Steelers QB Russell Wilson (Post-Game Transcript)

On first half opportunities:
“We had too many penalties throughout the game, big ones. And obviously we had that drive in the red zone. Both teams were kind of getting after it. They called on us, we get backed out. Unfortunately, that could have been a touchdown drive for us. And then we came out in the second half, and we had the flea flicker play, which is a great play. Great job by the line. Great job by [Steelers WR] Jaylen [Warren] getting it to me. And then [Steelers WR] Calvin [Austin] made a great catch. The drive unfortunately didn’t go our way there. We turned it over there, and the red zone fumble. But [in] the second half, we didn’t capitalize on our moments. We only had two possessions, and that first possession coming out would have made it a tie game, with all the negative stuff we did. I thought [in] the first half, we had way too many third and longs. You know, when you’re 3rd-and-18, 3rd-and-18, we’re 3rd-and-22 on the last drive, it’s hard to play winning football that way. Possessions are limited.”

On why it was tough to run the ball today and how that impacted them in the game:
“Yeah, we weren’t successful on first and second down. That’s why we had so many third and longs. We have to be successful on first and second down to get positive plays. And they did a good job; it’s a good football team. And you know, we have to tip our hats to them. They played way better than us tonight. It’s unacceptable how we played. I think we feel like we got to be sharper. So we just have to stay the course. And know that, obviously, we have a big week coming up. We have to respond. We have to get ready to go, and that’s where our focus has to be.”

On missing out on points at the end of the first half:

“Yeah, we thought we could get a touchdown. [Steelers K Chris Boswell] Bos did a great job making the field goal for us. That could have been a good thing too for us. And I think that Calvin did a good job on the third and long, getting into field goal range. I believe it was second and long, third and long. So I think the biggest thing is that I thought [Steelers TE] Pat [Freiermuth] played a great game. He made some plays for us. Obviously, down in the red zone, his touchdown catch was great. Tried to put it up for him. He made a great play. There’s some positives, but not enough of them. And so we have to look at the film, see what we can do better. There’s a lot more there. Like I said, I think this is a very simplistic game. And I think in the sense that if we’re successful on 1st and 2nd down, that gives us a chance to have 3rd and shorts. And that’s why we converted and scored a touchdown that drive. We had a couple 3rd-and-3s, 3rd-and-2s, 3rd-and-1s, even. And so that’s how we got to play the game, especially against a good football team.”

On how far away the Steelers are from being considered a “great team”:

“We’ll have to determine how great we can be. There’s a lot more football left, and I think we have the right guys. I think any great team has to respond. You’re going to have adversity, you’re going to have ups and downs throughout a season. I’ve been on great teams before, sometimes you don’t win them all. And I thought the biggest thing is that, for us, when the game’s in striking distance, we have to tie it up, we have to make plays, we have to find a way. And unfortunately, we didn’t do that tonight. We’ve done that all year, though. That’s been a good thing for us. So, we can’t flinch. We have to get better and we have to be cleaner for this week before going on the road.”

On what the offense has to do to overcome the absence of WR George Pickens:
“[Steelers WR] George [Pickens] is doing everything he can to get back. Obviously, he’s a tremendous competitor. We got guys that we trust. Obviously, I trust Calvin, I trust [Steelers WR] Van [Jefferson], trust [Steelers WR] Scotty [Miller], I trust Big [WR] Mike [Williams]. I trust Pat, all those guys. So obviously he’s one of the world’s best. Having George Pickens out there on the field is a good thing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But either way, we still have to respond and find ways to make plays. I think the storyline in this game really is just simply, first and second down, we weren’t good enough. And third down, when you’re playing a championship-caliber football team, you can’t be 3rd-and-18. That’s where we can fix that. I think that we can, and we will. You know, we’re going against another really good football team next week. So we’ve got to respond.”

On what his reaction is to clinching a playoff spot due to the outcome of other games played today:
“It’s a great thing for us. That’s our expectation. But we want to win this division, that’s our goal. It’s our first goal, to win the division. We have a lot of respect for this division, the teams, coaches, and the players in this division. At the same time, we’ve got to go take it. Got to go take it. We’ve got to go find a way on the road in Baltimore, which we know is going to be a great football game. And I think the biggest thing is, we’ve got to do whatever it takes to win. And that’s really all that matters is finding ways to win, especially in high-level competition.”

On how he feels about the upcoming challenge after these next 10 days of football:
“Yeah, I mean, I think when you get to the playoffs, sometimes you may play on a Sunday, then you may play on a Saturday. I think the biggest thing for us, our practices set the tone for that. I think that we prepare the right way. Obviously, I think the biggest thing for us is not looking at the days, just looking at the opportunity, not worrying about that part of it. We’ll be ready to go. We’ll make sure that we get healed up and as healthy as possible. And then at the same time, make sure that we have a great game plan to go with and capitalize.”

On what the Eagles were doing on first and second downs that the Steelers weren’t successful against:
“They just played better than us in those situations, honestly. They made tackles, they made plays. They played good football tonight. Like I said, you have to give respect where it’s due. They did better than us tonight. And I think the biggest thing is that we have to clean that up. We have to tighten that up. And like I said, when you’re playing a really good football team, you can’t hurt yourself. We hurt ourselves too much tonight with the penalties, and it was a game where they turned the ball over a couple of times. We have to capitalize on them. We can’t turn it over either. And we know that, and we’re going to respond. The great thing is, we’ve got the right character guys. If anybody believes, I believe in who we have, the guys that we have. The temperament, the character, the work ethic. And we shot ourselves in the foot too much today in key situations to tie the game up, or take the lead, or whatever it may have been. So that’s where that game was lost, I felt like.”

On the pitch that Steelers RB Najee Harris fumbled and whether it was a play that he changed at the line of scrimmage:
“No, that was the play we had going on. It just unfortunately didn’t work out.”