With Wilson, Steelers are threat to win AFC
By Dale Lolley
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
There are many people eating a lot of crow after Russell Wilson’s Steelers debut last weekend.
To be fair, those criticizing coach Mike Tomlin’s decision to go with Wilson, a nine-time Pro Bowl player and former Super Bowl winner, hadn’t seen him do much in a Steelers uniform. He played a little in the preseason and hadn’t played at all in the regular season.
But anyone who had been at the team’s offseason practices or training camp could tell that Wilson is better at doing quarterback things than Justin Fields, who started the first six games, helping the team to a 4-2 start.
And then there is the national media’s perception of Wilson. For whatever reason, many have a blind spot when it comes to Wilson. There’s a lot of vitriol thrown his way.
To be fair, he is a different guy. He can be corny. He does some different things, such as giving mock directions in a fake huddle while he was sidelined.
But whatever Wilson has done to get him to this point in his career, it’s worked. He’s a likely Hall of Fame quarterback.
And he’s still just 35 years old.
As expected, some of the things he can unlock in the Steelers’ offense were on display in a 37-15 win over the New York Jets.
He still throws a very catchable deep ball, showing deft touch on those passes. He’s excellent in the red zone. And he unlocked the Steelers’ play-action passing game.
The Steelers had five passing plays of 20 or more yards against the Jets, accounting for 158 yards. The Steelers had 145 passing yards the previous week against the Las Vegas Raiders and were averaging 168 yards passing yards per game with Fields at quarterback.
Wilson threw two touchdown passes in the red zone and also scored on a 1-yard plunge as the Steelers scored four touchdowns from inside the New York 20.
And Wilson was 9 of 12 utilizing play-action passes, averaging 13.1 yards per attempt. The Steelers had been averaging less than 5 yards per passing play on play-action.
It wasn’t a perfect start. He opened the game by completing only 2 of his first 8 passes, causing the boo birds at Accrisure Stadium to make an appearance. There were even chants of “We want Justin.”
But those were gone about midway through the third quarter.
It’s natural to want Fields to continue as the team’s starter. He 10 years younger than Wilson. And he’s talented.
But Wilson gives the Steelers a better chance to win now in what is a watered-down AFC.
This isn’t to say there won’t be some additional bumps in the road.
But everyone who pointed to what happened with Wilson in Denver was being a little unfair.
First, Denver hasn’t made the playoffs since 2015. The Broncos don’t have a lot of offensive talent.
Despite that, after a disastrous 2022 season with Nathaniel Hackett running things – he’s been fired twice in the past 18 months, first by Denver and then replaced as offensive coordinator of the Jets – Wilson didn’t fit with coach Sean Payton’s scheme.
Despite that, he threw 26 touchdown passes with 8 interceptions in 15 games last season.
He’s nothing close to washed up as some in the national media would have you believe. He showed that last Sunday night.
Wilson doesn’t need to be Patrick Mahomes. He just needs to continue to put the ball where it needs to go. If he does that, the Steelers can compete for the AFC championship.
This week’s games
Giants (plus 6½) at Steelers: New York’s offensive line is a mess with left tackle Andrew Thomas sidelined. And quarterback Daniel Jones was benched last week. But the Giants’ pass rush is very good. The run defense? Not so much, allowing 5.2 yards per carry. But will the Steelers win by nearly a touchdown? It is Monday night at home. And the Steelers don’t lose on Monday nights at home. Take the Steelers, 24-10.
Ravens (minus 8½) at Browns: The Ravens have the league’s No. 1 offense. The Browns are the only team in the league that has yet to score at least 20 points in a game. Could Cleveland have a fire sale after this one? You bet. Everything goes, except Deshaun Watson, who won’t play after rupturing his Achilles’ tendon last week. Take the Ravens, 34-17.
Eagles (plus 3) at Bengals: This tells you where the Eagles are. Things haven’t looked good this season, but they’re coming off a 28-3 win last week over the Giants – and are underdogs at 3-4 Cincinnati. Not sure how the Bengals will stop Saquon Barkley. Not sure how the Eagles will stop Joe Burrow. But left tackle Orlando Brown is out for the Bengals. Take Philadelphia, 27-24.
Packers (minus 4) at Jaguars: The Jaguars just spent two weeks in London and come back to the U.S. It’s a home game, but they might be dragging a bit. And their pass defense is awful, which isn’t good news against Jordan Love. Take the Packers, 34-20.
Bears (minus 2½) at Commanders: The Commanders have been one of the best stories in the NFL with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. But he’s dealing with a rib injury that could force Marcus Mariota into the starting lineup. That doesn’t bode well for Washington. Take the Bears, 24-17.
Last Week: 2-3 ATS, 3-2 straight up
Overall: 20-15 ATS; 23-12 straight up
Dale Lolley hosts The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.