Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens Field Goal: The Real Story Behind The Viral Moment, Pittsburgh Steelers Baltimoore Ravens field goal insurance payout
Pittsburgh Steelers Baltimoore Ravens field goal insurance payout: When Baltimore Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop missed a potential game-winning 44-yard field goal as time expired on January 4, 2026, it did more than hand the Pittsburgh Steelers a 26-24 victory and the AFC North title—it sparked one of the most unexpected charitable movements in recent NFL history.
If you came here looking for information about a “field goal insurance payout,” you are not alone. Thousands of fans have searched for this exact phrase, but what actually unfolded was far more meaningful than any corporate promotion.
What Actually Happened In The Steelers-Ravens Game
The January 4, 2026, Sunday Night Football matchup between the Steelers and Ravens was a winner-take-all showdown for the AFC North division title and a playoff berth. The loser would go home with their season over.
The fourth quarter alone featured four lead changes and 27 points scored in the final ten minutes—a breathtaking display of offensive firepower from both teams.
Key moments of the dramatic finish:
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50-yard touchdown (Ravens): Lamar Jackson connected with Zay Flowers to put Baltimore up 17-13 with under nine minutes remaining.
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Go-ahead touchdown (Steelers): Kenneth Gainwell’s 2-yard run gave Pittsburgh a 20-17 lead with 3:49 left.
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64-yard touchdown (Ravens): Jackson hit Flowers again for a spectacular score, giving Baltimore a 24-20 advantage with just 2:20 on the clock.
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Game-winning touchdown (Steelers): Aaron Rodgers found Calvin Austin III wide open for a 26-yard touchdown with 55 seconds remaining, putting Pittsburgh up 26-24.
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Blocked extra point: Chris Boswell’s PAT attempt was blocked by Ravens safety Keondre Jackson, keeping Pittsburgh’s lead at just two points instead of three.
The blocked extra point—initially reported as a miss until video review confirmed it was tipped—proved crucial because it meant the Ravens could still win with a field goal rather than needing a touchdown.
The Missed Field Goal That Changed Everything, Pittsburgh Steelers Baltimoore Ravens field goal insurance payout
With 55 seconds left and three timeouts, the Ravens had a golden opportunity. Lamar Jackson drove his team down the field, and on fourth-and-7 from midfield, he connected with tight end Isaiah Likely for a spectacular 26-yard catch that put Baltimore at Pittsburgh’s 24-yard line with 14 seconds remaining.
Jackson took a knee on the next play to center the ball and run the clock down to 2 seconds, setting up rookie kicker Tyler Loop for a 44-yard game-winning field goal attempt.
According to Next Gen Stats, Loop had a 79 percent probability of making the kick from that distance. He had been exceptional all season, converting 90 percent of his field goal attempts (30-of-33) and had not missed inside 50 yards all year.
But the moment the ball left his foot, Loop knew.
“The second it made contact with my foot, I felt it lower,” Loop explained after the game. “We talk about hitting on the fourth lace of the shoe. It felt a little lower down the foot and hit it thin.”
The kick sailed wide right, and the Steelers erupted in celebration. Pittsburgh clinched its first AFC North title since 2020 and secured a playoff berth at 10-7. The Ravens, who entered the season as Super Bowl favorites, finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
The Dark Side: Online Harassment And Death Threats
In the immediate aftermath, Loop became the target of a torrent of vicious online harassment from Ravens fans. The abuse included death threats directed at both Loop and his fiancée. His Instagram account was flooded with hateful messages.
This type of behavior, unfortunately, is not uncommon in professional sports when a player makes a high-profile mistake. But what happened next was extraordinary.
The $42,000+ Charity Movement That Followed, Pittsburgh Steelers Baltimoore Ravens field goal insurance payout
A Pittsburgh Steelers fan named Emily Householder-Stacey was scrolling through social media and saw the hateful comments being directed at Loop. Rather than pile on, she decided to do something positive.
She researched Loop’s charitable interests and discovered that he supports the John S. Mulholland Family Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that operates 11 food pantries in the metro area. Loop had volunteered at one of their Thanksgiving food drives, signing autographs for people making donations.
