How far can Russell Wilson take the Steelers after promising start?

Ben Arthur

NFL Reporter

The Pittsburgh fans let Russell Wilson hear it in his Steelers debut.

The boos rained down in Acrisure Stadium. The chants for Justin Fields, whom many fans had wanted to remain the starter after leading the team to a 4-2 start, grew audible. Wilson looked rusty early, after all. Playing in his first game in 10 months, he went 2-of-6 for 19 yards in the first quarter.

It started to click, though. Wilson found his rhythm. And by game’s end, he had 264 passing yards (the most-ever by any quarterback in a Steelers debut), a 109.0 passer rating and three total touchdowns to guide a 37-15 rout of the New York Jets.

Mike Tomlin’s “lone ranger” decision to go with Wilson as QB1 looked like a stroke of genius — and Steelers fans were eager to get a high-five from the quarterback they were booing a couple of hours prior.

“I really believe in being neutral, not being too high, not being too low,” Wilson said postgame. “Every game has its own story, and every game has different moments in it, and you catch the wave and once you find it, you don’t let go. I think the biggest thing is just knowing who you are, knowing the belief you have in yourself and knowing also, too, it’s my first time back and I was like OK, I’m starting to feel it again.”

Wilson’s ability to handle adversity is one reason why the Steelers (5-2) could be one of the AFC’s top threats by the end of the regular season. With 11 weeks left, Pittsburgh is the No. 5 seed in the conference, trailing the Kansas City Chiefs (6-0), Houston Texans (5-2), Baltimore Ravens (5-2) and the Buffalo Bills (5-2).

Working against the Steelers is the fact that they have the most difficult schedule of the four teams ahead of them. The average winning rate of Pittsburgh’s remaining opponents is 56.4%, compared to 52% for the Texans, 50.2% for the Ravens, 49.9% for the Bills and 48.3% for the Chiefs. Pittsburgh is also the only one of the five that has yet to play games in-division, which can bring more competitive games.

But that’s where Wilson’s experience could pay dividends.

He’s been to the playoffs eight times, including two Super Bowl appearances. He has 39 career game-winning drives, which ranks second to the Los Angeles Rams‘ Matthew Stafford (45) among active players. The 35-year-old has also played some of his most efficient ball when the stakes are highest, recording a 106.1 passer rating in January games, 100.2 in prime time and 117.4 in the Super Bowl (two appearances), according to Pro Football Reference.

He may not be the same player he was in his prime with the Seattle Seahawks, but he’s a proven winner.

“He was unmoved and unshaken by the lack of fluidity with the start,” Tomlin said Sunday. “But I think that’s kind of reflective of a guy that’s done it at a high level for over a decade, a guy that’s a world champion, a guy that’s whatever, [nine-time] Pro Bowler. He’s just seen a lot in this game and that’s in his back pocket, just like his throwing abilities. And it gets you in and out of circumstances, certainly.”

Wilson figures to unlock the Steelers’ passing game.

Pittsburgh averaged just 166.8 passing yards per game in six games with Fields, with under 140 in four of those contests (232 and 282 in the other two). The team had 260 in its first game with Wilson, whose rapport with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith should continue to grow.

Fields has averaged 6.9 yards per attempt in six games with the Steelers, compared to Wilson’s 9.1 this past Sunday — more than in 38 of Fields’ 46 career games. In three seasons and counting, Fields has averaged 7.0 yards per attempt, compared to Wilson’s 7.7 yards per attempt in 12-plus seasons.

It was just one game, but wide receiver George Pickens and tight end Pat Freiemuth — the Steelers’ leading pass-catchers — also had season-highs in yards per reception and yards per target against the Jets.

“We’re doing some good things and the reality is there’s so much more out there,” Wilson said. “That’s the good news. There’s so much more out there and we’ll get better as we go. We’re going to keep working. There’s a lot more football left, but to be where we are is a good place.”

Earlier this week, Tomlin wouldn’t confirm that Wilson would start again on Monday Night Football against the New York Giants, only saying that the veteran would continue to take first-team reps in practice and that “we’ll see where the week leads us.”

But the veteran coach did offer a peek into his mindset when asked about his message to Fields in the wake of his role change.

“I don’t worry about the difficulty of conversations,” Tomlin said. “It’s about whether or not they’re necessary. We’re pursuing big business here. Comfort is not a component of what we’re chasing.”

Wilson has already shown that he can succeed without it.

Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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