For the first time this season, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost a game started by QB Russell Wilson. The Steelers went to Cleveland and fell to the Browns, 24-19, in what ended up a snowstorm. It was a disappointment for a Steelers team looking to build on a big win over the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday.
And the offense struggled early. The Steelers only put up six points through the first three quarters. Wilson did have a big play on a deep throw to WR Calvin Austin III in the second quarter, but all the Steelers could muster off it was a K Chris Boswell field goal.
But Wilson and the Steelers got going in the fourth quarter. Despite the loss, Wilson led the offense on two touchdown drives, including one that gave the Steelers a 19-18 lead.
“He did not have a stellar first half of the game, even into the third quarter,” former NFL GM Doug Whaley said WPXI’s The Black & Gold Experience postgame show following the game. “But a guy like this has been in this spot so many times. He knew how to show his command of the offense. Get everybody galvanized and say, ‘We have to go out there and put some points on the board.’ And that’s just what they did, and that’s why he is one of those guys that is the leader of that offense.”
Despite the loss and the early struggles, Wilson truly did get things turned around on Thursday night. the 14th-year veteran finished the night with a 75-percent completion rate, 270 yards passing, and one touchdown. Per Pro Football Focus, Wilson was one of the Steelers’ top players in the game.
That lone touchdown came on a 23-yard pass to Austin with 6:20 left in the fourth quarter that gave Pittsburgh the lead. Unfortunately, it ended up not being enough to secure the win. The Steelers had a chance to ice the game after CB Donte Jackson intercepted Browns QB Jameis Winston with only 4:28 left in the game. But a three-and-out on offense gave the Browns a chance to go down the field and score the game-winning touchdown.
And Wilson got the Steelers close in the dying seconds. However, his Hail Mary attempt was batted down into the snow.
After the game, Wilson spoke about the mindset he and the team need to have. He acknowledged the disappointment of dropping a game like that, especially to a divisional opponent. But he vowed that everyone would have the proper response. And he said that the Steelers have the right group of players to overcome this loss.
That’s how a leader rallies his team. And the Steelers will have a little extra time to rally since they played Thursday. But they’ll be facing a divisional opponent next Sunday for the third straight week. And it’ll be the second straight game on the road as they head to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals.
But Russell Wilson sounds like he’s going to be ready to put this loss behind him. And he’ll do his best to rally the offense to do the same, to shift its focus to the Bengals and get back to winning.
