Steelers' Russell Wilson Reveals Exactly What Happened During His Red Zone Fumble

The Pittsburgh Steelers had the perfect opportunity to clinch the AFC North with a win against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. In what seemed to be a back-and-forth game, the Ravens got the edge later on in the second half and pulled away to win 34-17. Although the Steelers fell to 10-5 and are tied with the Ravens in overall record, they still have the tiebreaker and remain as the third seed in the AFC playoff race. The game seemed to be even as Pittsburgh was responding on offense, but a few costly mistakes ended up being game-changers.

One of the main differences in the game was capitalizing off of turnovers. The Steelers did secure a turnover of their own when Minkah Fitzpatrick picked off Lamar Jackson, but it didn't really do much as Russell Wilson threw a pick-six afterwards, securing a Ravens win. However, his first turnover of the night came earlier on in the game and happened just outside the end zone.

Wilson and the offense were driving down the field and had the perfect opportunity to go up 14-7 on the Ravens. It seemed that Wilson had a clear shot for the end zone on his second-down scramble. Instead of sliding at around the five-yard-line, Wilson took a huge hit and the ball ended up popping out of his hands. 

The offense didn't get any points from that drive and the ball was recovered by the Ravens on their own four-yard-line. Wilson explained to reporters his thought process during that play in his post-game press conference.

“Just thought we had a chance to go to the end zone," Wilson said. "Tried to cut back and just got hit and I think right before I hit the ground the ball came out. It’s unacceptable, it can’t happen.”

It's clear Wilson takes full responsibility for it and it did seem like he had a clear shot at the end zone, but the safest move in that position was to take a slide. With Justin Fields already ruled out for the matchup, Kyle Allen was the backup if Wilson were to end up getting hurt. It's a play Steeler Nation would definitely take back if they could as it arguably changed the whole momentum of the game.

Wilson tried to pick the momentum back up after his costly fumble. He still threw for over 200 yards and had two touchdown passes. However, he did end up throwing a pick-six which resulted in a 31-17 Ravens lead. At that point, it was tough for Pittsburgh to come back as all momentum seemed to have been lost. Pittsburgh's defense didn't help either as it let up 418 total yards of offense.

Going back to the fumble, Wilson was asked in his post-game press conference what he was seeing on that play. One reporter asked if he was looking for another block and Wilson said he was.

“Yeah, I was just kind of cutting off the block," Wilson said. "I didn’t want to slide there either. I felt like we could’ve gotten in the end zone. You know, trying to get a touchdown and go for it. They made a good play.”

The Steelers have a quick turnaround as they play the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day Wednesday. It's a very short rest period, but Head Coach Mike Tomlin will need to get his team prepared and healthy to face the top team in the AFC. 

Steelers Still Have A Path To The AFC North Title

Winning against the Ravens would've been an easier path for the Steelers as it would've secured the division title right then. That's not the case anymore and the road is tougher to win the AFC North, but it's still possible.

Pittsburgh will need to win out if Baltimore wins out as well to clinch the division. It ultimately will come down in Week 18 as the Steelers will need to win against the Cincinnati Bengals regardless of what happens on Christmas Day between either team. 

Do you think Wilson will be able to step it up these last stretch of games? Let us know in the comments below!

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