Steelers endured a roller coaster of a season to reach the playoffs. Now anything's possible

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Tomlin isn't into “what-ifs?” There's really no point.

Sure, the Pittsburgh Steelers coach could wring his hands over the impossibly thin line between victory and defeat, one his team received an up-close look at yet again in a riveting 26-24 win over Baltimore on Sunday night that clinched Pittsburgh's first AFC North title in five years.

Tomlin could ponder an alternate reality where Baltimore rookie kicker Tyler Loop drills the 44-yard game-winning field goal instead of having it drift right, a result that would have led to some serious soul-searching in Pittsburgh on Monday rather than the giddy anxiety associated with preparing for the playoffs.

Only he won't. Doing so would merely be a waste of energy and time, something the NFL's longest-tenured head coach learned to avoid long ago.

And if Loop's kick splits the uprights, the Ravens would be facing fifth-seeded Houston next Monday.

Only it didn't.

So it's Baltimore — and not Pittsburgh — that got an early start on what could be an eventful offseason. And it's Pittsburgh — and not Baltimore — that enters the 14-team tournament with optimism that feels earned after surviving a chaotic fourth quarter that featured four lead changes, a sprinkling of vintage Aaron Rodgers and a dash of hope that its long postseason playoff victory drought may finally end.

“It's going to give us some belief,” Rodgers said.

And the Steelers think a little belief — along with the return of suspended wide receiver DK Metcalf — could go a long way to ending a six-game playoff skid that at times has felt like an anchor.

Oddsmakers aren't so sure, making the white-hot and fifth-seeded Texans (12-5) the early favorite even though Houston has never won a road playoff game in its 24-year history.

That's fine by Rodgers, who knows a thing or two about sneaking in the playoffs and going on a run. Fifteen years ago, Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers earned a playoff spot on the final day of the season, then won three straight road games to reach the Super Bowl, where they beat Pittsburgh to earn the franchise's fourth Lombardi Trophy.

There's a long way to go between next Monday night and Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday, Feb. 8.

Still, it beats the alternative.

“It’s good to be part of the 14 (teams left), after so many years,” Rodgers said. “(In Green Bay in) ’22 we lost the last game to make the playoffs. (In) '23 I was out. (In) ’24 we were terrible, so nice to be back in this position.”

A position that was a mixture of effort, a dash of excellence and maybe — maybe — a little help from above.

Cameras caught a clergy member sprinkling a little holy water on the Acrisure Stadium turf about two hours before kickoff on Sunday. The clergy made a full lap around the field to make sure all the angles were covered, including the end where Loop's very makeable kick fluttered wide.

Crediting the win to divine intervention would diminish what an undermanned Pittsburgh offense did over the game's last 32 minutes. (Besides, divine intervention is the “Immaculate Reception's" corner).

Not that it matters to longtime defensive tackle Cam Heyward.

“I’m not going to ask questions,” he said. “The good Lord made a good decision tonight. I am thankful and we keep moving on.”

And not looking back.

Giving the ball to Kenny Gainwell and Jaylen Warren and getting out of the way. The duo combined for 2,314 total yards during the regular season, including 173 against the Ravens. Gainwell was selected as the team's MVP last week, a fitting selection for a largely anonymous offense that has found a way to be better than the sum of its parts during critical moments.

Loop's miss bailed out a poor performance by the Pittsburgh secondary, which allowed a pair of long touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and then a 26-yard heave in the final seconds that put the Ravens in position to win. Houston's offense isn't quite as dynamic as Baltimore's, but considering how good the Texans' defense is, it doesn't have to be. The Steelers can ill afford the kind of breakdowns that nearly cost them a division title.

Whenever Heyward's name comes up for Hall of Fame consideration five years after his retirement, whoever is presenting his case should put Sunday night's game on a loop. The 36-year-old was everywhere over the course of three-plus hours, finishing with seven tackles while being a general menace no matter where he lined up. That includes shoving younger brother Connor Heyward across the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown run in Pittsburgh's version of the “Brotherly Shove.”

Chris Boswell is the best kicker in franchise history. Still, the 11-year veteran has been shaky down the stretch. He missed key kicks in Detroit and Cleveland then flubbed his first extra point in nearly two years in the final minute on Sunday night.

Maybe it's not fair to expect Boswell to be perfect, but given how small Pittsburgh's margin for error is, he basically needs to be if the Steelers want to make their playoff appearance more than another token cameo.

The Steelers somehow head into the postseason relatively healthy.

1991 — the previous time the Steelers lost a home game on “Monday Night Football,” a streak they will carry into Houston's visit.

Try to advance in the playoffs for the first time since beating Kansas City in the divisional round in 2016, which could quell the incessant “what about Mike Tomlin's future?” discourse for a good long while.

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Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt (90) celebrates with teammates after an interception during the second half an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Justin Berl)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers stands with defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) after an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Justin Berl)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

President Donald Trump said Thursday Pam Bondi is out as his attorney general.

Trump in a social media post named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as the acting attorney general, though three people familiar with the matter have said he has privately discussed Lee Zeldin, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, as a permanent pick.

