When it matters most, Pittsburgh Steelers’ QB Russell Wilson has a history of making the big plays that lead to key wins, whether that’s in his short time in Pittsburgh, during his stop in Denver, or throughout his remarkable career in Seattle.
On Sunday inside NorthWest Stadium against the Washington Commanders, Wilson did just that for the Steelers. Facing a 3rd-and-9 coming out of timeout and trialing 27-21 with just over 2 minutes to go in the game, Wilson dialed up the moon ball.
The veteran quarterback dropped a perfect pass into the bucket to new wide receiver Mike Williams in the crucial spot, connecting on the go-ahead 32-yard touchdown to give the Steelers a 28-27 lead that would ultimately hold up for the win.
It wasn’t the best performance from Wilson on the road, but he made the plays when they mattered most. For fellow team captain and star DT Cameron Heyward, he’s thankful to have a quarterback on the other side that makes those plays for the Steelers.
“Personally, to have a quarterback that stepped up in that moment, we’re thankful for,” Heyward said to reporters after the win, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “Always felt comfort, confident in the quarterbacks we’ve had in the past. Today he just made some plays that we needed in critical moments.”
That’s quite the understatement there from Heyward, but it’s rather telling that he had to say it. In the recent past, prior to Wilson in 2024, the Steelers didn’t have quarterbacks who could consistently make those plays, or who had been there, done that in the NFL.
Sure, the Steelers have had some game-winning drives and fourth-quarter comebacks in the post-Ben Roethlisberger Era. But it’s fair to say that no QB the Steelers had trotted out in recent years had the resume and the success in those moments that Wilson had.
So on that 3rd-and-9 with the game seemingly on the line, the moment wasn’t too big for Wilson, and it led to a huge play that ultimately won them the game. Those are the types of moments that Wilson was brought in for in free agency, so it was great to see him deliver.
Doing so in a weighty moment on the road, too, was the cherry on top. Heyward is thankful to have a QB like that, and all of Steelers Nation is as well. It was a gutsy performance in a big spot.
