Tuesday’s “First Call” has some trash talk from Le’Veon Bell toward a current Steelers defensive back. A former Pitt standout thinks the Steelers have little hope in their next game against Houston.
Russell Wilson may have cost his current team some money on the way out the door. And that game-ending kick from Baltimore’s Tyler Loop made some infamous history.
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Stuck in a Loop
If you felt like Sunday’s missed field goal from Baltimore kicker Tyler Loop was like nothing you’ve ever seen before, you were right.
Loop’s miss of a 44-yard field goal was the first of its kind in NFL history. The rookie’s wide-right attempt sent his Baltimore Ravens home for the playoffs and allowed the Steelers to clinch the AFC North crown.
According to OptaSTATS, never in the history of the NFL has a last-snap, game-ending kick determined the fates of two teams in that manner.
Tyler Loop might've missed the most important kick in regular season history ????
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) January 5, 2026
(via @OptaSTATS) pic.twitter.com/eb0nhgNrwg
Since the miss, Loop has tried to handle the fallout as professionally as possible.
Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop spoke with the media after the team's 26-24 loss to the Steelers ???? pic.twitter.com/ro91JzcXKV
— Baltimore Banner Sports (@AllBannerSports) January 5, 2026
However, the 24-year-old has gotten some pretty ugly comments on social media. Following the game, Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard had a hard time summing up the loss.
A day after the Ravens' 26-24 loss to the rival Steelers, Pro Bowl FB Patrick Ricard said : "It just hurts. I feel for the fans of the city, just the heartaches year after year. We always have a great group that I feel like we underperform with the talent that we have."
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) January 5, 2026
The 26-24 defeat ended Baltimore’s season at 8-9. They had been a popular pick to at least win the AFC and go to the Super Bowl. The Steelers won the AFC North at 10-7 and will now host Houston in a playoff game Monday night.
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Related:
• Tim Benz: DK Metcalf must repay the ‘opportunity’ granted by his teammates• Madden Monday: Steelers beating Ravens will lead to Mike Tomlin ‘coaching (here) forever,’ Aaron Rodgers returning in ’26
• Feats of Strength: Aaron Rodgers’ response drives and early defensive stands help Steelers clinch AFC North over Baltimore
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Issue on the way out
Former Steeler Russell Wilson is likely done in New York after one year. But the 37-year-old Giants quarterback said Monday that he wants to keep playing.
That’s despite quietly tearing a hamstring early in the season.
Russell Wilson shares that he tore his hamstring the Friday before the Giants faced the Cowboys in Week 2. Wilson threw for 450 yards and 3 TD in the game
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) January 5, 2026
He adds that he wants to continue playing in the NFL: "I'm not blinking" pic.twitter.com/BcAuMhCDFg
“I know what I’m capable of. I think I showed that in Dallas, and I want to be able to do that again,” Wilson said via ProFootballTalk.com. “Just be ready to rock and roll, and be as healthy as possible and be ready to play ball. I played that (Week 2) game. I tore my hamstring on Friday in practice — the last play of practice. And I had a grade two (tear). I couldn’t tell anybody. I had to go and play on it just because I knew the circumstance, I had to play on it, no matter what.”
The problem, as PFT points out, is that New York never disclosed that ailment on the team’s injury report.
That could result in a fine or an investigation for the club from the league.
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Jabbing Jalen
Ex-Steeler Le’Veon Bell took a swipe at Jalen Ramsey just before the end of the team’s victory in Baltimore.
“just IMAGINE if Jalen Ramsey actually had ball skills,” Bell posted. “That would’ve been PICKED!!!”
The retired running back appeared to be referencing the huge play to set up Loop’s field goal miss when Lamar Jackson hit a contested pass to tight end Isaiah Likely on a fourth-down heave to keep the game alive.
ISAIAH LIKELY ON 4TH DOWN TO SAVE THE SEASON.
— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2026
BALvsPIT on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/aIpzCbqdEY
Ramsey and Bell have a little history. Bell drew the ire of Ramsey and his Jacksonville Jaguars teammates back in 2017-18 when the running back tweeted about a “round two” against the New England Patriots in advance of that playoff rematch against the Jaguars, which they eventually won in Pittsburgh.
Jacksonville ended up winning here with linebacker Telvin Smith famously saying of the Steelers, “I feel like they lost the game before they even played it.”
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No faith
Speaking of former Pro Bowl running backs, as mined at SteelersDepot, LeSean McCoy is showing little faith in the Steelers beating the Houston Texans on Monday.
“I’m betting $50,000 against them this next game,” McCoy said at 20:05 on his “Speakeasy” podcast.
If the Pitt product wants to put his money where his mouth is, the Texans will have to cover a 3.5-point spread. BetRivers has them favored by more than a field goal in Pittsburgh on Monday night.
Shady should keep in mind, though, that the Steelers have never lost a Monday night home game under Mike Tomlin, and the franchise hasn’t dropped one since 1991.
