Sunday Night Football strangely turned fast when the Pittsburgh Steelers looked finished in their regular-season finale against the Baltimore Ravens. Time was slipping, and hope was fading for the Steel City. Yet somehow, the ending flipped, and suddenly, Steelers Nation started believing in more than just football.

With a playoff spot hanging in the balance, Ravens kicker Tyler Loop walked out with purpose. The kick was clean off the foot. However, the result was not. The ball drifted wide right, and with that, Acrisure Stadium exploded. As a result of Loop’s missed kick, the Steelers won 26-24 and clinched the AFC North. But before that kick ever happened, something unusual caught the attention.

Earlier in the night, before the game, a priest was seen blessing one end zone with holy water. Not the entire field, just that spot. Coincidentally, it was the same end zone where Tylor Loop aimed moments later. It felt random. But now, after the miss, it feels strange.

However, that moment left Loop heartbroken, and we saw that when he went to the tunnel. Even head coach John Harbaugh was comforting him. In the post-game conference, Loop even addressed his failed kick.

“For it to end like that s–ks, and I want to do better,” Loop said.

Loop said he knew the kick wasn’t good as soon as he struck the ball.

“It was a great situation, exactly what we wanted, and unfortunately, I just mis-hit the ball,” Loop said. “We call it hitting it thin. It spins fast and goes off to the right. The second it made contact with my foot, I felt it lower. We talk about hitting on the fourth lace of the shoe. It felt a little lower down the foot and hit it thin.”

Because of this missed kick, the conversation shifted. Fans on social media ran wild. As a result, many half-jokingly claimed the blessing tilted fate. Whether faith or football, the Steelers are still standing. And in the Steel City, that is all that matters.

Fans credit the priest’s holy water for the Steelers’ Week 18 win

Pittsburgh entered Sunday night at 9-7 and hosted the Ravens with everything on the line. One last postseason spot, and one last chance. The winner would grab the No. 4 seed and earn a home playoff game, with the Texans waiting as the No. 5 seed. Because of one late miss, the Steelers moved to 10-7. More importantly, they are now playoff-bound.

So naturally, Steelers Nation went searching for meaning. Many fans felt their prayers were answered, and they pointed straight to the priest.

“Kicking into the end zone, the Priest blessed with holy water,” one fan wrote. Another followed with even more confidence. “The Holy water pays off!! Thank you to the priest who blessed that endzone pregame!”

What made it wilder was the context. Pittsburgh needed something close to a miracle. Tyler Loop had not missed a single field goal from inside 50 feet all season. Not one. Yet, with the season on the line, the kick sailed wide. It felt like the football gods stepping in. Some even joked they humbled Loop at the worst possible moment, crushing Baltimore hearts.

Then, the internet truly lost control. One fan could not believe the coincidence and wrote, “LMAO THEY HAD A PRIEST SPRAY HOLY WATER IN THE SAME ENDZONE THAT LOOP MISSED THE KICK.”

Another took it even further. “A priest poured holy water in the endzone before the game, and the Ravens miss the easiest FG attempt to win the game towards that very endzone 😭 Don’t tell me God ain’t real!!”

Ultimately, it felt like a blessing for the Steelers and a curse for the Ravens. Baltimore nearly stole Week 18 at Acrisure Stadium. Instead, the Black and Gold survived. With the win, Pittsburgh locked up the final ticket to the 2025 NFL playoffs.

Now, the focus shifts forward. Pittsburgh will defend home turf against the Texans on Jan. 13 in the wild-card round. And as the run begins, Steelers Nation will keep believing in themselves, and maybe, just maybe, in miracles.