Russell Wilson faced the scrutiny of ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt Saturday when the quarterback refused to reflect on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ spiral. 

The Steelers have slumped to four consecutive defeats to end the regular season, dropping from the AFC North lead and No. 3 seed down to sixth. 

While Wilson admitted, following a 19-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, that Pittsburgh had endured a ‘tough few weeks’ and that the Steelers needed to reset, he refused to dwell on the past. 

‘I don’t really wanna talk about the past just because I think we’ve been in that for a little bit here,’ Wilson said. ‘I think the best thing we can do is get ready for the playoffs. It’s a new season. That’s the only thing that really matters anymore at this point.’ 

After showing a clip of Wilson’s postgame interview on ‘SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt,’ the host took a dig at the signal caller. 

‘It’s our job to talk about the past,’ Van Pelt began. 

ESPN host Scott Van Pelt took a dig at Russell Wilson over his postgame comments

Scott Van Pelt: It’s our job to talk about the past.Ryan Clark: It seems pretty relevant right now.SVP: We’re not talking about 19 — we’re not talking about the Great Depression. We’re talking about the game you guys just lost, that’s the fourth in a row. pic.twitter.com/RJZk9zrzTA

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 5, 2025

‘It seems pretty relevant right now,’ analyst and former Steelers defensive back Ryan Clark chimed in.

‘We’re not talking about 19 — we’re not talking about the Great Depression,’ Van Pelt continued. ‘We’re talking about the game you guys just lost, that’s the fourth in a row.’

Wilson completed 17 of 31 pᴀsses for 148 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals in the Steelers’ NFL regular season finale. 

In 11 games this season, he has registered 2,482 pᴀssing yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Justin Fields started the first six games of the campaign, after Wilson was sidelined with a calf injury, and guided the Steelers to a 4-2 record. 

After returning as a starter, Wilson went on a four-game winning streak but ultimately heads into the postseason with a 6-5 record.

The Steelers’ 10-3 streak through their first 13 games before their four-game implosion to finish the season was enough to just secure a berth in the playoffs.