First things first. I can admit when I am wrong. Russell Wilson did better than I expected. I think Russ outperformed most everyone’s expectations for his debut in the black and gold. That being said, I am going to nitpick this game.
I’ll just get the low hanging fruit out of the way right now, Russ looked sloppy in the first half. Wilson’s completion percent last night at 55.2% is actually worse than anything Justin Fields has produced so far this year, Fields lowest being 55.6% against the Cowboys.
Wilson threw for 264 yards, ending with 16 catches on 29 attempts. The highlight being two TD’s and no interceptions on the night. Russ also accomplished something the Steelers have not done since November 21st, 2021 when Ben Roethlisberger was still leading this team. Wilson was the catalyst for the first 37 point game for the Steelers in just under three years.
Now, I’m going to argue a bit here about the score being attributed to Russ, at least solely because of him. Beanie Bishop needs a huge shout out for being an absolute monster on defense. The undrafted rookie set the Steelers up for two great scoring opportunities racking up 41 yards on two INT’s while also tallying six solo tackles. His first interception was the momentum swing the Steelers needed going into halftime and in my opinion, changed the outcome of this game.
Aside from the stellar play from Bishop, let’s talk about George Pickens for a minute. He is certainly the reason Russ was able to “cook” in the second half of this game. Pickens was a highlight reel himself last night, securing throws that may have only been possible by someone with his talent. Even Davante Adams was left looking perplexed as to how Pickens was able to come up with some of those throws. I firmly believe that if it was not for Pickens hauling in those toss up balls, Wilson would not have had the same confidence going into the second half as he did.
Now to give Russ the respect he deserves. While he didn’t give much to write home about stat wise, his poise and confidence in the pocket were an unexpected comfort Steelers fans have been yearning for since Big Ben’s departure. It took almost an entire half for the rust to wear off, and there were some boo birds to start the second quarter.
With 27 seconds left in the first half though, Russ hits Pickens for an 11 yard score for the first Steelers TD of the game. What ensued was the most satisfying Steelers game I have watched in years. Aside from the field goal by Chris Boswell to start the scoring in the third quarter, it was all touchdowns and all Steelers for the rest of the game. I was surprised they didn’t put Fields in for the 1 yard QB sneak, but Wilson was able to secure the first of many second half TD’s.
The throw to Van Jefferson was right on the money, and the Najee Harris end of game score was just the coup de grâce the Steelers have been needing for quite some time.
It was only the first game with Russ at the helm, so I will refrain from going all in at the moment. I will however again be the bigger person and say I was wrong about Russ. I am glad I was wrong, and I hope he continues to make me eat crow. I would like to see Fields utilised in the future for goal line opportunities or gadget plays, but ultimately, I feel like I can say with confidence that this team is starting to look playoff worthy.
