Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers are focused on the playoffs and not looking back at their recent struggles.
The Steelers ended the regular season with a four-game losing streak after a late rally came up short, with Cincinnati winning 19-17 on Saturday night to keep their playoff hopes alive.
“I think the best thing we can do is get ready for the playoffs,” Wilson said. “It’s a new season. That’s the only thing that really matters anymore at this point.”
Pittsburgh secured a playoff spot weeks ago but is now the third team in NFL history to enter the playoffs after losing four straight games.
“We need to play winning football and we’re not doing that right now,” linebacker T.J. Watt said. “We need to wipe the slate clean. We’re in the tournament now and we need to play better football.”
The Steelers lost their grip on the AFC North title and now rely on the Las Vegas Raiders to beat the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
If the Raiders win, the Steelers will avoid facing their division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, in the first round. If the Chargers win, Pittsburgh will play Houston in the first round.
“Obviously, us winning would’ve helped us in some form or fashion,” Wilson said. “But at the end of the day, when you go into the playoffs, everybody’s 0-0 and you have to beat everybody anyway. It has been a tough few weeks. That has to be our focus right now.”
Pittsburgh’s defense struggled in December, allowing over 400 yards per game in their first three losses. On Saturday, Joe Burrow and the Bengals gained 314 yards of total offense.
Pittsburgh finished with 193 yards, most of which came in the fourth quarter when the offense was trying to rally. Wilson completed just one pass in the third quarter, and Cincinnati controlled the ball for 16 more minutes. He finished 17 of 31 for 148 yards and threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Pat Freiermuth.
