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Russell Wilson says fumble, pick-6 in loss 'unacceptable'

Dec
22
12/22/2024 12:15:58 PM
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Russell Wilson was frank in his assessment of the play where it all started to unravel for the Steelers in their 34-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night, Brooke Pryor of ESPN reports..

"It's unacceptable," Wilson said of his second-quarter fumble. "It can't happen."

The fumble, which occurred at the end of a 19-yard run as the quarterback ran into Ravens safety Ar'Darius Washington just 4 yards shy of the end zone, was one of two critical turnovers committed by Wilson in a loss that prevented the Steelers from celebrating an AFC North title on their bitter rival's turf.

"It's just really two negative plays," said Wilson, who completed 22 of 33 attempts for 217 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. "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."

At the time of Wilson's fumble, the Steelers (10-5) were knotted 7-7 with the Ravens, and they had great starting field position thanks to a 14-yard shanked punt by Baltimore's Jordan Stout.

Coming off their first touchdown drive, the Steelers were moving the ball well. They picked up two plays of more than 10 yards on a reception by Jaylen Warren and a run by Najee Harris. Then on second-and-6, Wilson dropped back, and after seeing a swath of green grass in front of him, he opted to keep the ball and run it himself.

"I just thought we had a chance to go to the end zone and tried to cut back and just got hit," Wilson said. "I think right before I hit the ground, the ball came out.

"I was kind of cutting off the block and just, I didn't want to slide there, didn't want to slide there. I felt like we could've got in the end zone -- trying to get a touchdown and go for it. They made a good play."

Wilson was halted -- along with the Steelers' momentum -- by Washington's tackle and Kyle Van Noy's fumble recovery as the Ravens (10-5) responded with a 96-yard touchdown drive.

"There's ebb and flow of momentum in every game, and so it didn't feel like it was a lost cause at that point by any stretch," coach Mike Tomlin said.

Despite the missed opportunity in the second quarter, the Steelers still managed to keep the game close until the fourth quarter.

Driving down a score after Minkah Fitzpatrick's first interception in nearly two years, Wilson committed his second costly turnover with 13:06 remaining. This time, Wilson was intercepted by Marlon Humphrey, who returned the ball 37 yards for a pick-six to give the Ravens a 31-17 lead.

"I think that definitely changed the game when they got that interception," Wilson said. "I thought the defense did a good job of getting the ball back, and I was trying to throw it to [MyCole Pruitt] in his front number. I felt like the ball just stayed inside unfortunately and they made a play."

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