In his 13-year-career, Russell Wilson has thrown 230 touchdown passes against just 16 interceptions inside the opposing 20-yard line, known better as the red zone. He's also rushed for 28 touchdowns inside the opposing 20, making him a highly productive player leading his respective team in those situations.
But over the past few weeks, Wilson has thrown a couple of interceptions when the Steelers have gotten into the red zone. He also lost a fumble in such a situation.
That, however, isn't something that necessarily nags at him as the Steelers (10-6) prepare to host the Bengals (8-8) in their regular season finale Saturday at Acrisure Stadium.
After all, according to Wilson, quarterbacks have to have a short memory when it comes to their bad plays. The good ones, as well.
"I think the most important thing is you have got to have amnesia," Wilson said Wednesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "This is one of those games that they've got good players. We've got good players. There's going to be highs, there's going to be lows throughout a game, throughout season, throughout all that.
"And just having amnesia, that's when the great things are happening, to be able to move on and move to the next play. I think that's going to be key for winning football."
Wilson speaks from experience.
He's been to the top of the mountain, winning a Super Bowl while with the Seattle Seahawks. But he also was the quarterback in a Seattle loss in the Super Bowl in which he was intercepted at the goal line against New England, leading to the Seahawks losing that game.
He understands that players not only can't get too high with the highs, but they also cannot get too low with the lows.
Besides, Wilson has accounted for 11 touchdowns in the red zone – nine passing, two rushing – this season in his 10 starts for the Steelers on his way to throwing 15 touchdown passes against just five interceptions and posting a 97.4 passer rating. It's just a matter of making the right plays and decisions at the correct moment.
"Being aggressive but not being careless," Wilson said. "I think doing what we've done, you know, 95 percent of the season. You can't just look at one or two bad plays and then judge the whole season off of that. You look at all the collection of all the plays, and it's football. It's an imperfect game and you're always seeking perfection every day."
Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith had similar thinking.
He'd like to not have costly turnovers in the red zone, but he also has been around long enough to understand that when they happen, you can't get too conservative and change the things that put you into position to score in the first place.
He still wants Wilson to be aggressive, he just doesn't want to be reckless.
"I use the blackjack analogy," Smith said. "You lose a hand. You don't start splitting bad cards or doubling down when you shouldn't and try to win it all back the next play. If the opportunity is there, sure, take it.
"But sometimes I think it's human nature, you get a negative play, like you get the touchdown off the board and now you're second-and-long, and you see that sometimes, too. There is a fine line. You don't want to take somebody's initiative away but you get in these tight games against good defenses, they are not going to hand you things. There's an art to not forcing things when they are not there. It's not being conservative. It's trying to play smart football."
That was an obvious reference to Wilson's latest red zone turnover, an interception on a pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth against Kansas City, one play after a holding penalty had wiped a Jaylen Warren touchdown pass off the board with the Steelers trailing 13-0.
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The Steelers came back and scored a touchdown on their next possession on a 1-yard Wilson run. But instead of taking the lead, they trailed 13-7.
That is the kind of response the Steelers want to have to such situations. And it's one reason why Wilson preaches having amnesia.
It's something he learned to master as a former minor league baseball player.
"I've got a lot of baseball in me, and ou think about baseball, you go 30 for 100 and you're a Hall of Famer," Wilson said. "So you've got to be able to focus on the next pitch. I think it's the same thing in any sport, really. I think the best players in the world are able to remain neutral.
"Steph Curry is probably a 93-94 percent free throw shooter, something like that. If he misses a free throw in the finals, that doesn't mean he's not any good anymore. And I think that's just part of being neutral… how you embrace the challenges."
The next challenge for the Steelers is facing the Bengals and trying to get a win in their regular season finale going into the playoffs, wherever and against whatever team that may be.
"You just focus on this next game," Wilson said. "I've got a lot of respect and regard for how they play the game and how they're coached. And so we've got to play our best game to get the momentum back. I think it's always great just to stay on a momentum high. I think that's always helpful. But it doesn't determine anything. Our present is going to determine how we work. Is going to determine where we go."
