Russell Wilson made a big jump in the NFL.com QB index, rising from his previous spot of No. 20 in the index ahead of Week 12 all the way up to No. 7 after his 414-yard, three-touchdown performance in Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“He’s officially cooking, folks, and the rest of the AFC now has something new to fear,” Nick Shook wrote.
Wilson is playing some of the best football of his career, and I don’t think many people anticipated his performance being talked about as one of the best in football when the Steelers signed Wilson this offseason. Right now, he’s behind Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Jared Goff, Patrick Mahomes and Jordan Love in the index, and ahead of quarterbacks like Justin Herbert, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts.
While it’s just a placement on a list, Wilson has been playing really good football. His deep ball remains one of the best in the league, and against the Bengals, he showed the ability to spread the ball around. Wilson connected with 10 different players on completions, working the ball underneath and going deep when necessary. Wilson has the Steelers in prime position to win the AFC North and there’s a chance they could make a run for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, although they would need some help to get there.
The Steelers have a difficult four-game stretch coming up, with the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs all on the schedule within the next 20 days. Wilson must continue to play the way he showed he could against the Bengals for the Steelers to exit that stretch with a winning record. It’s a good test to show just how far the Steelers can go, and if Wilson can lead them to success over that stretch, the buzz around him and the Steelers as legitimate contenders is only going to grow.
Wilson won’t throw for 400+ yards every week, but the control he had of the offense against the Bengals was impressive. Even without elite weapons, Wilson has found a way to take Pittsburgh’s passing attack to another level, and his connection with George Pickens on the deep ball is one of the best in the league. He’s deserving of his placement on the list, and it feels weird for the Steelers to have legitimately good quarterback play again.
Hopefully, Wilson can keep it up and stay hot at the right time. The Steelers could enter the postseason with some real momentum as they look to get their first postseason win since 2016.
