It would’ve been easy for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense, conservative by nature, to stay the course in Russell Wilson’s debut. After shaking off the rust early, the offense got going and opened up as the game against the New York Jets wore on. Wilson finished with 264 yards and two passing scores, setting a franchise debut record in the process. After the Steelers’ 37-15 win, Wilson credited OC Arthur Smith for a solid game plan that the Steelers were able to execute most of the way.
“I thought Arthur Smith did a great job,” Wilson said after the game via Steelers.com.” Let me cut it loose and guys getting open and guys moving around, just making tremendous plays. I thought he called a great game. He helped me get into a groove. We talked about it earlier in the week. And then at the end of the week he said, ‘It may take a second.’ I never believed that, but it did. And then we caught a groove.”
Wilson completed his first pass as a Steeler for a 15-yard gain in the flat. The next few series were difficult and at one point, he had completed just two of his first six pass attempts.
Once the offense got into a rhythm, the unit moved, and the points flowed. A stable ground game with RB Najee Harris finishing runs and showing quickness to make defenders miss. A boot-heavy offense for easy completions in the flat to TEs Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth. And vertical shots to WR George Pickens against a depleted Jets secondary that was overmatched down the field.
In the second half, Wilson was near-perfect, going 8-of-12 for 119 yards and one touchdown, a 126.7 passer rating.
Arthur Smith’s background may have helped. In his final two years at Atlanta, he started multiple quarterbacks for multiple games. Meaning, he knows how to adjust to a different quarterback with his own set of strengths and preferences. And the offense came together in a big way.
For the Steelers, it ended in the result Mike Tomlin was banking on. Offensive output that took the team to new heights. The Steelers’ 37 points Sunday night were the most the team’s scored in a victory since Week 6 of the 2020 season, a 38-7 win over the Cleveland Browns. Pittsburgh will look to keep it going next Monday night against the New York Giants.
