At the time of the change at quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who went from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson despite being 4-2 entering Week 7, there was a lot of criticism for head coach Mike Tomlin regarding the move, and questions about Wilson being able to play at a winning level coming off a calf injury.
Three games later, the Steelers look like legitimate Super Bowl contenders with Wilson under center. The offense is scoring 30.3 points per game, the deep ball is back and Wilson is cooking with gas under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
So far, it seems like the right decision for Tomlin to turn to Wilson. It’s added a new dimension to his offense and elevated the Steelers into a powerful team.
For former NFL defensive end Chris Long after what Russell Wilson has shown in three starts is that it’s clear he’s the guy for right now and moving forward for the Black and Gold.
“They’re that kind of team now. So to go in there and win and to realize that the moves you made paid off immediately, you gotta be riding high. And to me the biggest move is the one that paid off the most is making the quarterback switch when you got a winning record,” Long said on his “Green Light Podcast” earlier in the week of the Steelers. “And people like me before the season who said Justin Fields is the guy. Now, I came around it when they made the move, and I understood why they made the move. And it has come to fruition. This was a gutsy win. And I don’t think they win [the Commanders] game with Justin Fields at the helm because a two-score deficit when the other team goes two for one and you’re down 10 points, that’s not on the Steeler script the last five years post-Ben Roethlisberger.
“All of a sudden they have a team that can eat a deficit up, and they can do it taking shots and they’re confident. And that’s the veteran presence you need in a situation like that. So it’s not all about, ‘Hey, Justin Fields isn’t the guy.’ A lot of it is Russell Wilson is the guy. And so everything that you’ve done the last month of the season manifested in beating a tough team and all of a sudden you’re up near top of the AFC.”
Beathing the Washington Commanders on the road Sunday was a statement win for the Black and Gold.
Trailing in the fourth quarter, and even by multiple scores at one point, would have been the final nail in the coffin for the Steelers in recent years. But that’s not the case with Wilson under center now.
The veteran never blinked down the stretch against the Commanders and made some tremendous throws in clutch spots, including the 32-yard game-winning touchdown to Mike Williams on 3rd and 9 with 2:22 left in the game.
For the first time since Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers have that quarterback who isn’t going to shrink in big moments. Instead, he’s going to rise up and embrace the moments and thrive.
From the look of things, the Steelers have their guy for the stretch run, and possibly longer moving forward. Wilson is the guy for the Steelers and is playing some very good football at the moment, making Tomlin look like a genius for the decision to change QBs.
