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NFL Flexes Ravens–Steelers to Season-Ending Sunday Night Finale With AFC North at Stake

The league placed the rivalry in the closing window to feature a win-or-go-home division decider shaped by key injury questions at quarterback and edge rusher.

Overview

  • Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 4 on NBC, closing the 2025 regular season with Game No. 272 in Pittsburgh.
  • The winner clinches the AFC North and a home playoff game, and the loser is eliminated from the postseason.
  • Baltimore reached 8-8 by beating the Packers 41-24, and Cleveland’s 13-6 upset of Pittsburgh left the Steelers at 9-7 and set up the Week 18 decider.
  • Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is considered roughly 50-50 to play after a back contusion, with Tyler Huntley next in line if he cannot go.
  • Steelers star T.J. Watt is viewed as unlikely to return as he recovers from surgery for a partially collapsed lung, while Panthers-Buccaneers and Seahawks-49ers headline Saturday’s national windows with division and top-seed implications.