Mike Tomlin gets brutally honest when asked about costly turnover from Steelers QB Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson was signed and ultimately named the starting QB of the Pittsburgh Steelers for one main reason. If all else failed, you know he would take care of the football, and play in a way that compliments the defense's ability to take the ball away. Except, his game against the Baltimore Ravens was the […]
Russell Wilson was signed and ultimately named the starting QB of the Pittsburgh Steelers for one main reason.
If all else failed, you know he would take care of the football, and play in a way that compliments the defense's ability to take the ball away.
Except, his game against the Baltimore Ravens was the exact opposite, and one that he and his HC wish they had back:
Mike Tomlin just wanted Russell Wilson to go down
"You're right. In retrospect, I wish he hadn't," said Tomlin when asked about Wilson trying to extend for a TD instead of sliding inside the five-yard line. "I expect him [Russell Wilson] to respond. He's been doing this a long time, and he's tough on himself because he's got a desire to be great. He wants to lead us to victory, and he owns that. But I don't expect it to be an issue in terms of the trajectory of his approach or readiness this week."
As bad as the fumble was, the decision to throw a ball three feet behind MyCole Pruitt that resulted in a game-sealing sealing pick-six for Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey might have been worse. So both were fairly egregious, and even though Wilson played well for the majority of the game, those two plays ended up costing the Steelers their best chance at the AFC North title and could cost Russell Wilson a lot of money.
"It's just really two negative plays," Wilson said after the game. "I felt like I was seeing it well. I thought the guys made some really good plays. … We knew it was going to be a tough fight throughout the end, and they made two plays on us that were significant plays and unfortunately I can't let that happen."
Wilson knows the Steelers operate on the thinnest of margins offensively, and that;s when they're healthy. Without George Pickens, (though that could be ending) the team cant afford one, much less two turnovers against higher levels of competition.
So starting this Wednesday, at home on Christmas, Wilson has to level up his game. If the Steelers lose three in a row, Russell Wilson and his teammates will lose nearly all the respect they have built as it pertains to being true Super Bowl contenders.
Final predictions for key AFC tilt between Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day in Week 17
The A to Z Sports staff predicts the outcome of the Week 17 Christmas Day game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
