Steelers Survive Chargers in One-Point Divisional Thriller

PITTSBURGH, PA - The Steelers survived everything the Chargers threw at them, including three interceptions, two lost fumbles, a defensive touchdown, Ladd McConkey's monster night, and one final field goal attempt that had an entire stadium holding its breath.

When Jake Moody's 57-yard field goal try missed with four seconds left, Pittsburgh finally had its answer. The Steelers were moving on.

In one of the wildest playoff games of the season, Mike Tomlin's Steelers defeated Jim Harbaugh's Los Angeles Chargers 35-34 in the AFC Divisional Round at Acrisure Stadium, advancing to a conference championship matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. Pittsburgh won despite losing the turnover battle 5-0, leaning on 272 rushing yards, a late fourth-down conversion, and Isaac Burr's nine-yard touchdown pass to Tutu Atwell with eight seconds remaining.

"This game was about belief," Tomlin said. "It was not clean. It was not perfect. But playoff football rarely is. Our guys kept swinging, and when we needed one more drive, they delivered."

Chargers Build Early Pressure With Defense and Explosives

Pittsburgh opened the game with the kind of drive Tomlin wanted, finishing with a one-yard touchdown run from Kaleb Johnson to take a 7-0 lead. Los Angeles answered with a 35-yard field goal from Moody, trimming the deficit to 7-3, but the first half quickly became a showcase of the Chargers' ability to flip the field with sudden-impact plays.

In the second quarter, Omarion Hampton scored on a 12-yard touchdown run to put Los Angeles ahead 10-7. Then came one of the game's biggest early swings, as Baron Browning intercepted Burr and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown, stretching the Chargers' lead to 17-7.

Burr responded with a one-yard touchdown pass to Pat Freiermuth late in the half, pulling Pittsburgh within 17-14, but Justin Herbert answered before halftime. Herbert found Rondale Moore for a 20-yard touchdown with 41 seconds left, giving Los Angeles a 24-14 lead heading into the break.

"We had control at that point," Harbaugh said. "The defense had scored, Justin was seeing it well, and we were forcing them to play from behind. Credit Pittsburgh, because they never let the game get away from them."

Herbert finished with one of the best stat lines of the postseason, completing 22 of 28 passes for 302 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. McConkey was his primary weapon, catching seven passes for 190 yards, including gains of 68, 30, 29 and 25 yards.

Pittsburgh's Ground Game Refuses to Let the Game Slip Away

The Steelers were down 10 at halftime, but their rushing attack kept them from unraveling.

Kaleb Johnson and Cam Clayton gave Pittsburgh two different answers on the ground. Johnson carried 20 times for 151 yards and a touchdown, while Clayton added 111 yards and a touchdown on only 10 carries. Together, they helped the Steelers finish with 272 rushing yards and 27 first downs, controlling enough of the game to survive the Chargers' defensive takeaways.

"We knew we could run the ball," Johnson said. "Even after the turnovers, nobody on the sideline stopped believing. The line kept telling us to stay with it, and we did."

Pittsburgh opened the third quarter with the response it needed. Burr found Freiermuth for a 19-yard touchdown, cutting the Chargers' lead to 24-21. Los Angeles immediately countered with Hampton's second rushing touchdown of the game, a two-yard score that pushed the lead back to 31-21.

That could have been the moment the Chargers took control for good.

Instead, Clayton broke free for a 29-yard touchdown run with 2:09 left in the third quarter, pulling Pittsburgh back within 31-28 and setting up a fourth quarter that felt like every snap might decide the season.

Chargers Take the Lead Late, But Leave Pittsburgh Time

The fourth quarter slowed down for a while, but the tension only grew.

The Chargers moved the ball methodically behind Herbert and McConkey, eventually setting up Moody for a 31-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining. The kick gave Los Angeles a 34-28 lead and forced Pittsburgh to drive the length of the field, needing a touchdown, not a field goal.

For a Chargers team that had forced five turnovers, it looked like the finishing sequence was in place.

"We had the game where we wanted it," Herbert said. "We had the lead late. We just needed one more stop, and Pittsburgh made the plays."

