I’m gonna take a wild guess and say I didn’t see the Steelers’ 34-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens like a lot of other people did.

I didn’t see it as some kind of unforgivable disaster. It wasn’t. The Steelers still control their divisional fate, and the playoffs are what really matter, anyway.

I was actually encouraged in some ways. I’ll explain in a moment.

Sure, it was bitter. It was Baltimore. But if you think the Steelers are going to beat any good teams without George Pickens and three-quarters of their secondary, you’re out of your mind. And that’s to say nothing of a compromised T.J. Watt.

How upset can you possibly be? You’re not going to hold down Lamar Jackson forever. It only took three missing pass defenders and a bunch of blown assignments to make for his big game.

The Steelers better get some of their injured players back, and soon. Like four days from now soon.

There were reasons Baltimore was a seven-point favorite. Oddsmakers obviously didn’t think Watt would be at full strength (all you need to know is that he was often single-blocked) and clearly considered the fact that Pickens, plus three defensive starters, were missing, including two from the secondary. Joey Porter Jr. soon became the third.

That, plus the fact that Baltimore was coming off consecutive bye weeks (including a game against the Giants), spelled trouble.

Still, the Steelers had their chances — and Russell Wilson gave the game away. That’s just a fact. But Wilson’s performance was paradoxically one of the reasons I left this game encouraged.

For large stretches, Wilson was spectacular. He looked like the younger version of himself, running around and making plays. He was decisive and accurate for much of the game. I couldn’t help but imagine this version of Wilson with Pickens back. He did finish 22 of 33 for 217 yards and two touchdowns. I loved the way Jaylen Warren ran. Calvin Austin II is performing more and more like a legit playmaker. Minkah Fitzpatrick seemed dangerous all game and finally made a splash play.

But as ex-Steelers offensive lineman Trai Essex tweeted, “Not many games where you can clearly point to 2 plays and say they were the difference. This was one of those few.”

Obviously, he was referring to Wilson’s goal-line fumble and crushing pick six. I had way more of a problem with the latter. Yes, Wilson probably should have slid on the run, but I saw a leader wanting to make a play — not much different than Patrick Mahomes earlier in the day, on a high ankle sprain, refusing to slide near the goal line and banging his way in. Baltimore’s Ar’Darius Washington simply made a better play, forcing the fumble.

The pick six was just a horrible decision, a horrible throw. That’s Russ overcooking. Can’t have it moving forward, starting Christmas Day against Mahomes and the Chiefs.

By winning their final two games, the Steelers will clinch the AFC North and a home playoff game. They could also clinch by going 1-1 if Baltimore loses a game (they play at Houston on Christmas, then home against the Browns).

They need to get over this quickly, and that gets me to something I didn’t like, because it could compromise the Steelers’ ability to get over this quickly: It seemed like they took too much injury risk in this game.

I want to be careful about this, because I’m no medical expert — but would it not have been wiser to save Watt for the Chiefs game?

Did he still need to be on the field as the Ravens approached the Steelers goal line late, with the outcome no longer in doubt? And did Porter need to come back after he left injured? He clearly was favoring his injured leg and left almost immediately.

Starters returning would be the best gift of all for the Steelers, because, as Tom Brady said on the Fox broadcast, “You still have your whole season ahead of you.”

Wilson had the best quote, telling reporters after the game: “We want to be standing at the end. And it’s not the end yet.”

Meanwhile ...

— I’d be a hypocrite if I ripped Mike Tomlin for going for it on fourth-and-6 from the Ravens' 45 on the first play of the fourth quarter, down a touchdown. I did rip him for punting from Eagles territory last week. With his team so shorthanded, Tomlin needed to take some big chances. This was one.

— A true Christmas miracle occurred shortly thereafter when Fitzpatrick recorded his first interception in about two years. A lot of people have been running interference for Fitzpatrick, making excuses for his lack of splash plays. Make no mistake, this kind of play is why they pay him all that money.

— Brady blamed Ravens receiver Rashod Bateman for stopping his route on the Fitzpatrick pick, but, man, it sure looked like Jackson was seeing ghosts against the Steelers again. That was Baltimore’s first red-zone turnover all season. He just does things against the Steelers that he doesn’t do against other teams. Having said that, he made a bunch of spectacular throws and three touchdown passes, boosting his MVP case.

Jackson came into the game as the first quarterback in NFL history with 30-plus touchdown passes and three or fewer interceptions through 14 games. He now has 37 touchdowns and four interceptions to go with nearly 800 yards rushing. It’s going to take something ridiculous to beat out Josh Allen for MVP. Jackson just might deliver it.

— I don’t think you’ll see John Harbaugh ever ignore Derrick Henry again, the way the Ravens did earlier this season in their visit to Acrisure Stadium. Henry only had 13 carries in that game. He nearly doubled that total Saturday and rumbled for 162 yards. There were at least a half-dozen plays where he looked like he might bust loose for a long touchdown.

— Further proof that the “taunting” penalty is the NFL’s biggest joke: Marlon Humphrey, on his pick six, literally turned toward MyCole Pruitt and held the ball out to … taunt him. It wasn’t called. We’ve seen others (Pickens) flagged for less. It’s just an asinine rule, inconsistently applied.

— I remain baffled as to why Pat Freiermuth (three catches, 16 yards) disappears from this offense so often.

— A sentence I never dreamed of typing: The Steelers really missed Ben Skowronek.

©2024 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.