The Steelers have two games with Russell Wilson under their belt. While they were 4-2 without him, they are now 2-0 with the veteran QB—albeit against a low quality of competition. Even if Wilson hasn’t been slaying giants in anything but name, you can sense the difference.
Steelers players even talk about the differences between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields—at least when reporters ask them to look for those differences. Even if the players have these discussions forced on them, they are still there. I think everyone in that locker room loves both guys, but they know what they see on the field.
“It’s just like, you can kind of feel it. It’s that energy”, WR Calvin Austin III said of Wilson. “He’s coming to the sideline line, ‘Let’s go! We’re hunting!’. With Russ out there, he’s always trying to find that big play, that matchup, that moment. When you got a guy like that, us receivers, we just know we’ve always got to be ready”.
Russell Wilson, of course, is in his 13th NFL season, is a proven winner, and a proven leader. It’s no knock against Justin Fields, but he has never quite led a team in the same way and is not as vocal. He also doesn’t have the same touch on his passes, which is pretty important, too.
Perhaps the key difference, though, is that Wilson has been to the promised land and back. He knows what a championship team looks like, and he tries to get that out of his teammates. That is why he is constantly in their ears, which they appreciate—even George Pickens.
Through two games starting for the Steelers, Russell Wilson is 36-of-57 passing for 542 yards and three touchdowns and zero interceptions. He does have one lost fumble as well as a rushing touchdown. While Fields has 6.9 yards per pass attempt, Wilson is averaging 9.5. And last night, he threw two touchdown balls that didn’t count thanks to unforced errors.
“He’s always talking to us, always looking for that big play, that check, that signal, that route, that look”, Austin said of Wilson. “He’s always hunting that big play. I would say that’s one difference. He’s always communicating and talking with us”.
You could certainly see that, especially in the second half. The Steelers attacked down the field frequently, and with success. In fact, Austin contributed to that with a 29-yard touchdown. He has their only two explosive-play touchdowns of the year so far. Wilson also connected with Pickens on a 43-yard gain on a perfectly placed ball.
The difference in the Steelers’ offense with Russell Wilson over Justin Fields is clear. While they lose some dynamism in Fields’ athletic ability, they gain more than enough to offset that. Suddenly they have a potent, diverse, and simply complete passing game. And that is far more valuable than turning an occasional would-be sack into a 20-yard gain.
