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• Russell Wilson looks, again, like the Russell Wilson we saw in Seattle, and that’s no mistake.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback connected on 20-of-28 throws for 278 yards, a touchdown and a 114.9 rating in Monday night’s 26–18 win over the New York Giants. He was efficient. He was explosive. Wilson and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith rolled out a plan recalling Smith’s time with Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee while incorporating how the Seahawks got the most out of Wilson early in his career.
Perhaps the lessons learned wanting something else—playing like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady while he was in Denver for two years—have hardened Wilson. Perhaps simple failure has made Wilson more receptive to the idea that Seattle’s deployment of him was always the right way. Either way, Wilson showed Monday night against the Giants and a week ago against the New York Jets that he’s buying into what Smith and the offensive coaches are selling him.
The Steelers have effectively married the run game with what they do off play-action and on movement plays, allowing Wilson to play fast—with quicker reads that don’t require him to hold onto the ball. In Denver, oftentimes, the problem was Wilson would take deeper drops, sit in the pocket and take bad sacks. Now, he’s getting out on the edge, or throwing off play-action, and if the plays are not there, taking the checkdown, or tucking it and running with it.
The result has been a pleasant surprise for the Steelers. Wilson’s second-half downfield dimes to Calvin Austin III for a touchdown, and George Pickens to set up the Steelers’ final points of the game were pivotal. And with that payoff, it’d reason that Wilson’s investment into how the Steelers are trying to get him to play will only grow deeper.
It’s a good story, and one that has Pittsburgh in a good spot at midseason—maybe their best spot at quarterback, with Justin Fields in reserve, since Ben Roethlisberger retired.
