What was already a poor finish to the regular season got worse on Saturday, as the Pittsburgh Steelers lost their fourth straight game. When the game was over, Russell Wilson didn’t want to talk about it. Why?
Because it’s in the past.
“I don’t really wanna talk about the past just because I think we’ve been in that for a little bit here,” Wilson told reporters in his postgame press conference. “I think the best thing we can do is get ready for the playoffs. It’s a new season. That’s the only thing that really matters anymore at this point, right? The reality is, obviously us winning that game would have helped us in some form or fashion. But at the end of the day, when you go into the playoffs, everybody’s 0-0. You gotta beat everybody anyway. And that’s gotta be our focus right now.”
Russell Wilson after Saturday’s loss:
“I don’t really wanna talk about the past just because I think we’ve been in that for a little bit here. I think the best thing we can do is get ready for the playoffs.” pic.twitter.com/WYi6qHcBle
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 5, 2025
Wilson is right — at least partially. Saturday’s loss is the past. Everything that has already happened — including what just happened a moment ago — is the past. That said, while all the games are in the past, the four-game losing streak that Wilson and the Steelers are on is active.
That was part of what Scott Van Pelt and Ryan Clark said in response to Wilson.
“It’s our job to talk about the past,” Van Pelt said.
“It seems pretty relevant right now,” a laughing Clark said in response.
“We’re not talking about 19 — we’re not talking about the Great Depression,” Van Pelt added. “We’re talking about the game you guys just lost, that’s the fourth in a row.”
Scott Van Pelt: It’s our job to talk about the past.
Ryan Clark: It seems pretty relevant right now.
SVP: We’re not talking about 19 — we’re not talking about the Great Depression. We’re talking about the game you guys just lost, that’s the fourth in a row. https://t.co/khQ9KGFAQR pic.twitter.com/RJZk9zrzTA
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 5, 2025
Additionally, Wilson’s comments about the postseason were a little off the mark. Everyone indeed is 0-0. But “You gotta beat everybody anyway?” That’s not exactly how it works. The Steelers will be one of seven AFC teams in the playoffs. To reach the Super Bowl, they need to beat three of the other six. Should that happen, Pittsburgh would then need to beat only one NFC team to win the Super Bowl. Saturday’s loss — as well as the three that came before it — have a lot to do with who those teams might be.
Pittsburgh’s two possible first-round opponents are the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens. A win on Saturday would have guaranteed the Steelers a matchup against the Texans. Houston heads into its final game at 9-7 and on a two-game losing streak. With the loss — unless the Las Vegas Raiders upset the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday — the Steelers are now likely to open the playoffs on the road against the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore closed its regular season out on Saturday with a win to move to 12-5. The Ravens have won four straight games by a combined total of 135-43. That includes a 34-17 beating of the Steelers.
Obviously, the past can’t be changed. But the immediate past can have a lot to say about how bright Pittsburgh’s immediate future is.
[Photo Credit: ESPN]