It marks the end of a contentious tenure of a loyalist who upended the Justice Department’s culture of independence from the White House, oversaw large-scale firings of career employees and moved aggressively to investigate the Republican president’s perceived enemies.

Here is the latest:

Bondi released a statement Thursday, which read:

“Over the next month I will be working tirelessly to transition the office of Attorney General to the amazing Todd Blanche before moving to an important private sector role I am thrilled about, and where I will continue fighting for President Trump and this Administration.

Leading President Trump’s historic and highly successful efforts to make America safer and more secure has been the honor of a lifetime, and easily the most consequential first year of the Department of Justice in American history.

Since February 2025, we have secured the lowest murder rate in 125 years, secured first-ever terrorism convictions against members of Antifa, shattered domestic and transnational gangs across the country, taken custody of more than 90 key cartel figures, and won 24 favorable rulings at the Supreme Court.

I remain eternally grateful for the trust that President Trump placed in me to Make America Safe Again.”

Democrats in Congress were celebrating the firing of the attorney general, whose appearance on Capitol Hill often featured bitter exchanges with Democratic lawmakers. But they also said that new leadership alone would not be enough to halt the Trump administration’s efforts to remake the Department of Justice to do his bidding.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement that under Bondi’s leadership, the Justice Department “has lost centuries of professional experience, willfully violated federal law and judicial orders alike” and added that her firing is “not enough to restore the credibility of the Justice Department.”

Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that Bondi’s “legacy will be the weaponization of the world’s preeminent law enforcement agency for Donald Trump’s personal benefit, but apparently even she didn’t go far enough to appease him.”

The Republican had only nice things to say about Bondi in an emailed statement, noting a drop in violent crime during her tenure and her Justice Department’s responsiveness to congressional oversight requests.

“The Judiciary Committee stands ready to advance President Trump’s next Attorney General nominee,” Grassley said.

The attorney general was facing a subpoena to appear before the House Oversight Committee on April 14 as lawmakers look into how the Department of Justice handled the release of the case files on Jeffrey Epstein.

The chair of the committee, Rep. James Comer, said in a statement that he would survey Republicans on the committee on whether they still wanted to enforce the subpoena.

Democrats quickly called on the committee to follow through on the subpoena. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, said in a statement that Bondi “will not escape accountability and remains legally obligated to appear before our Committee under oath.”

Bondi was subpoenaed last month to appear before the Republican-led Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and face questions over the Justice Department’s sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and release of the related files.

Mace, who sits on the committee, said in a statement Thursday that Bondi “will be appearing” in two weeks because the “DOJ still hasn’t complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.”

Past attorney generals generally took pains to maintain an arm’s-length distance from the White House to protect the impartiality of investigations and prosecutions.

But Bondi postured herself as Trump’s chief supporter and protector, praising and defending him in congressional hearings and placing a banner with his face on the exterior of Justice Department headquarters.

She called for an end to the “weaponization” of law enforcement that she said occurred under the Biden administration, though her critics said she was the one who had politicized the agency to do the president’s bidding.

The Justice Department’s review and release of Epstein files frustrated members of Congress, who accused the department of hiding certain documents, over-redacting files and, in other cases, failing to redact sensitive information about the victims.

The department denied that it redacted documents in order to protect people and that it improperly withheld certain material. Still, it caused a series of headaches for the Trump administration.

“Thank you to President Trump for the trust and the opportunity to serve as Acting Attorney General,” Blanche wrote in a post on X, after saying that Bondi led the department with “strength and conviction.”

“We will continue backing the blue, enforcing the law, and doing everything in our power to keep America safe,” Blanche said.

Blanche is a former federal prosecutor who worked as Trump’s criminal defense attorney in two cases brought by the department under President Joe Biden’s administration.

He was also a key figure on the president’s defense team in the hush money case against Trump in New York.

Blanche became second in command behind Bondi at the Justice Department last year.

“We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, after saying she’s been a “loyal friend.”

Trump said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will serve as acting attorney general.

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, in response to earlier reports that President Donald Trump was considering ousting Attorney General Pam Bondi, said in a statement Thursday: “I welcome it.”

“Bondi handled the Epstein Files in a terrible manner and seriously undermined President Trump,” said Mace in the statement, whose long been critical of the justice department over the release and review of the Jefferey Epstein files.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that Pam Bondi is out as his attorney general, ending the contentious tenure of a loyalist who upended the Justice Department’s culture of independence from the White House, oversaw large-scale firings of career employees and moved aggressively to investigate the Republican president’s perceived enemies.

The announcement follows months of scrutiny over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation that made Bondi the target of angry conservatives even with her close relationship with Trump. She also struggled to satisfy Trump’s demands to prosecute his political rivals, with multiple investigations rejected by judges or grand juries.

The former Florida attorney general came into office last year pledging that she would not play politics with the Justice Department, but she quickly started investigations of Trump foes, sparking an outcry that the law enforcement agency was being wielded as a tool of revenge to advance the president’s political and personal agenda.

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FILE - Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks with reporters during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Nov. 19, 2025, in Washington, as Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, listens. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)

FILE - Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche meets with reporters in Washington, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)

FILE - Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)