On Sunday, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson did something that no Steelers quarterback has done since Ben Roethlisberger. When he found new WR Mike Williams for the game-winning score, Wilson threw his third touchdown of the game. No Steelers quarterback since Roethlisberger had accomplished that feat until Wilson did so against the Washington Commanders.
Since taking over as the Steelers’ starting quarterback, Wilson has thrown six touchdown passes versus one interception and run in another touchdown. The offense as a whole has looked better than it has in years as well. So despite the differences in stature, Colin Cowherd is invoking Roethlisberger’s name when discussing Wilson and the Steelers’ offense.
“The Steelers are 3-0 with Russell Wilson, averaging about 30 a game,” said Cowherd on the Colin Cowherd Podcast per The Volume on X/Twitter. “It’s the first time in several years they have the offense moving. He’s not great from the pocket, but he throws a really nice deep ball. And when I watch what he’s done to Pittsburgh, it’s a little Big Ben. He’s a totally different player. He’s brought the deep ball back to the Steelers.”
Little Big Ben sounds oxymoronic, like jumbo shrimp. But I don’t think Cowherd is calling Wilson a little Big Ben here. We can’t expect Wilson to wriggle out of some of the spots that Roethlisberger made look routine during his career. Cowherd is saying the impact is a little like having Big Ben back under center throwing deep. And so far, Wilson is definitely attacking downfield at one of the highest rates in his career.
Per Pro Football Reference, Wilson’s intended air yards per attempt is at 9.5 yards through three games. This tracks how far a quarterback is throwing the ball down the field whether completed or not. It’s second only to Wilson’s last season with the Seattle Seahawks in 2021. Unfortunately, PFR’s numbers only go back to 2018 so we can’t see earlier in his career.
But Wilson’s number is actually higher than any of Roethlisberger’s last four seasons in Pittsburgh. So we’ve been talking about how Wilson is doing things that haven’t been done since Roethlisberger was quarterback. But he’s throwing the ball downfield more than even Roethlisberger was late in his career.
And that’s what Cowherd is getting at. The Steelers are scoring points and moving the ball better with Russell Wilson at quarterback than they have in years. And at this point, that might even include Ben Roethlisberger’s final years in Pittsburgh, too.
