The Steelers' veteran quarterback disappointed in Week 16's loss to Baltimore.
The Pittsburgh Steelers missed an opportunity to clinch the AFC North, losing to their division rivals the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16. The Steelers defense disappointed in the 34-17 defeat, allowing more than 27 points for just the second time this season. Despite Pittsburgh’s defensive shortcomings Saturday, quarterback Russell Wilson blames himself for the loss.
Wilson committed two costly turnovers against Baltimore. “I put that game on me, just in the sense that there were two great opportunities there,” he told reporters, per The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo on X.
After tying the game with a touchdown at the start of the second quarter, the Steelers had a chance to take the lead in their following possession. After driving to the Ravens’ 23-yard line, Wilson scrambled all the way down to the four before fumbling. Baltimore recovered and Pittsburgh could only put three more points on the scoreboard in the first half.
While the veteran passer’s fumble hurt the team, his second turnover was a back breaker. At the start of the fourth quarter Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin opted to go for it on fourth and six from the Ravens 45-yard-line. Pittsburgh turned the ball over on downs, giving Baltimore a short field. Derrick Henry, who rushed for a franchise-record 160 yards against the Steelers, got down to the 11-yard-line before Minkah Fitzpatrick bailed his coach out with a red zone interception.
However, after getting the ball back in a one-score game, Wilson was immediately picked off by Marlon Humphrey. The Ravens’ cornerback went 37 yards for a game-sealing pick-six.
Russell Wilson couldn’t lead the Steelers past the Ravens in Week 16
Although Russ has enjoyed a solid debut season with the Steelers, the team is now 6-3 in his nine starts and 10-5 overall. Last week, Pittsburgh kept its 59-year losing streak in Philadelphia alive as the Eagles dominated in a 27-13 win. On Saturday, the team lost its second straight game, getting bullied by Baltimore.
The Steelers already clinched a playoff berth and the Ravens qualified for the postseason with Saturday’s win. But Pittsburgh had a chance to lock up the division and a top four seed in the AFC with a Week 16 win. Now, they’ll have to hope to play better than Baltimore down the stretch with matchups against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals to close out the season.
The return of top target George Pickens should help Wilson and the Steelers’ offense. Pickens was ruled out against the Ravens with a hamstring injury and the third-year wideout has now missed the last three games.
Pittsburgh will look to rebound on Christmas Day against the Chiefs. Kansas City improved to an NFL-best 14-1 with Saturday’s win over the Houston Texans.
