Former Steelers All-Pro rips Russell Wilson for fumbling the ball in red zone against Ravens - "What are we doing???!"
Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers had the most important game of the regular season in Week 16. The team traveled to Baltimore to play against the Ravens, and whoever came out as the winner would have an important advantage in the AFC North for the remaining two weeks.
In recent years, the Steelers had a lot of success against the Ravens. Winning the Week 16 game would take a lot of effort, as the two teams battled for the division. However, a crucial error from Russell Wilson in the second quarter badly hurt their chances of upsetting their rivals.
The Steelers had the ball inside the Ravens' red zone, and it looked like a successful play with Wilson running the ball through the middle. However, instead of sliding to end the play near the end zone, he tried to move across the defender and suffered a fumble, which was recovered by Baltimore.
Former Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell, who also had a stint with the Ravens later in his career, could not believe that a player of Wilson's caliber could make such a rookie mistake in a game with so many high stakes:
The situation became even worse in the subsequent Ravens' drive. Not only did the Steelers walk away with empty hands following the quarterback's fumble, but Baltimore also took the ball and scored a touchdown, creating a huge point swing.
Russell Wilson's career resurgence in Pittsburgh propels Steelers to another playoff appearance
The veteran quarterback became the starter for the team even with Justin Fields leading them to a 4-2 record early in the season. It was a bold call by head coach Mike Tomlin, who did not back down on his decision. At the time, Tomlin stated that those decisions were why he was so well-compensated to make.
No one can argue that the decision has not paid off. Russell has six victories in eight games, throwing 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions in this period. He has brought stability to the offense and he does a great job of executing Arthur Smith's offense with his qualities.