The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to make strong strides in the NFL after a decisive victory over Aaron Rodgers’ New York Jets. Russell Wilson’s standout performance sparked a flurry of opinions. Following the win, head coach Mike Tomlin addressed his QB’s performance.
Although Justin Fields was the starting QB up until the game against the Jets, Tomlin made a surprising and drastic decision to start Wilson for the Steelers—a risky move that ultimately paid off.
With the certainty of having defeated the team led by Rodgers, who recently added Davante Adams, Tomlin was emphatic about the performance of the former Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos quarterback: “I thought he was excellent,” Tomlin said, via the team’s website.
“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 and distributed the ball around and played well,” Tomlin finally stated.
Russell Wilson #3 of the Pittsburgh Steelers throws the ball during the first quarter against the New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Russell Wilson threw for 264 yards on just 16 completions, while Steelers receivers averaged an impressive 16.5 yards per catch.
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The trust of his teammates in Wilson
Wilson’s inclusion as the starting QB in the game against the Jets raised uncertainty about whether he could lead the team as Justin Fields had been doing. However, after the game, his performance left no room for doubt, as tight end Pat Freiermuth made clear.
“The deep ball is beautiful,” said Freiermuth, who caught one of those deep passes, a 30-yard completion. “We saw that throughout camp. It was cool to see that in-stadium tonight with him out there running around with us. His confidence was great.”
Special message from Wilson to Fields
Following a strong performance that culminated in a significant victory for the Pittsburgh Steelers over the New York Jets, Russell Wilson stole the spotlight. However, the QB chose to dedicate a heartfelt message to his teammate Justin Fields after the game.
“I also want to give credit to Justin, man. How he got us in this position. What a great player he is. Just this whole team,” Wilson stated.
