One of the things that the Pittsburgh Steelers have been blessed (or cursed) with over the years, is nail-biter finishes. It keeps things exciting and makes for a good viewing experience from beginning to end, but it can be a little taxing on the nerves of the fan base.
Just last season, 11 of the Steelers’ 17 regular-season games finished with a one touchdown or fewer scoring margin. Fortunately for the Steelers, they have had quarterbacks who thrive in these situations over the years. Ben Roethlisberger is tied for third place all-time in game-winning drives with 53. He is also in third all-time for fourth-quarter comebacks with 41.
The most famous of those came in Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals when Roethlisberger found Santonio Holmes along the sideline for a game-winning touchdown to secure the Steelers’ sixth Lombardi Trophy. But there were many, many others over his career.
Even after Roethlisberger retired, one of the few things that Kenny Pickett excelled at in his two years with the Steelers was summoning his “clutch gene.” Over 24 total starts, he had six fourth-quarter comebacks and seven game-winning drives.
One of Pickett’s most impressive was the second-to-last week of his rookie season against the Baltimore Ravens when he found RB Najee Harris for a game-winning touchdown pass with under a minute to go. That game, and his performance in the clutch moments against the Steelers’ biggest rival, gave the fan base hope that carried over into the offseason. That hope unfortunately turned out to be misplaced.
But with the addition of Russell Wilson, the Steelers are in a great position to carry on with their ways of winning games as the clock ticks toward zero. Wilson is not that far behind Roethlisberger on either of the all-time lists. He has 31 fourth-quarter comebacks and 39 game-winning drives. Those figures are good for ninth and 10 all-time, respectively.
Even as his career otherwise took a setback over the last two seasons with the Denver Broncos, he still managed seven total fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives over that time, matching Pickett’s numbers.
One of the best clutch moments of his career was the 2014 NFC Championship Game against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. The Seahawks forced overtime after Wilson escaped the pocket, extended the play, and lobbed the ball across the field to Luke Willson to complete a two-point conversion.
In overtime, Wilson threw a beautiful pass deep in the middle of the field to Jermaine Kearse, who hauled it in to send the Seahawks to the Super Bowl. Here is that final pass, posted by The Athletic’s Mike Dugar on X.
All that to say, you may need to continue checking those pacemakers and consulting with your doctor before watching the Steelers in 2024. Wilson has a knack for playing in and winning close games.