Householder-Stacey posted about the charity on the Steelers subreddit, suggesting fans donate to show support for Loop despite the rivalry. The response was immediate and overwhelming.
Within the first 36 hours, more than 300 donors contributed approximately $6,000. By January 8, just four days after the game, the total had surged past $42,000 from hundreds of individual donations.
The foundation’s website, which typically receives modest traffic, recorded more than 8,000 visits during the 48-hour period following the game.
“I always prided myself that I personally respond to every donation, but I’ve never had 600 in a 48-hour period,” said Brian Mulholland, the foundation’s board chairman. “It’s nuts. Just amazing, people checking us out.”
The Symbolic Donation Amounts
Donors from both fan bases chose meaningful amounts to honor the game, Loop’s season, and his jersey number:
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$26.24: Steelers fans led with donations matching the final score of the game.
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$30.00: Ravens fans countered by donating $30 to represent the 30 field goals Loop successfully made during the regular season.
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$33.00: Fans of both teams donated $33 to honor Loop’s jersey number.
Some donors went even further with larger contributions, and many included personal messages of support for Loop that the foundation plans to share with him.
“It’s about like-minded people, bitter rivals allegedly, coming together for a cause and saying, ‘Let’s do something nice here for our neighbors in need and put this aside,'” Mulholland explained.
What Field Goal Insurance Promotions Actually Are
While there was no official field goal insurance payout connected to the Steelers-Ravens game, field goal insurance promotions are a real—and common—marketing tool used by businesses, sports teams, and event organizers.
Prize indemnification insurance (also called contest coverage or promotional insurance) allows sponsors to offer large prizes without risking their own funds. The concept is identical to hole-in-one insurance used at golf tournaments.
How field goal insurance promotions work:
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A business or team designs a challenge (e.g., “Kick a 50-yard field goal and win $10,000” or “If the team returns the opening kickoff for a touchdown, everyone wins”).
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They purchase an insurance policy from a specialized provider for a premium that is a small fraction of the potential prize (typically starting around $750 for coverage up to $10,000).
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Insurance actuaries calculate the statistical odds of the event occurring and set the premium accordingly.
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If a contestant succeeds or the specified event happens, the insurance company pays out the prize—not the sponsor.
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If no one wins, the sponsor only paid the small insurance premium.
Common football-themed insured promotions include:
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Field goal kicks from various distances (30, 40, or 50 yards)
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Pass-punt-kick challenges
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Throwing a football through a target
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Score prediction contests
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Kickoff or punt return for touchdown triggers
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Halftime participant contests
Prize coverage can range from $10,000 to over $1 million depending on the difficulty of the challenge and the premium paid.
Why People Are Searching For “Field Goal Insurance Payout”
The confusion likely stems from several factors:
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Rare dramatic ending: The missed kick was one of the most dramatic finishes of the 2025 NFL season, generating massive social media buzz.
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Charity “payout”: The $42,000+ in charitable donations could be interpreted as a type of “payout,” even though it was grassroots and not from an insurance policy.
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Common NFL promotions: Many fans are familiar with halftime field goal contests and assumed there might have been an insurance-backed promotion tied to the game outcome.
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Viral moment: The combination of the blocked Boswell PAT and Loop’s miss created a perfect storm of interest that drove people to search for more context.
The Human Side: Chris Boswell’s Class Act
In a moment that received far less attention than it deserved, Steelers kicker Chris Boswell immediately sought out Tyler Loop on the field after the missed kick—before celebrating with his own teammates.
“When we fail, it’s in the public eye for everybody to see,” Boswell said days later. “I just wanted to run over to him and let him know, a kick is a kick. Got to move past it.”
Boswell understood Loop’s pain intimately. His own blocked extra point earlier in the quarter could have been the difference in a Ravens victory. Had Loop’s kick been successful, Boswell would have been the one taking blame for Pittsburgh’s season ending.
“Anybody can go through it. I just kind of wanted to give him that from someone who’s been there,” Boswell explained. “There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel type thing. He knows this, but it’s up to him, and he’s just got to move on and it’s about the next kick.”
