The Pittsburgh Steelers were off to a 4-2 start when Mike Tomlin made the decision to start Russell Wilson. At the time, it seemed controversial, and there were many who disagreed with it. However, things have gone smoothly, and Pittsburgh’s won five of the six games Wilson has started.
This season, the Steelers look much more prepared for the postseason than in recent years. They’re playing good football on both sides of the ball, with each unit helping out the other. They haven’t been perfect all the time, but when the Steelers offense struggled against the Baltimore Ravens, the defense came up big to secure the win. Last week, the defense struggled a bit against the Cincinnati Bengals, but the offense scored 37 points of their own.
Playing complimentary football is a must come playoff time. The Steelers have been doing just that. According to Cam Heyward, Wilson has been a big reason for that, as he discussed on The Jim Rome Show on Friday.
“I really didn’t enjoy playing against him [Russell Wilson],” Hayward said. “When he was in Seattle, he always lit us up. Now we got him on our squad, and he’s doing the same things. I think he’s just a student of the game. The way he prepares is awesome. First one in, last one out, and I think it’s just reverberating around the room. He’s a great leader, and we’re lucky to have him.”
Since Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Steelers have struggled at the quarterback position. Alongside excellent defensive performances, they’ve made enough plays at key times to keep themselves in the playoff race every year. This season, though, Wilson has provided more consistency at the position than the Steelers have seen in quite a while. As Heyward claims, the defense probably does feel lucky to have him.
His latest performance against the Cincinnati Bengals was his best this season, and one of the best in his entire career. Wilson through three touchdowns behind 414 yards, with an extremely impressive 126.4 passer rating. If Wilson can keep performing at this level, the Steelers will be a very tough team to face come playoff time.
