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John Harbaugh Comforted Ravens’ Kicker Tyler Loop After Heartbreaking Miss vs. Steelers

Tyler Loop had the game on his foot, but wasn’t able to come through for the Ravens.

Tyler Lauletta

Tyler Loop and John Harbaugh walk to the locker room after a loss to the Steelers.
Tyler Loop and John Harbaugh walk to the locker room after a loss to the Steelers. / @JCTSports / X
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The final game of the NFL regular season was an instant classic that ended in elation for the Steelers and absolute heartbreak for the Ravens.

After a back-and-forth battle in the fourth quarter, the Steelers took a 26–24 lead with less than a minute to play when Aaron Rodgers connected with Calvin Austin for a 26-yard score. But when kicker Chris Boswell missed the ensuing extra point, the mood was tense as the Ravens had a chance to drive down the field and win the game with a kick of their own.

Baltimore did just that, riding a huge kick return from Keaton Mitchell and an unreal fourth-down catch from Isaiah Likely to set up a potential game-winning field goal for rookie kicker Tyler Loop from 44 yards out.

The operation looked good, but Loop pushed his kick wide right. Steelers win, Ravens go home.

It was a brutal way for any season to end, but must have been especially tough for Loop, who had the difficult job of stepping in to replace Justin Tucker, one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history. The rookie had a chance to make himself an instant legend in the eyes of Baltimore fans, but instead, he delivered a miss that is going to sting for quite some time.

But coach John Harbaugh was there for his player, even in what must have been a very difficult moment. Cameras caught Harbaugh comforting Loop as the two walked back into the locker room after the game.

Harbaugh is the second longest tenured coach in the NFL, having been with the Ravens since 2008. He’s obviously great at the X’s and O’s, but it’s moments like this that show he’s a great coach for his players even after the final whistle.

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Tyler Lauletta
TYLER LAULETTA

Tyler Lauletta is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News Team/team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI, he covered sports for nearly a decade at Business Insider, and helped design and launch the OffBall newsletter. He is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, and remains an Eagles and Phillies sicko. When not watching or blogging about sports, Tyler can be found scratching his dog behind the ears.

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