Many of you have heard of Russell Wilson’s corny “Mr. Unlimited” alter ego that he debuted on social media a year or two ago. While there is almost no way to get through that video without cringing, he may have been on to something. One former GM thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers’ ceiling is currently without limits after watching Wilson’s debut in Black and Gold.
“From what I saw from Sunday’s game, their ceiling’s unlimited,” Doug Whaley said via 93.7 The Fan’s Morning Show. “You just don’t put a ceiling on them because their potential is very — I mean, when you start talking about putting up over 30 points a game with that defense and a quarterback that as we saw on Sunday night, can elevate other people’s games that weren’t really scratched on the surface with other people being the quarterback. That’s the difference between a guy that has quarterback talent and a talented quarterback.”
Dating back to last season, the Steelers have allowed 30 or more points on four occasions, including the Wild Card playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. All four of those came in 2023. The 2024 Steelers defense is second in the league with 14.4 points per game allowed. They have only allowed 20 or more points twice, and a high of 27 to the Indianapolis Colts.
If Wilson can elevate the offense to a unit that is capable of putting up 30 points, then the Steelers truly do have unlimited potential for this season. The defense creates a lot of turnovers and additional scoring opportunities, too, so it isn’t like the offense has to score those 30 points per game in a vacuum with no help.
At 5-2, the Steelers have an excellent shot at entering the bye week 6-2 after a Monday Night Football game against the struggling New York Giants. Then comes the toughest part of the schedule, but the AFC North doesn’t exactly look like the gauntlet that it did prior to the season. The Browns are without Deshaun Watson once again and currently have one win, and the Bengals have gotten off to a shaky start at 3-4. The Steelers’ remaining strength of schedule is .515.
If Wilson has a repeat performance in Week 8, or even better without shaking off the rust early in the game, then the Steelers will firmly be in the conversation as one of the best teams in football. Not bad for a team that many predicted to have a losing record before the season began.
