Steelers Crush Jets: The Quarterback Race is Over!

Before the Steelers blew out the New York Jets in Pittsburgh last Sunday night 37-15, head coach Mike Tomlin waited as long as he could before naming Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback for the Steelers’ seventh game of the season. End result? He absolutely made the correct decision.

Wilson was making his Pittsburgh Steelers debut after spending the entire season to this point recovering from a calf injury. Certainly, some rust should have been expected. Rust was there because Wilson got off to a slow start which had fans at Acrisure Stadium throwing out boos and from some chants for Justin Fields the predecessor to Wilson who was under center for the first six games as Pittsburgh built a 4-2 record.

Slowly however, Russell Wilson started to feel more comfortable and confident and being down 15-6 to a team that was known for a solid defense, Wilson closed the first half with a touchdown strike to George Pickens and Pittsburgh was back in the game down by just two at halftime.

While Steelers Nation is excited and rejuvenated about having Russell Wilson the starting quarterback, something he was supposed to be on opening day anyway, he had a stellar game. Credit to Mike Tomlin for not taking away Wilson’s QB1 label. Some of us (yours truly) had jumped the gun and felt this was Justin Fields’ job to lose and he should have remained the starter. But there was that curiosity factor about just how well Wilson would play if given the job.

We all found out what to expect with Russell Wilson barking out the signals last Sunday night. He put a stamp on his name in an extraordinary way against the Jets and clearly showed everyone why he is the viable choice to be the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh. First and foremost, while some may tab Wilson as the game’s Most Valuable Player, I give that honor to the Steelers offensive line.

Mike Tomlin has had to adjust his o-line due to injuries through the first six games. It has hardly been a stable line. Rookie Zach Frazier has now had to miss several games due to an injury and last Sunday night Ryan McCollum did a stand-up job replacing Frazier. Another rookie Mason McCormick is turning into a real deal on the line. Isaac Seumalo missed several games early in the season. First round pick Troy Fautanu is done for the year with an injury. So is Nate Herbig. 

So, credit the offensive line for opening holes in the Jets’ defense allowing Najee Harris to rush for 102 yards and Jaylen Warren adding another 44. Harris averaged nearly five yards per carry against what was thought to be a stout New York defense. Russell Wilson was only sacked once. Harris was running hard on the Jets, making yards after contact and keeping his legs churning even with defenders all over him. Jaylen Warren ran the same way.

To me, the team took on an appearance and an effort not yet seen this season. The reason? Russell Wilson. It’s as though the entire team took on a new personality that wasn’t there with Justin Fields as quarterback. This is not a knock on Fields, it’s a credit to the talent of Russell Wilson. Fields is a great athlete, perhaps a more equipped athlete than Wilson. The dramatic difference is the decision making and the ability to roll out of the pocket and make smart plays. Wilson wins that category for sure. His confidence and experience showed mightily against the Jets and for any naysayers that believed Russell Wilson was past his prime in the NFL, rewatch that Jets game. He’s far from done.

The beauty of having Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback is that it only took him two and a half quarters to start feeling comfortable under center. By the game’s end, he was rolling. Another standout last Sunday night was George Pickens. He was named the top receiver before the season began but he just wasn’t clicking with Justin Fields making the throws. With Russell Wilson looking his way, Pickens was on fire last Sunday night.

We all knew that George Pickens could be special. His ability to make catches brings back memories of Lynn Swann who with many other teammates from Super Bowl IX were honored by the fans last Sunday night. Pickens is artistry in motion catching the ball and while he only had five receptions against the Jets, several a thing of beauty. He established a connection with Russell Wilson and as Wilson put it, there are more of those to come. That should strike fear in future opponents of the Steelers. 

Once Russell Wilson started getting in a grove, his passes were on target and were strikes. He hit Pat Freiermuth just twice but those were significant receptions. Both came for a total of 51 yards, one being a 30-yard reception. Darnell Washington the back up to Freiermuth caught an addition four passes and we should and hopefully will see more passes his way because his yards after reception are like watching a bull running through a china shop. He simply runs over opponents. He is massive after all.

Van Jefferson was on the receiving end of his first touchdown of the season and first as a member of the Steelers. For Russell Wilson, he set the mark for the most yards passing in a Pittsburgh Steelers debut for the entire history of the franchise. That’s better than Ben Roethlisberger did in his first start, better than Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw. Wilson also has the longest active streak in the NFL for throwing at least one touchdown in consecutive games and after the Jets game he is now at a count of 20 straight.

