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PITTSBURGH — A Ravens season that started with Super Bowl dreams ended in misery Sunday night, as a last-second 26-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers kept them out of the playoffs for the first time since 2021 and prompted questions about an offseason reckoning.

Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers found wide receiver Calvin Austin for a go-ahead 26-yard touchdown pass with 55 seconds remaining, but Chris Boswell’s missed extra point left them with a two-point lead. The Ravens, needing only a field goal to complete their own dramatic comeback, set up rookie kicker Tyler Loop for a 44-yarder, but he missed wide right.

The Steelers outscored the Ravens 24-14 over the final 39 minutes inside Acrisure Stadium to deny their AFC North rivals a historic three-peat and secure the No. 4 seed in the playoffs.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson, making his first start since suffering a Week 16 back contusion, finished one of his most trying seasons in Baltimore 11-for-18 for 238 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. His 50-yard bomb to wide receiver Zay Flowers on a broken play gave the Ravens (8-9) a 17-13 lead midway through the fourth quarter, and a 64-yard touchdown pass to Flowers gave them another late lead. But a disappearing defense cost Jackson, who fell to 3-7 against Pittsburgh (9-8) in his career.

Rodgers finished 31-for-47 for 294 yards and a touchdown despite not having star wide receiver DK Metcalf. The Steelers scored on four of their five second-half possessions.

The Ravens’ collapse will intensify the scrutiny on coach John Harbaugh, who finished the year with only his third losing season in Baltimore, and general manager Eric DeCosta, who built a much-hyped roster that was repeatedly exposed in prime-time losses. Harbaugh is under contract through 2028, but fan discontent has boiled over at points this year.

The game swung dramatically in the third quarter. During the Steelers’ opening 12-play, 67-yard touchdown march to tie the game, Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton was carted off the field after a head-to-head collision with safety Alohi Gilman. The three-time Pro Bowl selection was ruled out with a concussion.

On the Ravens’ ensuing possession, Jackson had a pass deflected by defensive lineman Cameron Heyward and then by left tackle Ronnie Stanley end up in the grasp of outside linebacker T.J. Watt, a longtime Ravens nemesis. The Steelers took their first lead of the game on a 25-yard field goal by Boswell.

The Ravens enjoyed a dream start. On the game’s opening possession, Jackson found wide receiver Devontez Walker open on a third-down crossing route for a 38-yard catch-and-run score. The Steelers, meanwhile, punted after one first down on their first drive and turned the ball over on downs on their second.

But the Ravens’ offense downshifted from there. They had just four first downs over their next four drives, and their lone second-quarter score, a 40-yard field goal by Loop, came after the Steelers’ turnover on downs in their own half.

The Ravens entered halftime leading 10-3 but only barely. Gilman’s open-field tackle on a misdirection pitch play from the 1-yard line stopped running back Kenneth Gainwell short of the goal line as time expired.

Is this the end for John Harbaugh?

It was a brutal ending. It was also a fitting ending. Lamar Jackson flashed his brilliance but not consistently. The secondary held up early before folding late. The pass rush was nonexistent. And the edges that the Ravens have long enjoyed under John Harbaugh — namely special teams excellence — disappeared at inopportune times.

I don’t know that this game will lead to Harbaugh’s ouster after 18 seasons in Baltimore. But it’s hard not to see it as a referendum on his coaching arc. How many times have the Ravens let victory out of their grasp in high-profile moments? How many more times will it have to happen before they make a change?

Only Steve Bisciotti can make that decision. It won’t be an easy call.

— Jonas Shaffer, Ravens reporter

A hint of Lamarvelous

It’s great to see Lamar Jackson still has that magic in him. The 50-yard touchdown to Flowers displayed that he’s still got his elusiveness and that he can still hit a receiver with a deep ball. It never made sense to say it had disappeared during a tough season, but it was deflating to wait for it time and again, only for him to take a sack or be tackled by a shoestring. That probably shows how limited by injury he has been. This is a good sign that he can come back next season and still be the guy the Ravens need.

— Giana Han, Ravens reporter

A game that had it all … except a good kick

Let’s take a beat for Lamar Jackson. His aerial threat gave the offense life it was missing for so much of the season, and his escape on his near sack for the 50-yard touchdown to Zay Flowers was classic Jackson, just in his absolute prime. Flowers and Isaiah Likely made huge plays to give the Ravens a shot at making three consecutive AFC North titles a reality.

But great players make plays and the Football Gods laugh. It came down to a kick. The Ravens took a knee knowing it would be be a pressure-packed scenario for Tyler Loop. And he chunked it. No other way to put it. Weird things happen in Pittsburgh; we’ve known it all along. And putting your faith in one of your youngest unproven players is the mistake that will send the Ravens packing.

— Kyle Goon, columnist

It was always going to be this way

It was a season of mess, culminating in a must-win game at Pittsburgh. So yeah. You knew it was going to be like this. The game wasn’t beautiful, but it gave you so much that you love about football. And Lamar Jackson, after a year that went anything but the way he wanted it to, did all he could.

So there stood Tyler Loop, the rookie kicker brought in to replace Justin Tucker, with a chance to win it.

And the ball fluttered wide right, leaving so many blank stares and too many questions about what’s next for a Ravens team that has spent too many seasons failing to deliver on its promise.

— Chris Korman, editor