The NFL regular season came down to the final seconds of its final game before coach Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers prevailed over the Baltimore Ravens 26-24 to win the AFC North.
A loss, which would have occurred if Ravens’ kicker Tyler Loop had connected on a 44-yard field goal attempt, might have spelled doom for Tomlin in the Steel City.
As is, Tomlin will lead his team into a home playoff game against the surging Houston Texans on Monday night. He is likely to return to Pittsburgh for a 19th season.
Let’s look back at the regular season and ahead to the playoffs, Reid Roundup style.Raheem Morris went 16-18 (8-9 twice) as head coach over two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. He failed to reach the playoffs and was fired a few hours after leading Atlanta to a win over the New Orleans Saints. The team’s African American GM Terry Fontenot was also dismissed…It’s a statistical fact that Black NFL head coaches are fired quicker than their white counterparts. Owner Arthur Blank’s decision is unfortunately par for the proverbial course…An irony is that Raheem’s final win helped make the 8-9 Carolina Panthers the NFC South champs, even though Tampa Bay and Atlanta were also 8-9…Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans was on the hot seat at midseason, but his team closed out with a nine-game win streak. While Pittsburgh is host, the Texans are favored to win their playoff game…The matchup guarantees a Black head coach will reach the NFL Divisional Round…Of the 14 teams that reached the NFL playoffs, five will start a Black quarterback: C.J. Stroud, Houston; Bryce Young, Carolina; Jordan Love, Green Bay; Caleb Williams, Chicago; and Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia…Love and Williams will square off in a wild card game, sending at least one Black QB to the Divisional Round… Of the 32 NFL teams, 14 had an African American starting quarterback in Week 1. During the final week, Trey Lance started for the L.A. Chargers and Josh Johnson guided the Washington Commanders… Jacoby Brissett took over in Arizona for the injured Kyler Murray, and Malik Willis was Green Bay’s starter for several games while Love was hurt. In all, 18 Black quarterbacks started respective NFL games this season…Willis played so well with Green Bay, could be a starter for a team in 2026…Malcontent Murray will likely be released or traded by the Cardinals…Dak Prescott will return as Dallas quarterback after playing all 17 games of this disastrous 7-9-1 season. The Cowboys embarrassed themselves with a miserable 34-17 loss to the lowly New York Giants…I doubt Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who caused the 2025 defensive meltdown by trading Micah Parsons, will pay free agent wide receiver George Pickens what he would seek on the open market. Pickens won’t quietly accept a franchise tag. Fireworks to come… QB Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are watching the playoffs. So are QB Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens and STL’s own Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions wide receiver. The Ravens were the betting favorite to reach the Super Bowl, and the Chiefs and Lions weren’t far behind…The rocky relationship between Baltimore coach John Harbaugh and Jackson could end with one of them gone. Jackson, according to a Baltimore Sun report, has issues with conditioning, diet, late-night video-game sessions, and meeting-room naps. Jackson’s salary cap cost in both 2026 and 2027 would be $74 million, which could move the Ravens to find a trade partner. The alternative would be extending Jackson’ contract to lower the cap hit but my guess is Harbaugh wants no part of that…Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, whose contract has expired, is a hot commodity. Reports say the Las Vegas Raiders and minority owner Tom Brady are interested in him becoming the downtrodden team’s head coach. Flores, former Miami Dolphins head coach, still has a racial discrimination lawsuit pending against the NFL and the Denver Broncos, Giants, Texans, and Dolphins…Vance Joseph, former Denver head coach and its current defensive coordinator, and Jesse Minter, Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator, are the leading Black candidates to secure an open NFL head coaching position. Minters’ defense smothered the potent San Francisco 49ers offense in a 13-3 road win the NFC West.