Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin’s big gamble to start Russell Wilson paid off in Sunday night’s 37-15 win over the New York Jets. Wilson had complete command of the offense and the passing game was leaps and bounds better than what it was under Justin Fields.
In particular, Wilson shined in the play-action game. Wilson aligned under center on 41 of his 66 snaps in Sunday night’s win over the New York Jets, his highest under center rate in a game since 2016 (62.2%), according to Next Gen Stats. Wilson finished 8/9 for 150 yards on under center play-action dropbacks, the most such yards by a Steelers QB in the NGS era (since 2016).
Wilson also made Steelers history, breaking a record that stood for 67 years. Wilson’s 264 passing yards are the most by a quarterback in their first game with the Steelers in franchise history. He surpassed Earl Morrall’s 249 passing yards, which was set in 1957. Wilson is also the first quarterback to lead the Steelers to 30+ points in his starting debut with the team since QB starts were first tracked in 1950, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
“I thought he was excellent,” Tomlin said after the game. “He got better as the game went on. I’m not surprised by that.”
Wilson had five completions that went over 20 yards. The vintage moon ball was also on display to George Pickens on a few occasions.
“I kept telling the coach, ‘I’m going to get hot here,’ and sure enough we did,” Wilson said.
Man, Russell Wilson still throws a beautiful moonball. Great catch by George Pickens with a defender draped all over him. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/Cm6AluAwpO
— Tommy Jaggi (@TommyJaggi) October 21, 2024
As expected, Wilson started off rusty. But once he got going, the offense was humming.
“It’s been a while,” Wilson said. “It’s been six weeks without playing. I’m just grateful for my teammates. The defense was lights out against a really good quarterback.”
For the first time in over four years, the Steelers scored more than 30 points in consecutive contests. Wilson certainly provided a spark for the offense. If the offense continues at this pace, the Steelers will be true contenders in the AFC.
Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.