QB Russell Wilson had an impressive debut with the Pittsburgh Steelers in their Week 7 win over the New York Jets. He followed it up with another good game in Week 8, throwing for 278 yards and a touchdown in Pittsburgh’s 26-18 win over the New York Giants. After the game, Wilson was asked if he felt more comfortable in his second start.
“I felt more fluid. I haven’t really missed many games in my lifetime, and when you miss five, six games, you just ‘Ok, alright, gotta get your rhythm,'” he said during his postgame press conference via the team’s YouTube channel.
Wilson acknowledged that the Steelers had some struggles on offense early in the game and couldn’t quite pull away from the Giants, but he liked the team’s response.
“Sometimes you’re gonna get hit in the mouth, sometimes you gotta get back up and respond,” the 13th-year veteran said. “And I think that’s gonna be really key as we continue to move forward, is head up, chin up, and keep going. I think that’s the thing that for me, especially in this game in particular, was really key. I think we just all stayed in control of what we’re seeing, what we’re doing, how we’re going after it.”
While Wilson went through what seemed to be a normal routine as the starter ahead of the Jets game, having at least one start under his belt probably helped him be a little bit more comfortable under center tonight. Even though Pittsburgh’s offense had some hiccups when it came to actually putting the ball in the end zone, the Steelers moved the ball well early with three straight field goal drives to open the game.
While Pittsburgh didn’t score its first touchdown until the second half and it came on a punt return, the offense started clicking afterward, as Wilson led a touchdown drive, and the Steelers kicked another field goal. It was definitely a better offensive performance from the jump than in Wilson’s first start, where he started a bit slow. He was definitely better in the second half tonight, a lost fumble aside, going 9-of-10 through the air and hitting WR Calvin Austin for a 26-yard touchdown on a beautiful throw.
With the bye next week, Wilson will have plenty of time to prepare and get in a rhythm ahead of the Steelers’ Week 10 matchup against the Washington Commanders. If the team can continue to score early and then get hot in the second half, it’s going to be a tough group to beat this season, and Wilson has done a great job elevating Pittsburgh’s passing attack.
