From Weeks 7 through 14, things seemed to be going rather swimmingly for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their partnership with QB Russell Wilson as they were rolling right along.
In recent weeks, though, those seas have gotten choppy. The Steelers are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, Wilson is turning the football over at an alarming rate and isn’t exactly elevating the offense down the stretch.
On Christmas Day against the Kansas City Chiefs, that was largely the case again as Wilson had a killer red-zone interception and really wasn’t able to do much in the 29-10 blowout loss. Granted, the interception might have had more to do with George Pickens not running his route, and the lack of a passing game was in part due to protection breaking down too quickly.
But for CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr, the three-game losing streak and the Steelers’ struggles the Steelers offensively show that Wilson should be one and done in Pittsburgh.
“The Steelers played three games in 11 days, all against teams with 10-plus wins. The offensive numbers weren’t good, and neither was Wilson. Pittsburgh averages just 280.7 yards per game and 13.0 offensive points per game over the past three, all with Wilson at quarterback,” Kerr writes, according to cbssports.com. “Wilson has completed just 64.1% of his passes for 550 yards with three touchdowns to two interceptions and an 82.2 passer rating. The Steelers quarterback has also taken 10 sacks and has just a 73.3 passer rating when facing the blitz during the skid.
“Is Wilson good enough to start? Yes, but the Steelers need an upgrade at quarterback if they are going to compete for a Super Bowl. Pittsburgh is not a Super Bowl contender with Wilson based on how the last three weeks have played out.”
The three-game losing streak has been rather ugly, and so too has the offensive performance. It’s not all on Wilson, though.
Yes, his turnovers like the fumble inside the 5-yard line against Baltimore, the pick-six to cap that loss, and the red-zone interception on Christmas Day were very bad. But he’s made some plays in the passing game without George Pickens, though it hasn’t been enough.
In recent weeks he’s also taken too many sacks, holding onto the football behind an offensive line that has struggled to protect against some great defensive fronts. Right now, things are bad for the Steelers, even with Wilson stating he has plenty of confidence in them getting it figured out.
But CBS Sports doesn’t have much confidence that Wilson is the right guy for the Steelers at QB moving forward. Chances are, the Steelers re-sign Wilson before he hits free agency in March, locking up the quarterback who has given the Steelers a significant boost in their passing game since stepping into the starting lineup.
The good from earlier in the season cannot be forgotten, but the bad play in recent weeks can’t be written off either, making for a fascinating discussion that will occur in the offseason.
