Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Tomlin Praises QB Russell Wilson’s Excellent Performance in A 37-15 Win Over Jets
Fans were treated to a display of talent and resilience from Russell Wilson at the Sunday night event against the New York Jets. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ new quarterback worked off some early hurdles before leading them to a 37-15 victory.
That performance earned some praise from head coach Mike Tomlin:
“I thought he was excellent,” he said of his veteran quarterback’s ability to indeed shake off a shaky start and come through when it most mattered. “I thought he got better as the game went on, but I’m not surprised by that. It’s been a while since he played some ball, but I thought he settled in, knocked the rust off, distributed the ball around, and played well.”
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin Praises QB Russell Wilson’s Excellent Performance in Win Over Jets
Wilson’s struggle started at the early stage of the game. He attempted multiple shots into the turf without scoring a single goal. As fans grew increasingly impatient, uncertainty surrounded how much longer he might have in Pittsburgh’s uniform.
The poor start led to a panicked plea from the crowd asking for Justin Fields. That resulted in an initial long drive for the Steelers, as Field’s intervention caused them to settle for a field goal. They then went three and out on their next three possessions.
A pick-off of Wilson in the first half by Beanie Bishop Jr. gave Wilson and the offense team a chance to reset. It resulted in a touchdown just before halftime, and that only boosted Wilson’s confidence.
Wilson responded, leading the Steelers on five consecutive scoring drives, earning himself a spot on the roaster and establishing what would be a record for passing yards in a Steelers debut.
“First of all, I believe in being neutral,” Wilson said when asked about the adverse reaction early from the crowd. “Not being too high, not being too low. … Coming into this game, we had a couple of things early that we could’ve had. I felt like it was playoff baseball in the sense I started 0 for 2, but I felt like I was gonna get hot. I kept telling the coach, I’m gonna get hot here. And sure enough, we did.”
NFL Stats: Wilson: 0 interceptions, with a passing yard of 264 and a 109.0 passer rating that tops any single-game mark in Fields’s career so far and the 37 points equaling Pittsburgh’s best point total since 2021
“The reality is there’s so much more out there, “That’s the good news. There’s so much more out there, and we’ll get better as we go. We’re gonna keep working. There’s a lot more football left, but to be where we are is a good place.” Wilson said.
Pittsburgh’s win was fueled by Wilson hitting on his deep-ball throws, especially to George Pickens. His long shots opened up new offensive opportunities that put the Steelers back in the winning spot.
“I think throwing that first touchdown to George was the moment I was like, alright, there’s gonna be a lot more of these, I believe,” Wilson said. “Sometimes it takes the first home run, that first double off the wall, whatever it may be. It’s October, so I’m talking baseball, but I just think when you put all the hard work in, and guys are doing the work, at some point, it’s gonna turn in your favor, and it did tonight.”
Wilson has carved his name into the history of not just the Steelers but also set the stage to make it a fresh and successful season.
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