BALTIMORE — Russell Wilson is a man who loves to talk about moments, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have signed the Super Bowl champion quarterback for the likes of their AFC Wild Card game.

When it came time to be the man of the moment, Wilson and the Steelers fell short in a 28-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium and were eliminated from the playoffs.

Wilson completed 20 of 29 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns, with 226 yards and both scores coming in the second half as the Steelers attempted to erase a three-touchdown halftime deficit. Wilson had three carries for 6 yards and was sacked four times for minus-19 yards.

“It was like our play wasn’t good enough,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of Wilson’s performance. “I just love the spirit with which he kept fighting, the way he led the group out of the locker room after half-time. But certainly none of us were good enough tonight.”

Tomlin praised Wilson for not giving up under duress, especially when he was in the end zone. On third-and-9 from the Pittsburgh 3, Wilson completed a 25-yard pass over the middle to Calvin Austin. It was the first of three big third-down passes on a nine-play, 98-yard scoring drive. Wilson found Mike Williams down the left sideline for a 37-yard pass and connected with Van Jefferson on a moonball for a 30-yard touchdown to make it 21-7.

Later in the third quarter, Wilson threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens, cutting the score to 28-14. But on a third-and-8 at the Steelers’ 44-yard line, Wilson was sacked by Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, resulting in an 8-yard loss to end the third quarter and force a punt. Wilson was sacked again by Odafe Oweh late in the fourth quarter, pushing the Steelers to a third-and-22 at midfield.

As usual, Wilson exuded positivity even in defeat.

“Anytime you strive for something that we strive for, winning a Super Bowl here and everything else, there are always ups and downs,” Wilson said. “More importantly, I believe in the people we have. It was a challenge. We had many ups and also many downs. But I think we went into this game believing we could win it. Unfortunately, they made a lot more plays than we did. So that’s the disappointing part. But the best thing about the game is that the boys didn’t give up. In the National Football League, sometimes guys check out. And they didn’t. We didn’t do it. We gave everything. We kept fighting, kept swinging. That’s why I love the guys on this team.”

A nine-time Pro Bowl pick by the Seattle Seahawks, who led them to the Super Bowl XLVIII championship, Wilson spent two tumultuous seasons in Denver before signing a one-year contract with the Steelers.

Wilson, 36, won six of his first seven starts with the Steelers before they lost their final four games of the regular season and the wild-card game. In 12 starts, including the playoffs, he completed 64.1% of his passes, averaged 229.3 yards per game and threw 18 touchdowns and five interceptions.

The Steelers paid just $1.21 million of his $39 million salary this season. Although Wilson is expected to receive a significant contract in free agency, he expressed hope of returning to the Steelers next season.

“It’s been a great blessing for the Pittsburgh Steelers to be here,” Wilson said. “The people we have, the organization is really first class. Of course, I love the city and what it means – not just to me and (wife) Ciara and our family, but just to the National Football League. It’s a special place with special people. We have a special coach in Coach Tomlin, a special organization, special people, special players, a special fan base. It has truly been a blessing in my life. For me personally, it was one of the best years of being a Pittsburgh Steeler.

“Of course I hope I’m here and everything else. I trust God, whatever that is. It’s a very special place and I know God put me here for a reason. He’s given me so much joy, being here, just being with the people we’re with. I love black and gold and what it means to me.”