When Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin made the switch from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson not many believed it was the right choice. After six starts it definitely looks like the legendary Steelers coach knows a lot more than armchair coaches.
Tomlin’s move ignited a once stagnant offense while also reviving the career of the 36-year-old Wilson.
Russell Wilson Throws For 414 Yards
Wilson has rewarded Tomlin with the vertical passing threat he’s been searching for in leading the Steelers to five victories in his six starts, including Sunday’s 44-38 road win over Pittsburgh’s AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals. A win that cemented an NFL record 18th-straight non-losing season to begin a coaching career. While Wilson had been good throughout most of his starts, Sunday’s performance in Cincinnati was one for the ages.
Wilson went 29 of 38 for 414 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, good enough for a passer rating of 126.4. It was just the third time in Wilson’s career that he eclipsed the 400-yard mark in a game.
Russell Wilson Says He Feels Ten Years Younger
Following his performance an excited Wilson told reporters, “I just turned 36 the other day. I feel like I’m 26. Maybe I’m 30.”
Wilson not only lit up the leaky Bengals secondary up for over 400 yards in total, he also set a personal career-high with 257 passing yards in the first half. Wilson’s breakout performance comes one week after an ugly road loss to the Cleveland Browns on the shores of snowy Lake Erie.
Former MVP Says Steelers Carrying Wilson
Followed that loss former MVP Cam Newton who didn’t agree with Tomlin benching the aforementioned Fields in favor of Wilson took a subtle jab at Wilson. During a recent episode of his “4th&1” podcast the outspoken and at times outlandish former Heisman Trophy winner questioned if Wilson was good enough to lead the Steelers where they wanna go.
“Russell Wilson is being carried by the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Newton said. “I’m looking at his situation and I’m saying he’s not doing anything different.”
“What alarms me was this statistic that is like ‘Wilson is undefeated, the Steelers are 4-0’ — who have they played?” Newton continued. “They played the Jets, the Giants, a still-on-the-bubble Washington Commanders team, and they played the Ravens. By the way, Chris Boswell kicked all their points [vs Baltimore].”
That definitely wasn’t the case on Sunday, and, based on what Tomlin told reporters, he knows it.
“Man, we needed all 44 of those points today. Didn’t we?” the coach said after the game.
That’s exactly why Tomlin made the switch. Wilson can win in a shootout, while that’s not Field’s strong suit.
Wilson Shows Invaluable Leeadership With Talented and Immature George Pickens
One of the biggest reasons for Tomlin making the change to Wilson was for the savvy veteran’s leadership, which was on full display Sunday. Wilson was able to calm down the supremely talented George Pickens, who could be one of the best receivers in the league if he just matures. After picking up a couple penalties Wilson took it upon himself to settle his star pass catcher down.
“I just think that he’s gotta understand that he’s one on the best receivers in the world, everybody’s gonna have their eyes on you,” Wilson said in his postgame media session. “You gotta understand to stay neutral, stay poised in those moments, and still bring excitement.”
“‘Don’t change that,’ I was telling him on the sideline,” Wilson told reporters. “When you’re one of the best in the world, you expect to make those plays and you don’t need to do anything extra necessarily. He responded well to that.”
Pickens finished with three receptions for 64 yards and one of Wilson’s three touchdown tosses. But it was the attention he drew that opened up things for his teammates and helped shape Wilson’s career day as a Steeler.
