It seemed crazy for the Pittsburgh Steelers to bench Justin Fields for Russell Wilson, but Mike Tomlin knows what he’s doing. Wilson had a rough start to his first game this season, but once he settled in, the Steelers never looked back. On paper, his numbers were great, but that doesn’t always tell the full story. Former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi believes Wilson actually looked bad.
“Everybody’s gonna say, ‘Well [Wilson] really played well,'” Lombardi said recently on The Morning Line. “I thought [Wilson’s] arm was very disappointing. I thought some of those throws were fortunate that he made them and that the receivers came to life for him, which was wonderful.”
It’s fair to say that Wilson’s accuracy wasn’t perfect, but to say his arm was disappointing feels a little harsh. He completed 16 of his 29 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson didn’t start strong, but he started to come alive as the game went on. Those deep shots to George Pickens weren’t perfect, but they weren’t awful.
It should also be noted that this was Wilson’s first regular-season action since December 2023. He’s coming off a lingering calf injury too. Maybe his deep ball wasn’t exactly on point, but it was good enough for Pickens to make some plays. That’s usually all he needs.
Also, Wilson made several other great plays with his arm. He made a timely throw to Pat Freiermuth in the third quarter to get the Steelers into the red zone. You could say the pass was a hair too far out in front of Freiermuth, but Wilson put the ball in a place where only his guy could make a play.
Once Wilson got going, it became more obvious why Tomlin named him the starter. He made some savvy decisions that helped the Steelers win. Not every play was a bomb to Pickens, but analyzing his arm based solely on those chunk plays wouldn’t do his performance justice.
Arguably Wilson’s most underrated play came on the Steelers’ second-to-last drive of the game. They were only up 23-15, and while their defense had been doing a phenomenal job, the Jets still had an opening to win the game. The Steelers were facing a third and eight near the end of the third quarter. Wilson had pressure directly in his face, and he managed to find a throwing window to hit Jaylen Warren.
Credit to Warren for managing to be evasive and pick up the third down, but that play doesn’t happen if Wilson doesn’t find him. The Steelers proceeded to score a touchdown, basically shutting the door on the Jets. It might not be the best example of arm talent, but it’s the kind of heads-up play that makes up for whatever arm strength Wilson has lost.
Lombardi may be disappointed with Wilson’s performance, but the Steelers aren’t. We’ll see if Wilson looks any better or worse going forward. Whether you think he looked good or bad, it’s still only one game. Perhaps opinions will change after Week 8.
