Russell Wilson is now 3-0 as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback and continues to make history. In Sunday’s win, he recorded his first fourth-quarter comeback and game-winning drive with the team. Those marked his 32nd and 40th of his career, respectively, passing or tying Hall of Famer John Elway.
Wilson now moves ahead of Elway for the ninth-most fourth-quarter comebacks in NFL history, and moves into a tie with Elway for game-winning drives. With at least eight games left in the Steelers’ season, he can still continue to climb the leaderboards. Of course, the Steelers would prefer that he didn’t, because that would mean comfortable wins.
The Steelers largely sailed to easy victories in Russell Wilson’s first two starts, including a 37-15 win over the New York Jets. They had a tougher time on both sides of the ball with the Washington Commanders, who were 7-2 going into the day. It took a neutral zone infraction penalty on fourth down in the final two minutes to decide the game.
But the Steelers are now sitting at 7-2, with a pivotal first divisional game on deck. Russell Wilson gets his first taste of AFC North football next Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens with the division lead on the line. Heading in, though, they now know he still has it in him to pull out a win in the waning moments.
Wilson also became the first Steelers quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger to throw three touchdowns in a game. His third proved to be the game-winner and a huge moment for another new addition. On 3rd-and-9, he found the newly-acquired WR Mike Williams for a 32-yard touchdown. This came shortly after RB Jaylen Warren ended the previous drive with a fumble at the goal line.
The Steelers’ defense almost always keeps them within striking distance, though, so fourth-quarter comebacks are not rare. In his 24 starts, Kenny Pickett managed six, with seven game-winning drives. Wilson’s most significant predecessor, Roethlisberger, ranks third all-time in both fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives with 41 and 53, respectively.
Now with 32 game-winning drives, Russell Wilson is staring up at Dan Marino’s 33. He also has Johnny Unitas at 34 on deck, with Matthew Stafford and Drew Brees at 36. There is more clearance with game-winning drives, however, with Brett Favre at 43, Stafford at 46.
The Steelers don’t often allow 20-plus points, but Russell Wilson also recorded their second win in a game allowing 20-plus points without defensive or special teams points since the Ben Roethlisberger era. Mason Rudolph managed that in a 30-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks late last season.
Either way, while it hasn’t always been pretty, Russell Wilson is proving to be the Steelers’ most credible quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger. That is precisely why they pursued him this offseason, of course, but having it confirmed is always a comfort. Even in an up-and-down game, he finished 14-for-28 for 195 yards with 3 touchdowns and an interception.
