Baltimore Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop and his fiancée, Julia Otto, have been inundated with a torrent of hateful online messages following a devastating missed field goal that ended the team's season on Sunday night.
A Miss with Monumental Consequences
With time expiring in the fourth quarter of the final regular-season game, Loop lined up for a 44-yard field goal attempt. A successful kick would have given the Ravens a 27-26 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, clinched the AFC North division title, and sent Baltimore to the playoffs. Instead, the kick sailed wide right, handing the Steelers a 26-24 win and the division crown at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on January 5, 2026.
The miss was not just costly; it was historically unique. According to OptaSTATS, it was the first field goal attempt in over 60,000 in NFL history to come as time expired in the fourth quarter of the final week with both teams' playoff hopes resting entirely on that single kick.
Online Abuse Targets Personal Life
In the aftermath, angry fans directed their fury beyond the field and at the personal lives of the 24-year-old kicker and his partner. The primary target became a joint Instagram post from last year where Otto celebrated their engagement, writing, "Going to spend forever wondering how I got this lucky."
The comments section was flooded with cruel remarks. Users posted messages like "Hope you get divorced," "Still have time to cancel the wedding," and "I pray ur wife is cheating on u." Others shared reaction GIFs of a woman removing a wedding ring. Some commentators even called for the team to reinstate veteran Justin Tucker, whom Loop replaced after Tucker was suspended for 10 games in January 2025 following allegations of sexual misconduct.
"For it to end like that sucks, and I want to do better," a dejected Loop said post-game, after being consoled by head coach John Harbaugh. "Unfortunately, the nature of the job is you have makes, and those are awesome, and unfortunately, you have misses, and for that to happen tonight sucks."
An Ironic Twist of Faith
The miss carried an additional layer of cruel irony. Loop, who describes himself as a "follower of Christ" in his Instagram bio, missed the kick into an end zone that the Steelers had a priest bless with holy water before the game.
NBC announcer Mike Tirico noted the incident during the broadcast, saying, "This is a priest who is spreading holy water in that end zone... The Catholic community in Pittsburgh is really strong, and its ties to the Steelers are everywhere. And down at that end zone, Tyler Loop misses the field goal and allows the Steelers to win." Analyst Cris Collinsworth jokingly added, "So it’s not Tyler Loop’s fault," to which Tirico replied, "As with everything in football, it’s at a higher power."
Prior to the fateful attempt, Loop had been remarkably reliable during his rookie campaign, making 30 of his 33 field goal attempts for a 90% success rate. The miss against Pittsburgh was his first attempt at a game-winning kick.
