Veteran quarterback Russell Wilson finally made his Pittsburgh Steelers debut on Sunday and it couldn’t have gone better. After missing the first six weeks due to a calf injury, Wilson led the Steelers to a massive 37-15 win over the New York Jets in Week 7, improving their record to 5-2 in the process.
While Steelers fans are thrilled by the performance, not everyone was happy about Wilson replacing Fields leading up to the game. After all, Fields had led Pittsburgh to a 4-2 record during the former Super Bowl-winning QB’s absence, leaving fans to wonder if a change under center was even necessary.
The decision to go with Wilson over Fields ultimately paid off. Following the victory, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was asked if changing quarterbacks was one of the “boldest” things he did in his career.
“That’s why I’m well compensated,” Tomlin slyly said at the post-game scrum, per NFL insider Ari Meirov.
#Steelers HC Mike Tomlin on if switching to Russell Wilson with a 4-2 record was one of his boldest decisions:
“That’s why I’m well compensated. Thank you.”
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 21, 2024
Although surprise quarterback changes don’t always pan out, it’s clear that Tomlin knows what he’s doing at this stage of his career. The 52-year-old is now in his 18th season with the Steelers and has dealt with his fair share of QBs throughout his tenure.
It’s possible that Pittsburgh was always going to start Wilson as soon as he became healthy, regardless of how Fields was playing. The Steelers signed the 35-year-old signal-caller to be their No. 1 QB back in March before Fields was acquired as a potential project one day later after his time with the Chicago Bears left much to be desired.
There’s also the fact that Fields looked like he was beginning to regress on the gridiron. Although he led the Steelers to a strong start, the former Ohio State QB completed 29-of-51 passes (56.9 percent) for only 276 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his last two starts.
While Wilson wasn’t flawless in Sunday’s debut, he did provide a boost to the Steelers’ aerial attack. He went 16-of-29 (55.2 percent) in the pocket for 264 passing yards and two TDs with a 109.09 passer rating.
It remains to be seen if Wilson can build off that performance, but it was likely good enough to draw the start against the New York Giants in Week 8. The Giants have produced mixed results against quarterbacks so far, allowing the sixth-fewest passing yards per game despite surrendering the third-highest completion rate.
Wilson has produced mixed results in four career meetings against New York. He went 3-1 against the Giants in those games, averaging 243.8 passing yards per game on a 65.1 percent completion rate while also throwing for five TDs and four interceptions.
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