Against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, Russell Wilson turned back the clock. He led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 44-38 victory in a shootout, something they haven’t been able to do in quite some time. Shockingly, they played the Bengals’ game and won. Rather than be a run-first team, the Steelers were much more willing to throw the ball. As a result, former NFL quarterback Matt Ryan has named Wilson as his quarterback of the week.
“Russ was cooking,” Ryan said recently on CBS’s Pushing the Pile. “I know he’s got the pick-six in that game, but that wasn’t on him, in my opinion. I think it was [George] Pickens got thrown down on the slant route, throws a pick-six, takes it back.
“It was his best game as a Steelers, by far. They were aggressive in the passing game. Coming out early on, Arthur Smith, offensive coordinator, they came out throwing it, and I respected that plan.”
Ryan is correct that this was Wilson’s best outing as a Steeler. He threw for 414 yards and three touchdowns, looking like the franchise quarterback he was with the Seattle Seahawks. It was a very pleasant surprise.
It is unclear how often Wilson will be able to perform like that. Not to take anything away from him, but the Bengals’ defense is one of the worst units in the NFL. Saying he is back to his peak form would probably be a little premature. Still, the nine-time Pro Bowler is able to make big plays when the Steelers need him to, and that feels incredibly important at this point in the season.
The Steelers are facing a tougher stretch of games over the next few weeks. They already lost to the Cleveland Browns, so they’re going to want to avenge that loss Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. The Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, and Baltimore Ravens are going to test them too. To win those games, the Steelers might need Wilson to continue performing like he did against the Bengals.
Over the past few years, the Steelers haven’t really been able to rely on their passing game to win games. They just haven’t had the personnel for it. Before this season, no one probably though Wilson would be the answer to their troubles, but that’s been the case.
With Wilson playing like he did in Week 13; the Steelers look like they can beat anyone. He responded well to adversity, and it looks like he’s totally bought into the Steelers’ way of doing things. Skepticism abounded when the Steelers signed Wilson, but at this point, he’s gone from undesirable to undeniable.
