Sometimes, in this business (from which I make zero money), you look back on some things that you have said, and realize that an apology may be in order.
Such is the case after last night. On Sunday Night Football, against a 2-4 New York Jets team that recently added star wide receiver Davante Adams (and, in a move that was more under the radar, the referees to their payroll), Russell Wilson made his first start as a Pittsburgh Steeler at Heinz Field (as it will forever be called in my mind).
Let me be clear: I had no issue with seeing what Russ had to offer. Justin Fields was not exactly setting the world on fire. However, I was adamant that this was not the game in which the Steelers should do it. There were a few reasons for that.
First, the Jets’ passing defense was very good, ranking second in the NFL, while only maintaining the 17th-best rushing defense in the first six weeks of the season. Russ, at this stage in his career as a player who will turn 36 at the end of November, is mainly a passing quarterback. Fields, on the other hand, would be the more mobile option, able to exploit the less-capable arm of the Jets’ defense with his legs.
Second, the offensive line has been decimated by injuries. The only player to start every game is left tackle Dan Moore Jr., and rookie center Zach Frazier, who had been an absolute revelation, picked up an injury against Vegas last weekend and is slated to be out the next few weeks. With Fields’ mobility and Wilson’s immobility, a patchwork offensive line would certainly be more exposed with a less agile quarterback.
With those two premises in the front of my mind, I was, frankly, perplexed with Mike Tomlin’s decision to go with Russell Wilson as QB1 against New York. I told everybody that it was a disaster waiting to happen—between the offensive line and the Jets’ secondary, I expected the passing game with Wilson to be, well, a train-wreck.
In my defense, the game started about how I expected. After an initial completion for 15 yards, Wilson was suddenly 2-for-8 for 19 yards. It was a combination of errors from Russ and receivers. Calvin Austin dropped a wide open pass on a third-down in the first quarter with the Steelers already up 3-0. Wilson threw the ball 5 feet behind Austin on a screen pass that I could have thrown (and my hands are not big enough to grip a regulation football).
The play calling was horrendous, too. What was the point of inserting Russ into the lineup if you were going to call the same conservative shit that you called with Fields? The fans noticed that, too, as boos rained down from every tier of Heinz Field following the third-successive three-and-out. What were we doing? The offense needed a spark…badly.
Cue up George Pickens. On 2nd-and-17, Russ aired one out in the direction of #14, who won a 50-50 battle with defensive-back Brandin Echols for a gain of 44 yards. The catch was made right in front of Justin Fields, who was on the sideline signaling that Pickens was going to reign in the pigskin before the ball began its descent from the pitch-black sky. While the Steelers could not capitalize, and eventually settled for 3 in the red zone, that pass would be a harbinger for things to come.
The Jets would go down the field and make it 15-6 (going for 2 and converting after an atrocious leverage penalty allowed them to attempt a two-point conversion after they had an extra-point blocked). The Steelers would be behind the sticks after a holding call, and were forced to punt. The game seemed to be slipping away.
Insert undrafted rookie cornerback Beanie Bishop. With 1:26 left in the first half and the Jets looking to extend their lead to double-digits, Aaron Rodgers uncorked a pass over the middle intended for Garrett Wilson. Bishop reached behind his body and intercepted the pass—his first of two picks last night—and got the Steelers the ball back. That would be the turning point of the game.
The offense would finally score a touchdown, as Russell Wilson connected with George Pickens on a fade route in the corner of the end zone with 27 seconds left in the half to cut the lead to 2, and the half would end 15-13 after the Jets opted to not be productive with the remaining 21 seconds.
The Jets received the opening kickoff in the second half, and the Steelers forced a punt after the Jets crawled just across midfield. Facing a third and 7 from their own 24, the Steelers offense had one of the strangest plays I have ever seen. Russ threw the ball to Pickens on the right sideline. It bounced off both Pickens and the defender multiple times, and somehow ended up as a 37-yard gain for the receiver, as the Steelers got themselves another 3 points on a 21-yard Boswell field goal (yes, they failed to convert in the red zone again).
The ensuing kickoff was returned to the 23. After a Rodgers incompletion, a pass from AR to Garrett Wilson hit the latter right in the chest, deflecting off the green 5 and into the arms of a waiting Beanie Bishop, who would intercept the pass and return it all the way to the Jets’ 1-yard line. Moments later, a Russell Wilson quarterback sneak would put the Steelers up 23-15.
The Jets would drive down the field, stalling out at the Steelers’ 17, but their field goal attempt was blocked (legally, in the view of the referees this time) by Dean Lowry. The Steelers would drive 75 yards for a Van Jefferson receiving touchdown, with the highlight of the drive being a 34-yard Najee Harris run. It was now 30-15.
The Steelers would score another touchdown courtesy of Najee with 26 seconds left, putting the stamp on a 37-15 victory and moving the team to 5-2.
After the first quarter, that was the best the offense looked in years. The Steelers had four drives in the second half:
- 11 plays, result: field goal
- 1 play, result: touchdown
- 11 plays, result: touchdown
- 13 plays, result: touchdown
They were productive through the air and on the ground, with 260 passing yards and 249 rushing yards. Najee Harris had a great game, forcing 7 missed tackles on his 21 carries (per Next Gen Stats). He also ran for 17 yards more than expected, eclipsing the 100-yard mark for the second-consecutive week.
Per Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot, this was the first Steelers game since 2015 where the offense had five plays of 30 or more yards, too. For all of the dinking and dunking that we have seen since Big Ben retired (and, seemingly, before then), the big plays finally appeared last night.
Let us be real. The Jets are 2-5. It is not like the Steelers beat the 2008 Patriots last night. Seven games into the season, though, they have the fifth-best point differential in the entire National Football League at +60, trailing only Washington, Buffalo, Detroit, and Minnesota, all of whom are viewed in a much more favorable light than the six-time Super Bowl champions.
It also cannot be understated how good the defense was, especially in the second half. Beanie Bishop’s interception (the first one) at the end of the first half completely turned the game on its head. The second one gifted the offense a touchdown with how good the return was. The blocked field goal was massive, especially at a juncture in the game where the Jets had a chance to get back into it. A fourth-down stop was also well-executed with just under eight minutes left in the game.
While most of the rookie class is injured, 4th-round pick Mason McCormick deserves so much credit for stepping into a guard spot vacated by James Daniels, who was playing at a high level before a torn Achilles, and dominating. In 31 pass-protection snaps last night, McCormick allowed zero pressures.
Of course, I have to talk about Russell Wilson. While it was not always flashy, he commanded the offense yesterday with incredible poise. He did not get rattled, which, even for a veteran, is difficult in a new uniform with all the noise surrounding the circumstances of your insertion into the starting lineup. Once he hit the deep shot to Pickens, he was a different player. Confident, comfortable, if not a bit chaotic. At times, he forgot that he was not young anymore, trying to make plays with legs that he lost five-to-ten years ago.
The most important thing about Russ, to me, was his ability to read the defense pre-snap and call audibles at the line. Sometimes, the play Arthur Smith yelled into his microphone was not the best play for the scheme. Wilson’s experience with facing defenses in the NFL over the past decade-plus, coupled with his confidence in his ability to make the right reads, can not be ignored.
Mr. Wilson, I apologize for all the slander over the past week. You have proven me wrong so far. Keep balling out, and keep cooking, as we cannot afford to lose Monday against the Giants.
Note: as the Steelers play on Monday Night Football next week, there is a high likelihood my entry next week will be postponed by a day.