Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson impressed in his debut with the Pittsburgh Steelers, throwing for 264 yards and two touchdowns and adding another on the ground. Former NFL quarterback David Carr thought the Steelers’ gameplan was “vintage Seattle Seahawks.” Wilson won a Super Bowl with Seattle early in his career with a team that had a strong defense and run game, and Carr was impressed with how Wilson looked last night and said it’s the version of Wilson that won a Super Bowl.
“Russ can absolutely do this. Now, can he get in a situation where he is gonna read from the pocket, diagnose, and dice people up? No. But this is the version of Russ that has won a Super Bowl before. I’m optimistic for Pittsburgh because of their defense, because of the run game to create one-on-ones there, and make those easy throws. He can absolutely do that,” Carr said on NFL GameDay Monday night.
Russell Wilson avoided taking too many sacks, as he was only sacked once. The Steelers were able to move the ball through the air, with Wilson connecting deep with George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth, and RB Najee Harris, who picked up 102 yards on the ground. Even though he doesn’t offer the same mobility as Justin Fields, Wilson moved around well enough behind the line of scrimmage and was able to stay protected.
It was a sound game plan that benefited from the defense’s forcing two turnovers. This helped give the Steelers good field position to put the ball in the end zone, and they scored a touchdown off both forced turnovers.
It was good complementary football, and the Steelers aren’t going to need Russell Wilson to carry the load offensively. If he’s able to keep the offense on schedule and unleash the deep ball to create a splash, Pittsburgh’s offense should be good. They’ll be buoyed by their defense, which should be one of the best in the league and has played like it so far. If Wilson can continue to manage the offense like he did last year, Pittsburgh could be a contender.
Russell Wilson isn’t as mobile as he was back in his heyday in Seattle, but he showed similar arm talent last night. The way the Steelers won that game was similar to how Wilson used to win with the Seahawks. As long as Pittsburgh’s defense can continue to be punishing and force turnovers while pressuring the quarterback, the offense should get good field position to move the ball and put up points.
