Aaron Rodgers Reacts as Steelers Clinch NFL Playoff Bracket Spot Over Ravens on Video

Aaron Rodgers is heading back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2021 season thanks to the Pittsburgh Steelers' 26-24 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, and the 42-year-old was quite emotional in the aftermath.

"It's pretty emotional, honestly," he said during his postgame interview on NBC. "It's been a great year. I'm thankful for these guys."

"We haven't made it easy on ourselves, really all season, I guess," Rodgers added, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "But I'm proud of our guys. I'm proud of the way that we responded multiple times after they took a lead. It just takes a little belief at this point in the season."

While it remains to be seen whether Rodgers will retire after this season, it's safe to say his first and perhaps only year with the Steelers went much better than his time on the New York Jets.

He suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the first game of the 2023 campaign and then went 5-12 as a starter in 2024. That left plenty of questions about his future, but he answered them by leading the Steelers to an AFC North crown and 10-7 record.

"It's been a grinding year," he said after Sunday's win. "And the two years before that were tough as well."

Steelers Clinch Playoffs on Missed FG 😱

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Rodgers made enough plays to win against the Ravens by going 31-of-47 passing for 294 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions. He directed two touchdown drives in a wild fourth quarter that featured two touchdowns for each team in the final nine minutes, the last of which proved to be the game-winner.

His touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III put the Steelers ahead by two points with 55 seconds remaining, but Chris Boswell missed the ensuing extra point. That gave the Ravens the opportunity to win the game with just a field goal, but it ended up not even being the biggest kicking mistake of the game.

Instead, the Ravens drove into what would have been game-winning field-goal range thanks to an incredible catch by Isaiah Likely just for Tyler Loop to miss the kick.

The missed kick sent the Steelers to the playoffs and gave Rodgers a chance to finish his emotional season with success in the postseason.