For one week at least, Russell Wilson appeared to turn the clock back.
It was rather special that he did it in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform. Wilson set a franchise record for passing yards in a debut in franchise history and led the Steelers to the most points scored in a first start with the team, pacing the Steelers to the 37-15 blowout win over the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football.
There were questions about his mobility and his overall ability in general after missing the first six weeks of the season. Many believed the Steelers should have stuck with Fields.
But Wilson quieted the noise and played some of his best ball in recent years.
Even Colin Cowherd was impressed and is believing in Wilson moving forward. Appearing on “The Herd” Wednesday, Cowherd said Wilson’s performance was “wizardry” and looked like “late-Seattle” Wilson.
“…For the record, I can admit Russell was way better in the second half than I expected. Like, he looked like Russell, late-Seattle Russell,” Cowherd said of Wilson, according to audio via the show. “Not quite as elusive, but…I mean, we gotta be honest about this. He made some…that’s a great throw.
“…Look at this sidearm stuff. It’s wizardry. He was good. We have to be fair. Russell was good. His accuracy was excellent.”
Wilson looked rather shaky in the first half, struggling to make plays. He looked like he hadn’t played in 10 months, which was true entering the primetime matchup.
But then he uncorked a moon ball to wide receiver George Pickens and later went up-tempo late in the first half, leading to a touchdown pass to Pickens, which allowed him to heat up and find his rhythm. Then, in the second half, he was money.
It was impressive to watch, and for one week at least, he quieted the noise and the doubts. He proved head coach Mike Tomlin right in his decision to turn to him rather than Justin Fields, even with the Steelers sitting at 4-2 on the year and coming off of a season-high output of 32 points in a road win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Russell Wilson’s accuracy was really good, and his comfort and confidence in the scheme were telling. He pushed the ball down the field and helped unlock things in the Steelers’ passing game that might not have been there with Fields under center. This helped the Steelers’ run game open up, which led to a balanced attack on the night and a season-high in points, a mark the Steelers hadn’t reached since 2021.
If the Steelers can get late-Seattle Russell Wilson, who threw for 4,212 yards and 40 touchdowns in 2020 and 3,113 yards and 25 touchdowns in 14 games in 2021, look out.
