Since leaving the Seattle Seahawks, things haven’t gone great for Russell Wilson. His time with the Denver Broncos seriously hurt his legacy, and people doubted if he could still be a starter in the NFL. Then, he suffered a calf injury early on with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and things looked bleak. However, since becoming the starting quarterback, Wilson has proved many of his doubters wrong. Former NFL defensive lineman Gerald McCoy has now admitted he was wrong about Wilson.
“Russ, I gotta apologize,” McCoy said on his podcast, McCoy and Van Noy. “I didn’t expect it. That’s three weeks in a row, though. I said the test was gonna be how you played against Washington, and you did what was necessary.
“I gotta give you credit. Washington ain’t no pushover. They’re leading that division, one of the better teams in the NFC, and y’all went in there and got a [win] on them.”
McCoy doesn’t need to feel too bad because he’s not the only person who wrote Wilson off before this year. It’s not like they were wrong, either. There are reasons why the Steelers were able to sign him for so cheap. However, he’s definitely outplayed his price tag at this point.
Wilson has thrown for 737 yards, six touchdowns, and only one interception in three starts with the Steelers this year. He hasn’t been perfect, but he’s risen to the occasion when the Steelers need him. People were skeptical about Wilson after his first two starts because the competition wasn’t great. Still, it seems like the game against the Washington Commanders has changed some opinions on Wilson.
The New York Jets and New York Giants do have solid defenses, but they were dealing with injuries when Wilson played them. The Commanders’ defense isn’t as great, but they are one of the best teams in the league. Their offense is electric, and they had a 10-point lead over the Steelers. Still, Wilson battled back and made big plays.
That level of poise is likely why Mike Tomlin switched from Justin Fields to Wilson. People like McCoy questioned whether that was wise, but it’s proven to be correct. He’ll have another big test this week in the Baltimore Ravens, and we’ll see if he can continue to impress. As the Steelers’ greatest rival, the Ravens might give Wilson his greatest challenge yet.
