Week 14 was a nail-biter for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They won a close battle against the Baltimore Ravens, giving them the AFC North lead once again. It was a game the Steelers desperately needed to win. Alex Highsmith ended the Ravens’ comeback attempt, sacking Lamar Jackson on the final play of the game. Mike Tomlin made sure to single Highsmith out as one of the players who really impressed him in the Steelers’ 27-22 win at M&T Bank Stadium.

“I thought, as the game got thick, you really felt his presence,” Tomlin told reporters via the team’s YouTube channel. “We were actually coming out of that very last timeout, and he turned around and was walking back towards the bench with me. I was like, ‘Alex, what are you doing? Get back in there.’ I’m thankful that I did because he made the play of the day.”

Highsmith was all over the field, making seven tackles and recording one sack and three tackles for loss. The Steelers struggled to get Jackson on the ground all day. While the fleet-footed quarterback still didn’t look quite like himself, his elusiveness was on display. Highsmith didn’t let the chance to end the game slip through his fingers, though.

The Steelers’ final timeout of the game came with 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter. It would be interesting to hear why Highsmith didn’t immediately run back onto the field after that. Perhaps the Steelers were going to run a specific package on defense that didn’t feature him. Whatever the case may be, Tomlin sending him out there was the right call.

Highsmith’s 2025 season has been very up and down, plagued by injuries. He’s only appeared in nine of the Steelers’ 13 games. While he hasn’t dealt with any major issue, little things have continued to pop up that sideline him. He even stepped out for a moment in the Ravens game, hobbling slightly on the sideline.

Therefore, it probably meant a lot for him to have that kind of performance. He’s been good when healthy this year, with 6.5 sacks and a forced fumble on the season now.

This would be a good time for Highsmith and the Steelers’ defense to get hot. They weren’t perfect against the Ravens, but they stood tall to end the game.