Tyler Loop Explains Heartbreaking Miss in Ravens Loss

It wasn't supposed to end that way, but the Baltimore Ravens' season ended up being determined by the foot of kicker Tyler Loop.

After the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers swapped touchdowns on two drives each in their Week 18 AFC North title showdown, it was the Ravens who had the ball last and drove down the field to set Loop up for a 44-yard field goal. His kick would heartbreakingly go wide right, and Baltimore's season ended with a 26-24 defeat to the Steelers.

Loop faced the media after the game and, when asked about the kick, explained what went into the miss. He said the operation was great and took accountability for the play.

“Just mishit the ball. We call it hitting it thin.”

K Tyler Loop: “Just mishit the ball. We call it hitting it thin.” Said the operation on the kick otherwise was great.

He had holder Jordan Stout and snapper Nick Moore alongside him as he spoke pic.twitter.com/KwDfxXhqZZ
— Bo Smolka (@bsmolka) January 5, 2026

Ravens' season inexplicably ends with a Tyler Loop miss

Unfortunately, there will be a wave of criticism and hatred towards Loop after having a great rookie season for the Ravens. He made 88.2% of his field goals and was tied for seventh in the NFL in points with 134.

Baltimore Ravens place kicker Tyler Loop | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

To say that it all falls on Loop would be wildly unfair, as the Ravens put themselves in this position. They started 1-5, and while a lot of that was because of injuries, the slow start didn't help. Baltimore did turn it on late in the season, but losing four of the last six games is what crushed this team.

From not scoring in the red zone of the first Ravens-Steelers game to the blown 11-point lead against the New England Patriots and fumble by Zay Flowers at the end of the contest, the Ravens shot themselves in the foot with critical mistakes at the end of games. It has become something the Ravens have grown used to over the years, with mental mistakes costing them wins.

This one is going to take a long time for the Ravens to recover from, and it might end up causing changes to the team. Where the changes will happen is the biggest question, whether it comes from the roster or the coaching staff.

While it seems very unlikely, the Ravens fan base will be waiting and seeing whether the franchise decides to move on from head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons with the team. That will be the first domino to fall to see what happens with the head coach, and then the focus shifts to the roster to see who makes the cut or doesn't.

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