Gerry Dulac: Steelers' stars shined when they were needed most

Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Jan 5, 2026

Published in Football

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PITTSBURGH — The lights were on, the stage was set, and a prime-time audience got to see exactly what everyone comes to see in these types of moments:

The stars shining brightest.

And that's what the Pittsburgh Steelers got in their title-clinching victory Sunday night against the Baltimore Ravens — their biggest stars playing their best in the biggest game.

They weren't hard to spot, either.

Aaron Rodgers, Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt delivered award-winning performances at the most critical time, allowing the Steelers to win their first AFC North title in five years. They are the Steelers' best players, and they stepped up when the team needed them most.

"I think we just have a lot of guys who understand the importance of the moment and understand how rare it is to be exactly where we are and just appreciate the moment," Watt said. "When those big-time plays are to be made, the majority of the time we have been able to make them."

There was no mistaking their impact, especially from Rodgers.

He produced two touchdowns in the final four minutes, including the eventual game-winner with a 26-yard touchdown to Calvin Austin III with 55 seconds remaining.

Heyward played 37 of the 51 snaps on defense — not to mention three on offense and six on special teams — and led the team with seven tackles.

And Watt, playing for the first time since having surgery for a partially collapsed lung, played 43 snaps and came up with an interception that led to the go-ahead field goal in the third quarter.

"It's cool when you see the ball in the hands of [Number] 8 there," Watt said. "This is why he's here. This is the best dude in the NFL for this moment. To see him deliver on a big stage was unbelievable."

The biggest stars were shining on the other side, too.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson showed why he is a two-time league MVP when he threw touchdowns of 36, 50 and 64 yards and nearly brought his team back to victory in the final seconds. If rookie kicker Tyler Loop doesn't miss for the first time in 30 attempts inside of 50 yards, Jackson's performance would be hailed league-wide as one of the greatest of the season.

But even he was upstaged by Rodgers, who continues to impress and surprise the league at age 42. He showed why offensive coordinator Arthur Smith calls him the smartest quarterback he's ever been around.

Rodgers threw for a season-high 294 yards, wasn't intercepted for the seventh game in a row and ninth in the past 10 and was at his dazzling best answering each of Jackson's long touchdown throws. That's when he completed 12 of 14 passes for 106 yards on the back-to-back touchdown drives that ultimately produced the victory.

His two biggest throws — 26 yards to Austin and a 31-yarder to tight end Pat Freiermuth on the previous drive — each came on third-and-long.

"That's what you want. You want the ball in your hands with 2:20 left and you get a touchdown," Rodgers said. "That's exactly what you want. I was calm all day long with the gravity of the game and knowing what was in store for us. But I was confident that I was going to play a good game and that I could kind of be the magnetic force out there to keep guys confident and calm."

Rodgers was so confident that, even in the moments after the embarrassing loss in Cleveland, he said he expected the Steelers to go back home and win. And they did.

"That's part of it being the old guy, having a lot of gray in your beard," Rodgers said. "They expect things from you, and it's nice to be able to deliver in moments like that."

The same can be said of Heyward, who at age 36 and in his 15th NFL season has not dropped off at all.

He not only lifted his team on his shoulders and carried them to victory in the figurative sense, he literally lifted his brother Connor and carried him across the goal line in the tush-push formation for the Steelers' first touchdown.

"What a Warrior!!!" former defensive teammate Brett Keisel proclaimed on social media.

"Absolutely!" responded Hall of Fame guard Alan Faneca. "Cam was everywhere."

Heyward was injured on the first play of the game when he was trying to make a tackle downfield on Derrick Henry's 41-yard run. But he came back a couple plays later and was the ringleader of a defense that held Henry to 47 yards on 10 carries the final three quarters.

"Defensive tackle at 45 years old is incredible," Watt said, poking fun at Heyward's age. "It's just awesome to have him as a teammate, honestly. Just the leadership. It's important to win, and there are certain people you want to deliver wins for, and he's definitely one of those guys."

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