The Steelers began their final drive with 1:57 left and immediately leaned on the same formula that had kept them alive. Johnson opened with a 12-yard run, and Clayton added a short gain before the drive hit its first crisis point. A dropped pass and a negative completion to Johnson left Pittsburgh facing fourth-and-12 from its own 43-yard line with under a minute remaining.

Burr delivered the throw of the night.

On fourth down, he found Danny Hamlin for 23 yards, keeping Pittsburgh's season alive and moving the ball into Chargers territory. That conversion changed everything.

"That was the play," Burr said. "We had no margin left. I saw Danny get space, trusted him, and he made the catch. After that, we believed we were going to finish it."

Burr and Atwell Finish the Drive

Even after the fourth-down conversion, the Steelers still had to navigate chaos.

Johnson was stopped for no gain. Burr hit Marion Cameron for six yards. Clayton picked up nine more. Then a 10-yard penalty against Pittsburgh threatened to derail the drive just as the Steelers were moving into scoring range.

Burr stayed aggressive.

He found Freiermuth for five yards, then connected with D.K. Metcalf for 15 yards to move Pittsburgh close enough to take one final shot at the end zone. With 12 seconds left, Burr found Atwell for a nine-yard touchdown, and Jason Myers' extra point gave the Steelers a 35-34 lead with eight seconds remaining.

Atwell, who finished with four catches for 30 yards and the game-winning touchdown, said the huddle never felt desperate.

"It was calm," Atwell said. "Everybody knew the situation, but nobody was panicking. Isaac told us to win our matchups, and when the ball came my way, I just had to finish."

Burr's final numbers showed the full story of a wild night. He completed 23 of 34 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions. His mistakes nearly ended Pittsburgh's season, yet his final drive saved it.

"That's playoff quarterbacking," Tomlin said. "You are going to get hit. You are going to make mistakes. The question is whether you can stand in there and make the last play. Isaac made the last play."

Moody's Final Try Falls Short

The game still was not over.

With nine seconds left after the kickoff, Herbert gave Los Angeles one final chance, hitting McConkey for 25 yards to move the Chargers into long field goal range. Moody, who had already made field goals from 35 and 31 yards, came on for a 57-yard attempt with four seconds remaining.

The kick missed, and Pittsburgh's sideline erupted.

For Los Angeles, it was a brutal ending to a game in which the Chargers created enough chaos to win. Browning scored on a 56-yard interception return, Tarheeb Still and Sean Murphy-Bunting also intercepted Burr, and the Chargers recovered two Steelers fumbles. Defensively, they forced five takeaways and still came up one point short.

"We gave ourselves chances," Harbaugh said. "You force five turnovers in a playoff game, you expect to win. But Pittsburgh made the plays in the run game, and they made the last drive when it mattered most."

The Chargers also went 6-for-14 on third down and finished with 348 offensive yards, but Pittsburgh's 443 offensive yards and 696 total yards told the other side of the story. The Steelers' ability to run the ball, extend drives, and convert their only fourth-down attempt became the difference in a game defined by narrow margins.

Steelers Move On to Face Raiders

Pittsburgh now moves on to face the Las Vegas Raiders in the AFC Championship Game.

The Steelers will know they cannot afford another five-turnover game, especially against a Raiders team coming off a 34-20 win over Kansas City. But they will also carry the confidence of a team that just survived one of the toughest postseason tests imaginable.

"We are not going to pretend the mistakes did not happen," Tomlin said. "We will correct them. But we are also not going to apologize for advancing. This time of year, you survive and move forward."

For the Chargers, the loss will sting because of how close they came. Herbert was efficient, McConkey was spectacular, Hampton scored twice, and the defense delivered one huge play after another. Still, Pittsburgh found the final answer.

The Steelers are one win from the Super Bowl.

Up Next

The Steelers will face the Las Vegas Raiders in the AFC Championship Game, with the winner advancing to the Super Bowl. The Chargers' season ends in the Divisional Round after a 35-34 loss in Pittsburgh.