What Russell Wilson is experiencing with the Pittsburgh Steelers right now is unfamiliar territory. This is only the fourth time in his career he has lost three games in a row. It is the third season in which it has occurred—all since 2021. And it is the first time he has lost three games in a row amid a winning, playoff-bound season.
But he has ended regular seasons on low notes before. In 2019, for example, Wilson and the Seahawks lost three of their last four games, though they still made it to the Divisional Round. They also lost three of four in 2017—and narrowly missed the playoffs at 9-7. Seattle lost two of four going into the postseason in 2013, as well…and won the Super Bowl. So he has gone through the range of options.
“I think it’s always great just to stay on ‘momentum high’”, Russell Wilson said yesterday, via the Steelers’ website. “I think that’s always helpful, but it doesn’t determine anything. Our present is going to determine how we work. It’s going to determine that, and where we go”.
Of course, it’s a convenient time for Wilson and the Steelers to downplay the role of momentum. The idea of going into the postseason playing your best ball is already a lost cause. After being outscored 90-40 during a three-game stretch, that ship has sailed, even if they beat the Bengals. But there is still something to Wilson’s point—you can still succeed even if you back into the playoffs.
“You’ve got to have a little bit of amnesia”, Wilson said, when it comes to the Steelers’ predicament. “You’ve got to be able to just embrace the moment and be so addicted to the moment that nothing else gets in the way of it”.
He went on to talk about the work, and the importance of responding. Wilson trusts that is what the Steelers will do—because that’s what champions do.
Of course, Russell Wilson hasn’t been a champion since 2013. And the Steelers haven’t been champions since 2008. A lot of champions have done a lot of different things in between. I was still in college the last time the Steelers hoisted the Lombardi.
The last time the Steelers won the Super Bowl, they did lose one of their final two games, against the eventual No. 1 AFC seed. But they also won six of their seven final games that regular season. Last year, the Chiefs won three of their last four, and each of their last five before that. Unfortunately for Russell Wilson, that tends to be the pattern.
The last Super Bowl champion to lose at least two of their last four games was the 2018 New England Patriots. And they did have Tom Brady. The 2015 Denver Broncos also lost two of their last four, but in both cases, they won their last two. And in both cases, their last loss was to the Steelers. The fact is, Russell Wilson’s Seattle Seahawks are the last Super Bowl champion to lose two of their last four games, including one of their last two games. And the Steelers can’t even reach that benchmark, since they’ll have lost at least three. But the Ravens lost four of their last five in 2012…
