Mistakes of Russell Wilson vs. The Ravens could be huge in the Steelers’ division title quest.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are usually well-rounded enough to win games even if Wilson isn’t playing great.
That was seen on Nov. 17, when Pittsburgh held off the visiting Baltimore Ravens 18-16 with first place in the AFC North on the line.
Wilson threw for just 205 yards, one interception, and didn’t get the offense into the end zone, but Chris Boswell’s six field goals were enough for Pittsburgh’s defense to slow down Baltimore’s potent offense.
Jump forward five weeks to Saturday’s rematch, and Wilson is once again a pedestrian, to put it kindly. This time it wasn’t good enough. And it could end up costing the Steelers a division.
Wilson was better against the Ravens in some ways the second time around, throwing two touchdowns and finishing with a 38.0 QBR after posting a season-low 15.2 rating in the first meeting. But with his increased productivity came two significant flaws.
The first occurred with the game tied at 7 early in the second quarter and sparked a 14-point swing.
Pittsburgh drove to the Baltimore 23-yard line when Wilson escaped the pocket and charged toward the end zone. He appeared poised to give the Steelers the lead until Ravens safety Ar’Darius Washington forced a fumble with a jarring hit, and Baltimore recovered at its own 4. Eight plays and 96 yards later, the Chiefs jumped out to a 14- 7.
Wilson helped Pittsburgh pull even at 17 early in the third quarter, and the Steelers were still in the game when Wilson and company took the field trailing 24-17 with 13:57 left in the fourth.
Then came the backbreaker.
Wilson made a handoff, rolled to his right and threw a fumble in the flat that Marlon Humphrey intercepted and returned 37 yards for a crucial pick-six. Frustrated, Pittsburgh did nothing on its final two drives and watched its archrival defend its third straight.
A Steelers win would have clinched the division, but Pittsburgh’s margin for error is now slim going into the final weeks of the regular season.
Both the Steelers and Ravens are 10-5, and while Pittsburgh currently owns the tiebreaker for the conference record, Baltimore’s last two games are more favorable. The Ravens visit Houston on Wednesday before hosting Cleveland in the regular season finale.
Of course, neither of those games are gimmies, but Baltimore can take the North if they can win both of them considering what’s available to the Steelers. Pittsburgh hosts 14-1 Kansas City on Wednesday and hosts a Cincinnati squad that challenged the Steelers to a 44-38 loss on Dec. 1.
Pittsburgh still controls its future in the AFC North, but it will be good to look back on Saturday’s game if the Ravens come out on top. The Steelers had their chance, and they swam—especially Wilson.
The rematch demanded more from Wilson than the teams’ first meeting. Pittsburgh was without top receiver George Pickens and three starters on defense, and linebacker TJ Watt was probably less than 100 percent as he played through an ankle injury.
Even with Pickens out, Wilson needed to shine because the Steelers weren’t going to overwhelm the Ravens on the ground.
Pittsburgh managed just 3.6 yards per carry against Baltimore in Week 11, and even though the Steelers averaged 4.9 yards a pop on Saturday, it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Ravens’ patchwork defense. of Pittsburgh.
To Wilson’s credit, he played aggressively and completed a number of impressive throws on tight and running windows. He may slip in his bad competition, but you have to respect the veteran quarterback by accepting his contact and not giving up on the play.
Wilson’s mistakes on Saturday were costly. How deep the impact may be remains to be determined.
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