Did the Pittsburgh Steelers benefit from divine intervention in Week 18's win over the Baltimore Ravens? It's being discussed.
With two seconds left and Pittsburgh leading 26-24, Baltimore kicker Tyler Loop lined up for a 44-yard field goal. The kick missed wide right, sending the Steelers to the playoffs and the Ravens home in heartbreaking fashion.
Was it simply a missed field goal, or was there more to it? Before the game, the Steelers had a priest bless the Acrisure Stadium field with holy water. The holy water was sprayed in the same end zone where, hours later, Loop's kick sailed wide right.
As would be expected, this revelation drew some strong reactions.
The Steelers blasting the end line where Tyler Loop missed his game-winning field goal with holy water pre-game confirms one thing and one thing only. God hates the Baltimore Ravens," NFL writer Christian D'Andrea said on X, formerly Twitter.
"A priest throws holy water on the Steelers logo and they win by the kicker missing a chipshot field goal, and people still believe God ain’t real," one fan said.
"Coincidence? You tell me," the NFL Talk X account said.
"The holy water worked," said Andrew Fillipponi, an understandably excited Pittsburgh radio host.
We'll never know exactly what caused the field goal attempt to miss. But don't be surprised if teams hosting playoff games try this tactic. The NFL is a copycat league, after all.