Quarterback Russell Wilson is usually an ultra-positive person, especially in front of the media. But after the Pittsburgh Steelers lost 27-13 to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15, Wilson offered a more honest assessment of the game to reporters.
“They did a good job. They’re a good football team,” Wilson said of the Eagles. “We’ve got to tip our hats to them. They played way better than us tonight.
“It’s unacceptable how we played. I think we feel like we have to be sharper.”
Although the Steelers were within one score for most of the evening versus the Eagles, the statistics agree with Wilson’s assessment. The Eagles outgained the Steelers 401-163.
Philadelphia doubled Pittsburgh’s output in both rushing and passing yards. The Eagles also converted three times as many third-down opportunities as the Steelers.
Furthermore, Philadelphia controlled the clock for nearly 40 minutes. Pittsburgh ran only 11 plays in the second half.
The Steelers won the turnover margin 2-1. However, the Eagles scored a touchdown off their lone takeaway. The Steelers tallied 3 points off a pair of first quarter fumble recoveries.
Steelers Lose Again in Philadelphia
The Steelers and Eagles don’t meet often. For Pittsburgh, that’s a good thing because the Steelers can’t seem to win in Philadelphia.
At least they haven’t been able to since the start of the Super Bowl era. The Steelers last defeated the Eagles in Philadelphia during the 1965 NFL season.
Week 15 marked Pittsburgh’s 11th consecutive loss in Eastern Pennsylvania.
A lot of Pittsburgh’s recent defeats in Philadelphia haven’t been very close either. The Steelers have lost by at least 9 points in each of their last four road matchups against the Eagles.
The Steelers trailed the Eagles 17-3 in the first half. Pittsburgh scored the next 10 points to pull within 4 points at halftime. But the Eagles shut out the Steelers in the second half.
Due to Philadelphia’s ball control offense, the Steelers had just two second half possessions.
Steelers’ Russell Wilson Turning the Page to Ravens
While Wilson put his teammates on notice, it didn’t take long for him to utter a much more positive sentiment.
“We just have to stay the course and know that, obviously, we have a big week coming up,” Wilson told reporters. “We’ve got to respond. We’ve got to be ready to go and that’s where our focus has to be.”
Clearly, the quarterback is moving on to the Baltimore Ravens, who the Steelers will meet on a short week. The Steelers also have a Christmas Day matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs looming.
If the Steelers defeat the Ravens on December 21, then they will clinch the AFC North. If not, then the showdown with the Chiefs and the Week 18 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals will determine whether the Steelers will host a home playoff game.
Even with a win against the Ravens, the Steelers will be playing for playoff seeding the final two weeks.
In summary, though, the Steelers don’t have to overreact to the Eagles loss. In 2008, the Steelers lost to the Eagles in Philadelphia and went on to win the Super Bowl.
Just like that campaign, the Steelers can still end the 2024 season on a high note despite the loss in Philadelphia.
