It might be time for certain parties to accept that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Russell Wilson is still a good quarterback. For whatever reasons he didn’t work out with the Denver Broncos, and he is rehabilitating his reputation in Pittsburgh. And most importantly, he is doing that the simplest way: by playing well and delivering winning plays.
In fact, Russell Wilson continues to drag the Steelers to feats they haven’t mustered since Ben Roethlisberger. Now, that’s not exactly revelatory, considering the string of quarterbacks who have come in between. From Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett to Mason Rudolph and Justin Fields, we’re not talking about Hall of Famers.
That is not to slight any of them in the least, but it does highlight the difference between watching a franchise quarterback and just a good or decent one. We don’t even have to talk about Russell Wilson’s “moon ball” prowess, delivering the deep ball back to the Steelers in ways not seen since before Roethlisberger injured his elbow.
The results simply speak for themselves, week in and week out. In his first start, he made Steelers history by throwing for the most yards and scoring the most points. Nobody in team history ever debuted with better numbers than Russell Wilson. He also just threw three touchdown passes in a game, which nobody had managed since Roethlisberger. The last one came on a beautiful deep ball on 3rd and 9, a pass they might not have even attempted with another quarterback.
Another thing he managed that (almost) nobody else has since Roethlisberger? Overcoming a 10-point second-half deficit. The Steelers trailed the Washington Commanders 24-14 with 25 minutes to play. They scored two touchdowns—and in between, squandered a shot at a third with a goal-line fumble.
So not only are the Steelers winning games by mounting sizeable comebacks, they are doing so while overcoming critical mistakes. With Russell Wilson, Mike Tomlin no longer has to play conservative to the core. He has an offense that can come back from a mistake, whether on offense, defense, or special teams. The Steelers also won their first game while allowing 25-plus points since 2021. They were 0-9, including 0-1 earlier this season, before plugging Wilson into the starting lineup.
And they did, numerous times. The special teams botched a fake punt from the Steelers’ own 15-yard line. That allowed the Commanders to tie the game, but Wilson and company re-took the lead. Even after Washington went on a 17-point run to take a two-possession lead, nobody panicked.
The simple reason is because the Steelers now believe they have a quarterback in Russell Wilson who can always give them a chance to win a game, a feeling they haven’t had since Ben Roethlisberger. Sure, Kenny Pickett could lead a game-winning drive, but only if you kept the score under 20.
Wilson gives the Steelers what they’ve needed but haven’t had for years: someone who can win a shootout. Because in case you haven’t noticed, the Steelers keep winding up in shootouts once they get to the playoffs. And with games against some great offenses to finish this season, he’s even keeping hope alive for the division title. Maybe even a first-round bye if they can knock off the Chiefs, who are a shaky 9-0.
