Palestinian territory. One U.S. official said a potential plan might be to offer cash incentives in exchange for weapons, echoing a “buyback” program Witkoff has previously floated.

The two leaders, who have a long and close relationship, heaped praise on each other. Trump also tweaked the Israeli leader, who at moments during the war has raised Trump's ire, for being “very difficult on occasion.”

Netanyahu said Trump during the lunch was formally told that his country's education ministry will award him the Israel Prize, breaking the long-held convention of bestowing the honor on an Israeli citizen or resident.

“President Trump has broken so many conventions to the surprise of people,” Netanyahu said. He added, “So we decided to break a convention too, or create a new one."

Trump also renewed his call on Israeli President Isaac Herzog to grant Netanyahu, who is in the midst of a corruption trial, a pardon.

Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial, after being charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy political supporters.

Trump has previously written to Herzog to urge a pardon and advocated for one during his October speech before the Knesset. He said Monday that Herzog has told him “it’s on its way" without offering further details.

“He’s a wartime prime minister who’s a hero. How do you not give a pardon?" Trump said.

Herzog's office said in a statement that the Israeli president and Trump have not spoken since the pardon request was submitted, but that Herzog has spoken with a Trump representative about the U.S. president's letter advocating for Netanyahu's pardon.

“During that conversation, an explanation was provided regarding the stage of the process in which the request currently stands, and that any decision on the matter will be made in accordance with the established procedures,” the Israeli president's office said.

Mednick reported from Jerusalem and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville in Washington, Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations, and Lee Keath and Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump speaks as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listens during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump greets Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump speaks before a luncheon with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listens as President Donald Trump speaks before a luncheon at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are seated before a luncheon at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump listens as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during an arrival at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump speaks during a NORAD, North American Aerospace Defense Command, Tracks Santa Operation call at his Mar-a-Lago club, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference after a trilateral meeting with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Citadel of David Hotel in Jerusalem, Monday Dec. 22, 2025. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)

Amal Matar, 65, sits next to the oven as she cooks for her family in the Al-Shati camp, northern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinian youth walk along a tent camp for displaced people as the sun sets in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)