With an ugly four-game losing streak laying at his feet, QB Russell Wilson isn’t choosing to dwell on a regular season now officially behind him and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Instead, he’s choosing to look forward. Speaking to reporters following the team’s 19-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals Saturday night, Wilson deflected questions about the team skidding into postseason play.
“I don’t really wanna talk about the past,” Wilson said via the team website while responding to a question as to why the Steelers’ offense has consistently started poorly. “Just because I think, we’ve been in that for a little bit here. I think the best thing we can do is get ready for the playoffs. It’s a new season.”
Not a great answer for a quarterback and team trying to figure out how to right the ship before the Wild Card Round. While Russell Wilson’s mentality is understandable, the postseason wipes all records clean, the Steelers must figure out why they’re struggling in all three phases.
Slow-starting offenses have become the theme of the team over the latter half of the season. Pittsburgh went its final seven games failing to score on a first possession and didn’t record a first-drive touchdown the entire season for only the second time since 2001. Over their four-game losing streak, the Steelers have been outscored 40-3 in the first quarter, and they trailed the Bengals throughout Saturday night’s game.
Cincinnati jumped on Pittsburgh with a first-possession touchdown, QB Joe Burrow marching his Bengals downfield and hitting WR Ja’Marr Chase for an easy score. Burrow completed his first 11 passes and finished the game hitting 80 percent of his throws.
The Steelers, as they so often do, climbed back into the game. They had multiple chances to win late in the game but failed to take advantage of their opportunities, settling for a field goal after a Connor Heyward fumble recovery set up a short field and then bumbling through a two-minute drive to close out the loss. To end the first half, they botched multiple plays that gave the Bengals the ball back with enough time to hit a field goal in what would be a two-point win.
Russell Wilson struggled throughout the game, finishing things 17-of-31 for 148 yards, one touchdown and four sacks. But his focus isn’t on anything negative.
“Obviously us winning that game would’ve helped us in some form or fashion, but at the end of the day, you know, when we go into the playoffs, everybody’s 0-0,” he said.
There is something healthy about hitting the reset button. But a team that has lost four-straight doesn’t deserve such a luxury. The Steelers have to take a hard look in the mirror at their mistakes. If they lose a fifth-straight game with the same woes, the entire roster might deserve a reset, too.
