There were six players nominated for FedEx Air and Ground Player of the Week, and Russell Wilson was one of the two winners, alongside Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen.
The award used to pick one “air” and one “ground” player, but it is now open to more positions and given to the top two regardless of position.
When Wilson, a potential Hall of Famer, has one of the best games of his career, it only makes sense for the awards to come. He was sensational against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13. If the Bengals were winning more, Joe Burrow would be an MVP candidate, and Wilson outdueled him.
He led the offense to over 500 total yards and 37 points while throwing for 414 yards and three touchdowns. He tossed a pick-six to the Bengals, but it wasn’t exactly his fault with a blatant missed interference call on CB Cameron Taylor-Britt.
Along with his impressive traditional stats, Wilson fared well with the analytics, including an adjusted net yards per passing attempt of 10.0. A decent ANY/A is around six; he blew that out of the water. He also put up a passer rating of 126.4, his highest of the season.
If I had to choose one play as his best of the day, it would be his touchdown to Pat Freiermuth. He evaded pressure and threw an off-platform throw to Freiermuth in tight coverage.
Pro Football Focus gave him a 78.6 overall grade on offense, including an 80.3 passing grade. Coincidentally or not, it was Wilson’s quickest time to throw at just 2.75 seconds. He was getting rid of the ball quickly, taking what the Bengals’ defense was giving him, and landing his deep shots when they were available.
Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren each won the FedEx Ground Player of the Week Award last year, but the Steelers haven’t had a quarterback win it since Ben Roethlisberger was in his prime. Something tells me this won’t be the last award Wilson wins with the Steelers, either.
Wilson will have $2,000 donated in his name to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, which supports Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country.
