The Pittsburgh Steelers took care of business Sunday and avenged their earlier loss to the Cleveland Browns. It wasn’t a pretty game, but the Steelers emerged with a convincing 27-14 victory. Their offensive game plan had a few interesting wrinkles. For instance, there were more designed runs for Russell Wilson in this game than the Steelers had previously used. Although it had some success, it doesn’t sound like Mike Tomlin wants to turn that into a habit.
“We don’t want to make a living doing so, but we’re also willing to take what the defense gives us,” Tomlin said after the Steelers improved to 10-3 via the team’s YouTube channel. “He’s a sharp guy, we trust his decision making. Not only in terms of whether to give or to keep but to keep himself safe. I thought he did a nice job of all of those things.”
In his prime, Wilson was one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the NFL. He doesn’t have that same level of athleticism, but he’s still a threat on the ground. Against the Browns, he had six rushes for 17 yards. Those aren’t gaudy numbers, but he made a few key plays. Two of those rushes were kneel downs at the end of the game too, so in context, his numbers were a little better.
On multiple occasions against the Browns, Wilson was called upon to move the chains with his legs. It was clear the Browns weren’t expecting the Steelers to utilize that part of Wilson’s game to that extent. Usually, they had been using Justin Fields in those situations. However, rather than take Wilson out of the game, the Steelers elected to see how nimble the 14th-year veteran could still be.
Three of Wilson’s rushing attempts picked up a first down. They also helped keep the Browns’ defensive line on their toes. Wilson only got sacked once, which is a massive improvement over the Steelers’ previous game against the Browns.
Tomlin is right to not to want to consistently rely on Wilson’s legs. Although it’s not something that should be ignored, it’s probably better not to put Wilson in any unnecessary danger. He did seem to get his foot caught in the turf on one scramble this week. There was seemingly no harm there, and there’s no reason to tempt fate too many times.
We’ll see how the Steelers employ Wilson’s legs going forward. Fields wasn’t used on offense this week, but the Steelers seem to value his athleticism. Balancing the two of them is likely trickier than it appears, but as long as the Steelers are winning, then it’s tough to complain. Wilson’s mobility was a key piece to victory this week.
