The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a bitter loss last night, their first with Russell Wilson at quarterback. Ending a five-game winning streak, four with Wilson, they now have to right the ship with more divisional play on tap. But under their quarterback’s leadership, they are holding their heads high knowing the sun will rise today.
“We’ve got a lot of football left. We’ve got a lot of opportunities to respond in the highest way, highest level”, Russell Wilson said following last night’s 24-19 loss to the Browns, via the Steelers’ website. “Everything that we want is still in front of us. We’ve got to be able to refresh after this weekend”.
The Steelers were coming down from an emotional, tough win over the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday. With the victory, they had secured control of and established a cushion within the AFC North. Then they had to play on a short week on the road in the snow against another divisional opponent. And Russell Wilson still managed to lead a fourth-quarter comeback despite trailing by 12.
Perhaps Chris Boswell’s opening missed field goal was a bad omen. Including Russell Wilson losing a fumble, the Steelers went wrong at many turns in the first half. Yet they managed to erase it all in the fourth quarter, scoring two touchdowns within three minutes.
They took the lead, but much like a rental car reservation—they simply couldn’t hold it. And that was on everybody; offense, defense, and special teams played a part in squandering their late lead. Russell Wilson and company couldn’t close out the game, the punting unit shanked one, and the defense gave up a touchdown. But sometimes things just don’t work out, and all you can do is get back to work with the belief in doing better the next time.
“The great thing about this team is we’ve got the guys to do it. We’ve got the mentality to do it”, Wilson insisted about the Steelers’ resolve and talent. “We’ve got the edge to do it, we’ve got the response to do it. I think we showed that in the fourth quarter. The juice, the energy that we brought when it mattered most”.
It’s true that the Steelers didn’t knuckle under when they certainly could have. After the Browns took an 18-6 lead with 12 minutes to play, I’m betting many fans gave the game up for lost. But then they found a spark here and there, especially after a defensive takeaway, and suddenly, Calvin Austin III was screaming toward the end zone, running under a Russell Wilson pass to put the Steelers up 19-18.
The Steelers didn’t quite finish the job this time, but they proved that they can. The Steelers are still the best team in the NFL when it comes to close games. The sky is not yet falling, and if it were, Russell Wilson would find the good in it anyway. Serenity now.
