In 1513, explorer Juan Ponce de León set sail to find the Fountain of Youth on the Florida coast. In 2024 in Pittsburgh, 36-year-old Steelers QB Russell Wilson may have found it. After throwing for 414 yards in a Week 13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals to help the Steelers improve to 9-3, Wilson’s looked as good as he ever has, former NFL QB Chase Daniel believes.
“The way he’s playing right now, it’s like he’s found the Fountain of Youth,” Daniel said on FS1’s The Facility. “When you look at what [Russell Wilson] is doing to this franchise, he’s revitalized that offense. He’s added another layer to that offense that really, Justin Fields couldn’t add, and that is the deep ball.”
Daniel also praised Wilson’s leadership on offense and said he’s playing some of the best ball of his career.
“Russell is becoming that missing piece and they’re showing that they can compete for a Super Bowl. So for me, when I look at what Russ has done on the field, you gotta look at what he’s done off the field too,” Daniel said. “That leadership aspect that he’s bringing already in a leader-led locker room, because the leaders mostly are on defense, if I’m being real. He comes in, he’s the leader on that offense. I think he’s playing some of the best ball we’ve seen.”
Emmanuel Acho agreed with Daniel and said even if it’s not Wilson’s best football, it’s the “most meaningful” football that he’s played in his career. Wilson was written off after two seasons with the Denver Broncos that didn’t go as planned, but the nine-time Pro Bowler has proven that he’s still got plenty left in the tank over his six starts with the Steelers. He’s thrown for over 200 yards in five of those six games, and the one game he didn’t he threw for 195 yards in a win over the Washington Commanders. He’s also played smart football, not forcing many throws, and his deep ball has added another layer to Pittsburgh’s offense.
Against the Bengals, Wilson showed that the offense wasn’t so feast or famine when it came to relying on the deep ball. They Steelers were able to have success underneath and Wilson gave his receivers opportunities in space to create yards after the catch and took advantage of the Bengals playing soft underneath. It was the type of decision-making you’d expect out of a veteran quarterback, and Wilson gave the Steelers a performance they haven’t had since Ben Roethlisberger was on the team.
There’s no doubt that he’s been an upgrade at the quarterback position for the Steelers and at 9-3, Pittsburgh has real hopes to compete in the postseason. With a veteran, Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Wilson playing some of his best football, it feels like they have a chance to make some noise this season.
