NFL Makes Punishment Decision for Steelers Star Following Lamar Jackson Week 18 Incident

The Pittsburgh Steelers already caught a break when Ravens rookie Tyler Loop pushed a 44-yard field goal wide right. Turns out, the break didn’t stop there. One thing that has lingered since that game was the impression that the Steelers’ defensive end would be hearing from the league office. Well, the league released its Week 18 accountability report with the much-awaited answer.

Apparently, the Steelers’ defensive lineman Yahya Black has come out clean after a hit involving Lamar Jackson that many assumed would bring a fine, but it didn’t after all.

The Pittsburgh Steelers survived the winner-take-all finale against the Baltimore Ravens, grinding out a 26–24 win in Week 18 to finish 10-7 and sneak into the postseason. It surely wasn’t pretty, but it was enough.

Early in the first quarter, second-and-10 with 7:19 left, Jackson dumped the ball off toward Keaton Mitchell and came up empty. What should’ve been third down turned into a first, thanks to a roughing-the-passer flag on Black.

It’s pretty much the kind of hit that’s been getting flagged all year. And just as often, it leads to a fine once the week wraps up.

And those fines aren’t cheap. Roughing the passer can cost a player $17,389, and it jumps to $23,186 if it’s your second offense in the same season. Black had every reason to expect that letter in the mail. Instead, the league chose not to tack on any punishment for the Steelers defender.

It’s not like Yahya Black has had a spotless year with the fine sheet, either. He was already docked $5,194 earlier this season for an obscene gesture in Week 16 against the Lions, when cameras caught him flipping off Detroit’s sideline after a first-quarter play. Whatever the intent, the evidence was there.

This time, though, he walks away untouched. And that means no distractions heading into what comes next. The Pittsburgh Steelers now turn their attention to a wild-card matchup with the Houston Texans, with Black free to focus on football.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has a mountain to climb

It’s been nearly a decade since the Pittsburgh Steelers last won a playoff game. Thanks to Tyler Loop pushing a field goal wide, they now get another chance at ending that drought. But nothing about this role will be easy, especially against a Houston Texans squad riding a nine-game winning streak. Yahya Black and the Steelers defense will have to step up big time.

Taken 164th overall in the fifth round of the 2025 draft, Black didn’t come in with much fanfare. But he produced enough. He played in all 17 games, started three of them, and put together a rookie year that turned heads inside the building: 28 combined tackles, 15 stops, seven pressures, and two forced fumbles.

The problem is, the Pittsburgh Steelers are staring at the best defense in football on the other sideline. Points won’t come easily. If Pittsburgh wants to hang around, it has to match Houston’s physicality and keep the game tight. That means limiting what C.J. Stroud can do.

Everyone knows what Stroud can produce with his arm. But it’s his legs that really stress a defense. That said, there may be an opening. His rushing hasn’t looked the same since the concussion he suffered in Week 9. Since returning, Stroud has totaled just 20 rushing yards. Before that injury, he had topped 20 yards on the ground in six of eight games.

That’s where the Steelers can capitalize. Stroud also admitted that he’s been getting spied on for the first time in his career, and Mike Tomlin might end up taking notes. Keeping him in check might just be how they unlock the Texans and further their way into the playoffs.

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