Player: QB Russell Wilson

Stock Value: Declined

Argumentation: Russell Wilson didn’t play particularly well, but he had arguably the two worst mistakes of the game. With two game-changing draws, the Steelers missed their chance at the AFC North title. And now they have to wait until Week 18 to find out how things pan out.

The position of quarterback carries great power and therefore great responsibility. The quarterback’s most important job is to protect the football, and Russell Wilson failed spectacularly at that yesterday. Through his two giveaways, the Steelers wasted scoring opportunities while the Ravens were collecting points.

Admittedly, it’s hard to blame Wilson for letting the defense give up a 96-yard touchdown drive. Wilson had no business fumbling inside the 5-yard line or anywhere else, but any defense should be able to protect more than 90 yards of ground.

On the other hand, the defense could do nothing against the other. In fact, the defense watched as Russell Wilson, after catching an interception, gave the ball right back and got even worse. For some reason he looked for MyCole Pruitt and threw straight to CB Marlon Humphrey. And for the first time in his career, he took it home.

Wilson threw a pick-six against the Bengals earlier this year, but it came under highly questionable circumstances. In this case, Wilson really only has himself to blame because he put the ball in a bad spot. The Steelers were only down 24:17 at that point, making the score 31:17. His earlier fumble also left at least three points off the board, so that’s a lot of points for one player.

While those were costly, costly mistakes, Russell Wilson also made some plays. He finished the game 22 of 33 for 217 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. He made some nice throws and showed his talent, even his maneuverability. But giving the ball away twice, including a defensive touchdown, rightfully overshadows the rest.

Over the course of the season Steelers player stocks rise and fall. The nature of the assessment varies depending on the time of year, with seasonal considerations more often being short-term in nature. Offseason considerations often have broader implications, especially when players lose their jobs or the team signs someone. At this time of year is full of transactionswhether minor or major.

A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion – many things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock in the market based on speculation. You feel better after a good game, worse after a bad game. Some inventory updates will be minor, while others will likely be quite drastic. Therefore, take the degree into account. I will do my best to explain the nature of this in the justification section of each column.