Russell Wilson isn’t the same player he once was, but in his first action with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he didn’t look done yet. Wilson threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns against the New York Jets, with some great deep shots included. However, not everyone loved Wilson’s performance. Former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms thought Wilson’s nerves were evident early against the Jets.
“Early in that game, I felt bad for Russell [Wilson],” Simms said Friday on his Simms Complete podcast. “You have a little nerves when you start games, but that was a lot of nerves. He was nervous. Here’s a guy that’s been to two Super Bowls, all this great stuff, but he overcame it.”
It seems odd to say that Wilson was visibly nervous when he put in such a good performance. Throughout the game, Wilson drove the ball down the field, which usually isn’t something a nervous quarterback would do. However, based on how he started the game, what Simms is saying could have more truth to it.
Wilson looked terrible for basically the entire first quarter. He was inaccurate, indecisive, and wasn’t moving very well. However, that was his first regular-season start since last December. He’d never taken an actual meaningful snap for the Steelers. Wilson had every reason to be nervous. Once he shook off the rust, though, he looked far more comfortable.
It seems incorrect to say Wilson looked nervous after the second half. At that point, the Steelers captured the lead and never let go of it. Wilson kept taking shots down the field, providing an explosive element that their offense desperately needed.
Perhaps Wilson was worried about being benched for Justin Fields, but Mike Tomlin has remained committed to him since he signed with the Steelers. Fields did look good when he was the starter, but Tomlin made it clear he wants to be great, not just good. With Wilson under center, the Steelers’ offense did look great.
This week, the Steelers play Simms’ old team, the New York Giants. Their defense has some playmakers, but overall, they’re a team in disarray. Wilson should be able to look more confident out of the gate. The Steelers’ offense has had a problem with starting slowly for years now, though, so it’s probably too soon to expect them to always dominate offensively. As long as Wilson continues to look like he did in Week 7, he’s got nothing to be nervous about.
