This Pittsburgh Steelers’ season was a mixed bag from Russell Wilson. The 13th-year veteran was clearly better than their quarterbacks in 2023, but down the stretch, he faltered. Turnovers and poor decision-making torpedoed the Steelers’ offense. It felt like that group couldn’t do anything right, and much of that falls on Wilson’s shoulders. Despite all of that, former Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden believes there isn’t a ton of pressure on Wilson going into the playoffs.
“He’s not supposed to be here,” McFadden said Tuesday on CBS Sports HQ. “Many felt like Justin Fields would win that job and lead the team throughout the entire season. Russ got off to a slow start because of the injury, jumped into the saddle, played fairly well.
“Now, he’s tapered off the last few weeks, but the same could be said for the entire team. But in terms of Russ being in the playoffs, I think he’s exceeded the expectations.”
It is true that before the season started many people expected Fields to eventually unseat Wilson as the starter. When Wilson started the season sidelined due to an injury, that opinion only got stronger. However, Mike Tomlin continued to show faith in him, inserting Wilson into the starting lineup once he was healthy.
That proved to be the right decision too. Wilson did elevate the Steelers’ offense. His first few games this season were amazing, culminating in an offensive explosion against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13.
Unfortunately, after that, Wilson’s play took a nosedive. George Pickens did miss time with an injury, which probably didn’t help things, but even after he returned, Wilson still didn’t play very well. That’s part of the reason the Steelers haven’t won a game in a month.
McFadden is correct that Wilson isn’t the only reason the Steelers struggled. Their entire offense has looked dysfunctional, including OC Arthur Smith’s play calling. Their defense has been a serious issue too.
It’s important to note that McFadden isn’t saying that there’s zero pressure on Wilson. He’s just saying he doesn’t bear the entire burden of the Steelers’ flaws.
“I’m not saying there is no pressure because when you’re the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, when you’re the quarterback of the team in the playoffs, there is pressure,” McFadden said. “But in terms of what was looked at Russell the entire season, I feel like the pressure is set at the bare medium at five [out of 10] when you look at what he’s done in terms of what the predictions, and the analysts, and the experts were saying he would do.”
That’s a fair point to make. Despite these last few games, Wilson has proven he has some gas left in the tank. Not everything was good, and it’s debatable if he’s a better option than Fields at this point, but he did do an admirable for most of the year.
Maybe that’s a reason why there should be more pressure on Wilson, though. If he puts up another dud in this playoff game, he might find it hard to get a starting job next year. Strictly looking at this season, McFadden isn’t necessarily wrong. Wilson did exceed expectations, even if he fell flat to end the year. There might be more pressure on the Steelers as a whole to finally win a playoff game.
