Last week, Russell Wilson had one of his best days in the NFL. He fueled the Pittsburgh Steelers to victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, throwing for over 400 yards and three touchdowns. Overall, it was an impressive performance. However, former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner still has some questions about what Wilson did.
“Russell [Wilson] threw for over 400 yards, and some incredibly beautiful football, and definitive with what he was doing,” Warner said recently on his YouTube channel. “Then other ones, just looks like he’s not quite sure what’s going on but just happened to make plays in those situations and have success.”
On paper, it seems insane to criticize what Wilson did against the Bengals. He made play after play, turning back the clock to when he was with the Seattle Seahawks. However, over the course of that video, Warner makes some decent points based on the knowledge available to him.
One of the issues Warner has with Wilson is how quickly he moved through his progressions to hit his checkdown. Against the Bengals, those short throws were a big source of yardage for the Steelers’ offense. They left it open and then struggled to make tackle players like Najee Harris.
This is one play that Warner breaks down that supports what he’s saying. It’s a good example, too. The Steelers are set up around midfield, with Wilson faking a quick handoff. As he turns around, he almost instantly moves to look at his checkdown. He fakes that throw and tries to scramble, ultimately taking a sack.
Warner’s confusion stems from how quickly Wilson takes his eyes off the downfield routes.
“Did you see how fast, he comes back, makes the fake, he’s already to his checkdown again. He’s even taking his hand off the ball, he’s ready to throw his checkdown. Nobody’s even out of their route yet. Nobody’s even come out of their route and he’s ready to throw the checkdown.
“He’s pumping it. George [Pickens] comes open, the inside guy slides into that window, he’s open too. There’s a great pocket. He’s got both of these throws to get the chunk play, and he’s already punted to the back. Now, he’s taken off. Again, make it make sense.”
From that perspective, Warner isn’t wrong. Wilson probably could’ve made a bigger play there. He doesn’t even end up throwing the ball to the running back. Warner highlights other plays that similarly puzzle him, wondering what Wilson is thinking.
However, there might be a reason why Wilson was so quick to look for his checkdown against the Bengals. After the game, Najee Harris stated the Steelers knew what the Bengals’ defense was going to do. They were aware any screens and underneath passes they attempted would have opportunities to gain extra yardage.
Obviously, Warner isn’t in the Steelers’ locker room, so he’s not privy to information like that. To an outsider, especially one with Warner’s resumé, it probably looks like Wilson didn’t have as good of a day as his stats indicate. However, it sounds like he was sticking to the Steelers’ gameplan.
Clearly, the Steelers had the Bengals scouted well. They had their best offensive day in years. For the most part, those checkdown throws were moving the Steelers down the field. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.
Warner’s point could still be important, though. Against a better defense, missing those big gains could hurt more. However, Wilson might also feel more comfortable making that throw if the Steelers’ strategy is different. It’s tough to really complain when your quarterback has a day like Wilson had.
