Sep 13, 2024 5 min read

By Dale Lolley

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

With Russell Wilson’s mobility compromised by his calf issue, the Steelers really have no option but to turn to Justin Fields at quarterback again this week when they play at Denver.

Make no mistake, Wilson would love to play. If it had been entirely up to him, he probably would have played against the Falcons.

But, as we saw with Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins, whose mobility was extremely limited as he made his first start since tearing an Achilles’ tendon last October, putting a quarterback on the field with limited mobility can be a serious problem.

The Falcons had Cousins lined up in shotgun or pistol formation the entire game because they didn’t trust him to drop back from under center. And once the Steelers figured out that, when the Falcons were in pistol with the running back a couple of yards behind Cousins, they were likely running the ball, the game was over. Atlanta managed just more than 50 yards of offense and no points in the second half.

For Wilson, mobility is important. As a sub-6-foot tall quarterback, he can’t only throw from the pocket. His game has been predicated on his ability to move in the pocket to find throwing lanes.

If he can’t do that because of the calf injury, then he’s more limited than most quarterbacks.

And Fields played well enough last week to get the Steelers a victory.

The game plan was very conservative in Fields’ first start for the Steelers. But he did make some plays, both with his arm and his legs.

All of that said, when Wilson is healthy again, he’ll be the Steelers’ starting quarterback. He gives this offense the best chance to score on a consistent basis.

For all the good things Fields did last week, the Steelers kicked six field goals. One of the biggest reasons the Steelers were attracted to Wilson when he became available this offseason is his red zone passing prowess.

Wilson has thrown 221 touchdown passes against 14 interceptions in 752 career pass attempts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Last season with Denver, he had 20 touchdown passes and one interception on 72 attempts inside the 20.

Remember, Steelers quarterbacks as a whole had 13 touchdown passes for the season.

• It’s no secret the Steelers have a special player in T.J. Watt, one of the best players regardless of position in the NFL. But one player who is never spoken about in a similar way in terms of his position is kicker Chris Boswell.

With his 6-for-6 performance against the Falcons, Boswell set the team single-game record with three field goals of 50-plus yards. It also was only the third time in NFL history that a kicker made at least five field goals in a game from at least 40 yards. Boswell has done that twice.

It also raised his career field goal percentage to 87.5 percent, which is sixth-best on the NFL’s all-time list.

Boswell has done that despite having only 30 career attempts in domes, where he has made 28, a percentage of 93.3.

Boswell has 33 field goals in his career from 50-plus yards. Prior to Boswell taking over the kicking duties for the Steelers in 2015, the team had 27 field goals from beyond 50 yards in its history.

This week’s games

Steelers (minus 2 1/2) at Broncos: A week after befuddling Cousins, a veteran quarterback, the Steelers get a shot to do the same against rookie Bo Nix, who will be making his second career start. Nix averaged 3.8 yards per pass attempt in a loss at Seattle last week. That doesn’t bode well for him against the Steelers, who have one of the best defenses in the league. Take the Steelers, 24-9.

Raiders (plus 9) at Ravens: Baltimore’s offensive line will have issues blocking defensive end Max Crosby of the Raiders on pass plays, but they should run the ball very well in this one. And when the Ravens can run the ball, they typically blow opponents out, especially at home. Take the Ravens, 31-13.

Browns (plus 3½) at Jaguars: Deshaun Watson is broken. It’s probably a good thing for the Browns that this game is on the road because the hometown fans were calling for backup Jameis Winston in last week’s debacle. The Browns can’t run the ball well enough to offset Watson’s struggles. Take the Jaguars, 23-16.

Bengals (plus 6) at Chiefs: This is not what the doctor ordered for the Bengals, who looked lackluster in a home-opening loss to the Patriots. The rushing defense looks like it will be an issue again for Cincinnati. And Patrick Mahomes has plenty of new toys with which to play this season. Take the Chiefs, 27-20.

Colts (minus 3) at Packers: If Green Bay QB Jordan Love is unable to play, Malik Willis would get the start. Willis, acquired from Tennessee two weeks ago, has completed 52.2 percent of his passes for just 350 yards in three career starts. This could be ugly. Take the Colts, 24-10

Last Week: 4-1 ATS, 4-1 overall

Season: 4-1 ATS, 4-1 overall

Dale Lolley hosts The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.