Ravens coach John Harbaugh also showed immediate compassion, putting his arm around Loop as they walked off the field and into the tunnel together.
Tyler Loop’s Faith And Perspective
Despite the crushing disappointment and online vitriol, Loop demonstrated remarkable grace and faith in his post-game comments.
“I’m here to try to have their back, be a good teammate, be a good representative of the organization and steward the gifts I’ve been given because it’s a fortunate thing to be here,” Loop said immediately after the miss.
He later shared that his faith sustained him through the difficult moment, referencing biblical principles about loving and supporting his teammates regardless of outcomes.
“God has got my back even when stuff sucks,” Loop reflected.
Brian Mulholland from the foundation Loop supports believes the rookie kicker will look back on this moment differently with time. “He’s going to be around a long time, and he’s going to look back on this 10 years from now with a little chuckle,” Mulholland said. “I look forward to that day for him because he’s a good athlete and he’s a good person.”
The Aftermath And Playoff Implications
The Steelers’ victory set up an AFC Wild Card matchup against the Houston Texans on Monday, January 13, 2026, at Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh entered the playoffs as the AFC’s No. 5 seed.
Aaron Rodgers, playing in his first season with Pittsburgh, collected a $500,000 contract bonus for leading the team to the playoffs. He has additional performance incentives ranging from $750,000 to $1.5 million for each subsequent playoff victory, plus another $1.5 million if he wins NFL MVP (which appeared unlikely).
For the Ravens, the loss triggered an immediate head coaching search and organizational evaluation after a disappointing season that saw the preseason Super Bowl favorites miss the postseason entirely.
FAQs: Pittsburgh Steelers Baltimore Ravens Field Goal Insurance Payout
1. Was there actually a field goal insurance payout at the Steelers-Ravens game?
No, there was no official field goal insurance promotion or payout connected to the January 4, 2026, Steelers-Ravens game. The term likely refers to the $42,000+ in charitable donations made by fans after Tyler Loop’s missed field goal.
2. How much money was raised for Tyler Loop’s charity?
As of January 8, 2026, fans had donated over $42,000 to the John S. Mulholland Family Foundation, Loop’s favorite charity. The foundation received more than 600 donations in a 48-hour period, with contributions continuing to grow.
3. What is the John S. Mulholland Family Foundation?
The John S. Mulholland Family Foundation operates 11 food pantries in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, providing food assistance to neighbors in need. Tyler Loop volunteered with the organization during their Thanksgiving food drive.
4. What happened on Tyler Loop’s missed field goal?
Loop missed a 44-yard field goal attempt wide right as time expired, which would have won the game 27-26 for the Ravens and sent them to the playoffs. Loop had a 79% statistical probability of making the kick and had not missed inside 50 yards all season before that attempt.
5. Did Chris Boswell miss an extra point in the same game?
Initially reported as a miss, the NFL later corrected the box score to show that Boswell’s extra point attempt was blocked by Ravens safety Keondre Jackson. The block kept Pittsburgh’s lead at two points (26-24) instead of three, meaning the Ravens could win with a field goal rather than needing a touchdown.
6. What are field goal insurance promotions in general?
Field goal insurance promotions are marketing contests where businesses purchase prize indemnification insurance to offer large prizes (often $10,000 to $1 million+) if a contestant successfully kicks a field goal or if a specified game event occurs. The insurance company pays the prize if someone wins, protecting the sponsor’s budget.
7. Why did Steelers fans donate to a Ravens player’s charity?
After seeing Loop receive death threats and hateful online messages, Steelers fan Emily Householder-Stacey organized a donation campaign to show support and counteract the negativity. The gesture emphasized that sportsmanship and compassion transcend rivalries.
8. What was the final score of the Steelers-Ravens game?
The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 26-24 on January 4, 2026, clinching the AFC North title and a playoff berth.
9. How can I donate to Tyler Loop’s charity?
You can donate to the John S. Mulholland Family Foundation at https://mulhollandcharities.org/. Popular donation amounts have been $26.24 (the final score), $30 (Loop’s made field goals), and $33 (his jersey number).
