The Pittsburgh Steelers came up short in their 19-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Saturday night. Both Russell Wilson and Pat Freiermuth probably wish they could have had do-overs.
The Steelers were down 19-17 and had a first down at their 42 with under a minute left. Wilson was under pressure and scrambled rather than throw the ball away. He stayed inbounds and was brought down after a gain of three yards. The clock continued to run, meaning that decision by Wilson cost the team 22 seconds. Then on second down, Wilson was sacked, which forced the Steelers to use their final timeout.
On third down, Wilson missed George Pickens, who was open on an out-and-up route.
On 4th-and-12, with the game on the line, Wilson found Freiermuth open for what should have been a first down to keep the drive going. Though Wilson made a perfect pass, Freiermuth dropped it.
THE BENGALS SURVIVE!
Russ can't connect with Freiermuth on 4th down 😱 pic.twitter.com/M3K9iR5YEx
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 5, 2025
The Steelers had plenty of missed opportunities in the game. Calvin Austin III lost a fumble on a punt return. The Steelers failed to convert on a 4th-and-1 from their 37 late in the first half. George Pickens had several dropped passes. Despite all that, they would have been in a good position to win the game had Freiermuth caught that pass. He’d love to have a chance to make that catch again.
The Steelers now enter the playoffs having lost four straight games.
