In the span of six days, the Steelers have gone from 10-3 to 10-5. They lost games to the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens on the road, the latter of which was a chance to clinch the AFC North and a home playoff game. Now, to win the North, Pittsburgh’s likeliest path is to beat Kansas City on Christmas Day—a 14-1 team led by Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and the magic of Satan—and then secure a week 18 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals, who are still not yet technically eliminated from playoff contention.

The Steelers entered the game against their bitter rivals with significant absentees. These included number one wide receiver George Pickens (for the third-straight game), safety DeShon Elliott, cornerback Donte Jackson, defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi, and backup quarterback Justin Fields. It would be an uphill battle from the get-go, as evidenced by the betting spread closing as the Ravens being a seven-point favorite in their home stadium. 

It had become clear, at this point, that Omar Khan’s biggest mistake as the Steelers’ general manager was not finding a suitable wide receiver to work opposite George Pickens. This error has since been further evidenced by Pickens’ absence, as the receiving corps without 14 is, quite simply, a pool of mediocrity that has substantially hampered the offense in recent weeks. 

I will say, though, the offense was better on Saturday—at least in the first half. After an initial three-and-out (which, let us be honest, is not a surprise to anyone at this point), Russell Wilson led a 10-play, 73-yard touchdown drive—capped off by a 1-yard toe-tap catch from tight end MyCole Pruitt. They then forced a punt and got the ball back with a chance to go up 14-7, even with all the injuries. On second-and-six from the Baltimore 23, Wilson took off running to the right. It appeared as though he had a chance to score, so he eschewed sliding in lieu of trying to charge for the goal line. 

In the end, Russ was unable to score. Instead, he got clobbered by Ravens’ defensive back Ar’Darius Washington, who jarred the ball loose from Wilson’s grip. The fumble was recovered from linebacker Kyle Van Noy. Instead of potentially being up 14-7, the Ravens would take the fumble and march 96 yards and take a 14-7 lead themselves. Wilson’s decision not to give himself up resulted in a 14-point swing.  

In the third quarter, the Steelers clawed themselves back to get themselves tied 17-17 with Baltimore. This, naturally, came with an additional injury. Joey Porter, Jr., the top cornerback, went down with an injury in the first quarter, tried to come back early in the second half, but ultimately could not continue. The team was now without 75% of their starting secondary (Minkah Fitzpatrick being the last man standing). 

Down 24-17, the Steelers had a fourth-and-six at the Ravens’ 45 to begin the 4th quarter. Per usual, they dialed up a deep pass instead of a higher-percentage play to pick up the first down, and the 40+ yard pass to Calvin Austin III inevitably fell incomplete. 

Two plays later, Lamar Jackson threw an interception—something very uncommon for him this season—as Minkah Fitzpatrick took advantage of a miscommunication between quarterback and receiver and ran the ball back 25 yards to the Steelers’ 33. I was ecstatic…until two plays later. 

On second-and-seven from the 36, Russell Wilson dropped back to pass. He threw to the right sideline, where an out-breaking receiver was running a short route. Russ threw the ball behind him, right into the hands of the Ravens’ defensive back, and Marlon Humphrey returned the ball 37 yards for a touchdown. It was now a 31-17 game, and the Steelers would finish on 17 points. They had combined for 30 points over their two games against top teams (the Eagles and Ravens) without George Pickens, and conceded 61 points (27 against Philadelphia and 34 against Baltimore). 

The easiest thing to point to as the reason the Steelers lost to Baltimore is the turnover differential. Pittsburgh turned the ball over twice, while the Ravens turned it over just once. However, a deeper dive makes it look worse. The Ravens fumbled twice in the first quarter—Alex Highsmith strip-sacked Lamar Jackson on the first drive of the game, and James Pierre forced a fumble on a Desmond King punt return after the Steelers initial offensive possession—but they retained possession in both instances. King also muffed a punt late in the fourth quarter, and the Ravens also avoided disaster from that mishap. A turnover differential that was Steelers -1 could have easily been Steelers +2, something that would have had a significant impact on the game. 

Pickens has been sorely missed, even with the offense being a bit better this week. Per Daniel Valente, the Steelers’ offense with both Wilson and Pickens averaged 26.3 points-per-game, 389.7 yards-per-game, and 255 passing yards-per-game. Without Pickens, all three numbers have plummeted with the offense now averaging a mere 19 points-per-game, 248.3 yards-per-game, and 150.7 pass yards-per-game. 

Now, Wilson’s two turnovers were a large part of the difference between winning and losing on Saturday. However, a large portion of the social media discourse surrounding the loss has been centered around criticizing Russ into oblivion. Could he have played better? Absolutely. But, he is still the best quarterback on the roster. He has had more good games than bad. He has made more good throws than bad. He is one of the reasons that the Steelers have clinched a playoff spot. If someone wants to go back to the Kenny Pickett era, they can go watch the Eagles until Jalen Hurts clears concussion protocol. Otherwise, they can respectfully shut the hell up. 

Am I upset with the way the past few weeks have transpired? Without a doubt. Am I annoyed at the fact that the Steelers have to play the Eagles, Ravens, and Chiefs in the span of eleven days? You better believe it. Do I have even more grievances to air? How much time do you have? I could do another entry on the ineptitude of the Pirates’ front office and take up an entire gigabyte of storage. But, the bottom line is this: the Steelers still control their own destiny for the AFC North crown. If they win their last two games, they are division champions. If that is the scenario you are told you will be in at the beginning of the season, it is something for which you would doubtlessly sign up.

Have a good holiday.