One of the biggest surprises of the game, not including the change in attitude of the team came at the end of the game. With the Steelers leading 30-15 and the game all but over, the Steelers were in the red zone again and all they needed was to put a knee down and place this game in the books. What I thought was very “un-Mike Tomlin like” was Najee Harris given the ball one more time as he rumbled 10 yards to the end zone making the final score 37-15. In the past, Tomlin would have taken the knee knowing the game was over.

Was that final score an opportunity to rub the victory in the face of Aaron Rodgers and the Jets? Or was it a chance to allow Najee to finish the game with over 100 yards? I believe it was that but also that Mike Tomlin knowing his teams have not won a post-season game in years is changing his thinking. Have no mercy. Keep the foot on the gas pedal until the final gun goes off.

Some take issue with a team trying to score at the end of a game when they don’t need it. I beg to differ. These are paid professionals at the highest level of football and if your defense can’t stop a team from scoring even when a game has a victory out of reach so be it. The Pittsburgh Steelers played with such high intensity last Sunday night. Everyone was taking each play up another notch. 

I don’t believe the Steelers played as hard and focused through the first six games as they did against the Jets. So, what happened? Russell Wilson happened. I’ve never believed one man could make a difference in football, but Wilson proved that theory wrong. His starting role obviously instilled confidence in the entire team and they came out to prove they are a team to contend with going forward. 

There are so many high fives to be given out following the victory over the Jets, accolades to many players so it’s hard to determine where to begin. While early on in the game it appeared Aaron Rodgers and his offense was going to have his way with Pittsburgh’s defense, much was made about the reunion with Davante Adams and Rodgers before the game and after Adams was targeted nine times he only had three receptions for just 30 yards. You have to wonder if his decision to go to the Jets was a mistake. 

Adams had speculated about coming to Pittsburgh and against the Steelers last Sunday he got to see firsthand of what might have been. I don’t think that the Steelers need or needed the skills of Davante Adams.With Russell Wilson’s abilities the weapons we have are plenty. Back to the kudos for the game with the Steelers, let’s begin with naming Beanie Bishop. The kid is a rookie. Remember Donnie Shell? Shell was undrafted and signed as a rookie during that famous 1974 hall of fame draft year.

Bishop coming out of West Virginia University did not get drafted just like Shell. But the Steelers saw something in him, and he is on his way to becoming a major NFL star. All he did facing Aaron Rodgers was pick him off twice and nearly scored on one of those. Bishop also made five solo tackles and defended two passes. While T.J. Watt was held in check, it sure is great to have Alex Highsmith on the other side of Watt. 

While Pittsburgh’s defense only managed a single sack (from Larry Ogunjobi), they did get their hands on Rodgers eight times. 

Could this year’s draft class be one of the best ever? It might be Tomlin’s best ever. Not only had Zach Frazier won a starting job at center, if not for injury Troy Fautanu would be starting. Mason McCormick is starting. You have the play of Bishop. Look at the stats for the Jets game and at the top on defense we have yet another rookie in Payton Wilson who was Pittsburgh’s leading tackler for this last game with four solos and 10 overall. Aside from this year’s draft picks there were the free agent signings that have had a major impact thus far.

After Sunday night you can include Russell Wilson in that group but DeShon Elliott, Patrick Queen, and Donte Jackson have been outstanding in their contributions to the five victories thus far. Elliott made six tackles against the Jets. Queen was a part of five more. Jackson had two, including one for a loss. As a team the defense made five tackles for losses. But the entire defense across the board saw players making big plays. Hats off to James Pierre, Cam Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, and Keeanu Benton who all had solid games.

As to the team effort, early on the Steelers were having problems converting third downs but at the game’s end they had converted five of 14. The Jets were far worse with a three for 10 mark. Pittsburgh finished with 409 total yards which is impressive. With both teams being flagged just nine times, it was a rather clean game. Something that wasn’t so good with Justin Fields as quarterback was the red zone success rate. With Russell Wilson, four scores result in six tries from the red zone. The Steelers also failed to turn the ball over once.

The Steelers came away with not just a huge victory but for the most part injury free. Only Mantravius Adams, who had hurt his knee and left in the first half, as well as Donte Jackson exiting the game in the first half with a shoulder stinger were the only players noted with injuries.



Listening to ESPN this morning, I heard so much praise for Mike Tomlin. It’s well deserved. For all the past criticisms of Tomlin and calls for his firing should be a long-forgotten memory. Any doubts about his coaching or calls for his removal should never be brought up again. As for his string of playoff losses, which is the longest postseason drought in Steelers history, I predicted before the season that Russell Wilson would be the starting quarterback and win at least one playoff game, and I still stand by that.