Russell Wilson’s mistakes against the Ravens could play a big role in the Steelers’ battle for the division title.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are usually strong enough to win games even when Wilson isn’t playing spectacularly.

That was evident on November 17, when Pittsburgh beat the visiting Baltimore Ravens 18-16 and first place in the AFC North was at stake.

Wilson threw for just 205 yards, was intercepted once and never got into the end zone on offense, but Chris Boswell’s six field goals were just enough for a Pittsburgh defense that was thwarting Baltimore’s potent offense.

Five weeks before Saturday’s rematch, and Wilson was, to put it kindly, pedestrian again. This time that wasn’t good enough. And it could end up costing the Steelers the division.

Wilson was better in some ways against the Ravens the second time around, throwing two touchdowns and finishing with a QBR of 38.0 after posting a season-low 15.2 in the first meeting. But with his increased production came a few key mistakes.

The first occurred when the game was tied early in the second quarter, triggering a 14-point exchange.

Pittsburgh was driving to the Baltimore 23-yard line when Wilson escaped the pocket and stormed toward the end zone. He appeared poised to give the Steelers the lead until Ravens safety Ar’Darius Washington made a crunching hit that forced a fumble and Baltimore recovered at its own 4. Eight plays and 96 yards later, the hosts were ahead 14-7.

Wilson helped Pittsburgh to a tie early in the third quarter, and the Steelers were still in the game when Wilson and Co. entered the field trailing 24-17 with 13:57 left in the fourth quarter.

Then came the backbreaker.

Wilson faked a handoff, rolled to his right and missed a throw in the flat that Marlon Humphrey intercepted and returned for a game-winning 37-yard pick-six. Disappointed, Pittsburgh did nothing on its final two drives and watched its archrival secure its third straight playoff berth.

A Steelers win would have locked up the division, but Pittsburgh’s margin for error is now uncomfortably low heading into the final weeks of the regular season.

Both the Steelers and Ravens are 10-5, and while Pittsburgh currently holds the tiebreaker by conference record, Baltimore’s last two games are slightly more favorable. The Ravens visit Houston on Wednesday before hosting Cleveland in the regular-season finale.

Of course, none of these games are gimmicks, but considering what lies ahead for the Steelers, Baltimore could very well defeat the North if they can prevail in both games. Pittsburgh hosts 14-1 Kansas City on Wednesday and then hosts a Cincinnati team that challenged the Steelers in a 44-38 loss on Dec. 1.

Pittsburgh is still determining its fate in the AFC North, but it would be fair to look back on Saturday’s game with the Ravens emerging victorious. The Steelers had their chance and flopped – especially Wilson.

The rematch demanded more from Wilson than the first meeting between the two teams. Pittsburgh was without top receiver George Pickens and three starters on defense, and star linebacker TJ Watt likely wasn’t at 100 percent after suffering an ankle injury.

Even without Pickens, Wilson had to shine because the Steelers weren’t going to overwhelm the Ravens on the ground.

Pittsburgh managed just 3.6 yards per carry in Week 11 against Baltimore, and although the Steelers averaged 4.9 yards per carry on Saturday, that simply wasn’t enough to keep up with a Ravens offense that wore down Pittsburgh’s patchwork defense .

To his credit, Wilson played aggressively and made a handful of impressive throws in tight windows and on the run. He could have slipped on his ill-fated scramble, but you have to respect the veteran quarterback for welcoming the contact and not giving up on the play.

Wilson’s mistakes on Saturday were far too costly. Exactly how deep the impact could go remains to be determined.