A priest might have helped save the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season after blessing an Acrisure Stadium end zone with holy water before Sunday night’s winner-take-all battle against the Baltimore Ravens. At least that’s what Monday morning quarterbacks are arguing on social media.
TV cameras caught the unnamed priest sprinkling holy water across the turf in the North Shore stadium during pregame warmups, an MSN article reported.
Hours later, the blessed end zone became the site of what was arguably the game’s decisive moment — Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop sending his 44-yard attempted field goal wide right as time expired.
The botched kick sealed the Steelers’ 26-24 win, a playoff berth — and the AFC North crown.
X lit up after Barstool Sports posted video of the blessing shortly after midnight Monday.
The Steelers had a priest bless the field with holy water pregame
The blessing took place in the exact same endzone that the Ravens missed the kick
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 5, 2026
One post featured an AI-generated cartoon of Jesus Christ, donning full Steelers attire, as he arrived with a bag marked CASH at a front door labeled “Loop residence.”
— Danny Noonan ????️ (@DannyNoonanGolf) January 5, 2026
“Open up, it’s Jesus,” he says.
“God is a Steelers fan?” @TheStevenWarner asked on X around 1 a.m. “He has a funny way of showing it.”
“The priest just became the top free agent in the @NFL,” added @TheRabbitKing.
While the Steelers/Ravens rivalry pre-dates the latter team’s creation in 1996, Sunday’s game bore unusually high stakes. Both the division title and a playoff berth were on the line in the Week 18 matchup.
Baltimore drove into Steelers territory in the fourth quarter’s closing seconds after a fourth-down catch from Isaiah Likely.
Then, Loop choked.
“CHAOS!!,” SportsCenter summarized in a social-media post featuring video of the missed field goal. “Steelers win the AFC North after the potential game-winning FG miss from the Ravens!”
“A missed field goal on Sunday night made some Pittsburgh Steelers fans true believers in a higher power,” writer Renzo Pocholo Salao added in a Yardbarker article.
“Tyler Loop missed field goal: Ravens suffer heartbreaking ending to playoff chances with kicker’s blunder,” a headline read in The Sporting News.
While some celebrated, others stirred the pot on an alleged “controversy.”
“Steelers win AFC North showdown vs Ravens after allegedly tampering with the field using a priest’s holy water,” a headline read on the website Marca.
“An unforgettable Week 18 clash,” a subhed added, “delivered chaos, controversy and a crown as the Steelers claim the division.”
Even without a perspective, it was hard to argue how central the play was to the Steelers’ victory, both sports writers and fans argued online.
“The priest’s blessing, performed in the same end zone where the attempt ultimately missed, was replayed widely across social platforms, with fans tying the two images together as part of the story of a rivalry game that already felt surreal in its closing moments,” MSN reported.
Or, take it from quarterback Aaron Rodgers:
“A lot of emotions, couldn’t believe we were in that position,” Rodgers told reporters Sunday. “You know, you’re watching the kicker and the ball just seemed to be heading right to start, so it’s chaos, disbelief, gratitude — a lot of emotions.”