As the cliché goes, you win as a team, you lose as a team. In so many words, that’s the message Russell Wilson conveyed with the first question he faced after the Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a 24-19 defeat against the Cleveland Browns on November 21.
That question was whether he was surprised not to be on the field for Pittsburgh’s most critical third down of the game. While he didn’t directly answer the question, Wilson expressed a confidence in Justin Fields, who was behind center on the play, and the Steelers coaching staff.
“I think that we’re all, as a team, we’re trying to make plays,” Wilson told reporters in his postgame press conference. “We’re trying to do different things. Obviously, we have trust in Justin [Fields] too in what he can do, and what he’s capable of and everybody.
“Listen, I always want to be in there. That’s just the competitor in me. But at the same time, I think, like I said, we have great trust in Justin and our team and our coaches and everything we were doing.”
On the critical third down, Fields targeted wide receiver George Pickens down the left sidelines. The pass fell incomplete, and the Steelers were forced to punt with 3:29 remaining in regulation.
The Browns scored the game-winning touchdown on their ensuing possession.
Steelers’ Russell Wilson on Sidelines for Critical Third Down
Based on how the Steelers played through the first three quarters of the game, they received the result they deserved Thursday night — their third loss of the season.
However, thanks to two fourth-quarter touchdowns, the Steelers held an improbable 19-18 lead. Then with 4:22 remaining in regulation, Steelers cornerback Donte Jackson intercepted Browns quarterback Jameis Winston.
On Pittsburgh’s next possession, Fields replaced Wilson on the second play of the drive, which was second-and-7. The play, which was a Najee Harris run, gained just 3 yards, so the Steelers faced third-and-4 at their own 30-yard line.
Had the Steelers converted the third down, they could have possibly taken the clock down to at least the 2-minute warning or forced the Browns to burn their timeouts (perhaps even both) on the next set of downs. So, obviously, it was a crucial play.
But it was the backup quarterback, not Wilson, on the field for the third down.
Fields correctly identified Pickens had single coverage down the left sideline. But Fields couldn’t connect with Pickens in the snow.
Wilson Posts Strong Numbers in Browns Loss
The Steelers didn’t score their first touchdown of Week 12 until the fourth quarter. That snapped a streak of roughly 114 minutes of game action without the Pittsburgh offense reaching the end zone.
But despite the lack of touchdowns, Wilson posted strong statistics throughout the night. He finished Week 12 completing 21 of 28 passes for 270 yards with 1 touchdown.
According to NextGen Stats, Wilson was 4-for-6 on passes of greater than 20 air yards. With those 4 completions, he posted 135 passing yards.
That is the most deep completions and yards allowed on deep attempts by the Browns defense in the last two seasons.
Granted, Wilson didn’t play a perfect game. He took 4 sacks, including 1 that led to a fumble that the Browns recovered in the second quarter. Cleveland took a 7-point halftime lead because of that mistake.
But given how well Wilson was throwing deep in Week 12, if a deep throw to Pickens was the play the Steelers wanted to run on the critical third down, it was a curious decision not to let Wilson be the quarterback to attempt it.
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Russell Wilson Speaks Out on Steelers Using Justin Fields for Key 3rd-Down Throw