Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson got off to a slow start in his first game with the team in its Week 7 win over the New York Jets, but Wilson was able to respond from three straight three-and-outs and lead the Steelers to a 37-15 win. Wilson ended the night with 264 yards and two touchdowns through the air with another one on the ground, and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith was impressed with how Wilson bounced back from his early struggles.
“You really get to see who someone is by their actions,” Smith said Thursday about Wilson via Mike DeFabo of The Athletic.
Smith acknowledged the difficulty of the environment and made mention that Wilson was getting booed early while fans were also chanting for Justin Fields.
“It’s not an easy stage. I mean there you are, Sunday Night Football, and we’re coming off a big win, 30 points, Justin [Fields]. I mean, you could feel it. Better or worse, you could hear some of the crowd, some of the things that were being said. And he got up off the mat and made a big play and he got going,” Smith said via Chris Adamski of TribLive.
Things turned around for Wilson with 11:35 left in the second quarter, when he went deep down the left sideline to WR George Pickens for a 44-yard gain. At that point, the offense got into a rhythm, and while the Steelers had to settle for a field goal that drive, five of their next six possessions ended in points. That was really one of the biggest turning points for Wilson, as it seemed to give him some confidence, and it got the Steelers’ offense in gear after stalling for most of the first quarter.
Wilson’s been in the league a long time and has obviously started slow before in his career. It’s a bit of a different circumstance, though, when he’s coming in to start over a quarterback in Justin Fields who was 4-2 and hadn’t played poorly enough to necessitate a benching. A slow start like the one Wilson had, where he was just 2-of-7 to begin the game, is going to get some fans restless, especially with the decision to turn to Wilson not being one universally accepted.
But Wilson does deserve credit for not wilting under the pressure of a primetime game and a restless crowd and rebounding to help lead the Steelers to their best offensive output of the season. It’s expected of a 13th-year veteran with the level of experience that he has and someone who’s played in two Super Bowls and multiple other high-stakes, pressure-packed games, but the circumstance last Sunday unique. And to Smith’s credit, he schemed a game plan for Wilson that he said let him “cut it loose” and led to some of his success.
Hopefully, Wilson can continue to play to the standard that he showed against the Jets, and after the way he finished the game, there should be a lot less boos and calls for Wilson to sit going forward.
