In a lot of universes, Russell Wilson’s story is over. Sean Payton and the Broncos were down enough on him at the end of last season, that they paid the quarterback $85m to go away.
On Sunday, Wilson led the Steelers to a 44-38 win over the Bengals, roasting Cincinnati’s porous defense for 414 yards, the second-most passing yards in a game of his career. He finished with three touchdowns and one interception, that sole turnover coming after a botched call.
After being left on the scrapheap this offseason, Wilson has led the Steelers to a 5-1 record as a starter, putting them in first place in a competitive AFC North. It feels fitting that with Wilson’s best performance in years, he also secured Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin’s 18th successive season with a non-losing record.
Tomlin was the lone believer when the rest of the league bailed on the quarterback. Wilson probably heard the talk. Whereas his athleticism had been enough to overcome deficiencies earlier in his career, that had now faded. In Denver, he had become an immobile, inaccurate passer. In short: he was no longer a quarterback you could win with.
With Denver paying the bulk of his salary this season, Wilson was available, essentially, for free. Teams only needed to commit to the league’s minimum salary to bring in the 36-year-old. But Wilson was a distant second option behind Kirk Cousins in free agency, and most quarterback-needy teams instead turned to the draft.
Even Tomlin hedged his bets, sanctioning a trade for Justin Fields from the Bears after signing Wilson to a one-year contract in free agency. Shortly before the opening week of the season, Wilson sustained a calf injury that kept him out for six weeks. Fields led the Steelers to a winning record, showing just enough that Tomlin could have justified continuing to roll with the younger of his two offseason reclamation projects.
But with no one watching, Wilson fought for his career, showing enough in practice that Tomlin felt comfortable pulling Fields out of a winning lineup. The early returns were scattershot, but Wilson now looks back to his vintage best. When he walked off the field in Cincinnati on Sunday, Tomlin was waiting outside the locker room to greet him. “What’s up, old man?” Tomlin said as he embraced his quarterback.
For the first time since Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Steelers have a legitimate shot at competing for a Super Bowl. They are winning with an old-school formula. They run the ball. Their offensive line is physical. They hit a few chunk plays a game, relying on George Pickens to manufacture shots in the passing game. Their pass-rush is relentless, with unsung gems like Nick Herbig and Larry Ogunjobi often outplaying the superstars. Together, they have formed the best four-man pass-rush in the NFL, helping to cover up a faulty secondary.
Tomlin has produced one of the best coaching jobs of his career. But he surely recognizes his team will only go as deep in the playoffs as Wilson can take them. It was only two years ago that Wilson had fallen from a potential future Hall of Famer to a laughing stock. But in Pittsburgh, he’s been slotted into his old Seattle role: relying on the run game, keeping the offense on schedule, limiting turnovers, creating a few off-script plays a game and letting the defensive playmakers prove to be the difference.
Wilson fought against that profile for a while. Whereas the coaching staff in Seattle looked at Wilson as a cog in a championship machine, Wilson looked in the mirror and saw Peyton Manning. He ditched Seattle for Denver, hoping for more of everything. More yards, touchdowns, control of the offense, accolades and respect.
But it was a farce, with the franchise effectively running the quarterback out of Denver. With his career in freefall, Tomlin tossed Wilson a career lifeline. Still: Even the coach must be a touch surprised by the results.
It’s not just what Wilson is doing; it’s how. He is punishing defensive mistakes. He is hitting downfield throws, outside the numbers, at a sky-high clip. What separated Wilson from the pack in Seattle was that he hit atypical throws at a league-leading rate. You know the throw: a deep, arcing moonshot along the sideline. With the Broncos, Wilson’s deep ball vanished. With the Steelers, he’s back to his best. He leads all qualified quarterbacks in Completion Percentage Over Expectation on attempts of 10 air yards or more this season (+15.7%).
Wilson has shown a stronger feel for what a game requires, too. His freelancing is less frequent these days, but it’s always there, simmering away in the background if required. Against the Bengals, what was required was ripping apart zone coverages. Cincinnati sagged off Pittsburgh’s receiving corps, hoping to force Wilson to hold the ball long enough that the pass-rush could come screaming home.
Wilson in Denver would have acquiesced. He would have gone big play hunting, betting that he could outrun the pass-rush before uncorking throws down the field. He would have wanted to prove he was a blue-chip creator, closer to Patrick Mahomes than Brock Purdy. The offense would have bogged down as Wilson bounced around trying to create. But Wilson in Pittsburgh is comfortable taking what the defense offers, sticking to the system and churning out scoring drives. On Sunday, he sped up his delivery, getting the ball out early to allow his receivers to create after the catch. In the first half, Wilson’s average depth of target was three yards, with 67% of his 257 yards coming after the catch. When the Bengals adjusted their approach in the second half, Wilson pivoted, attacking deeper down the field.
There are still things to nitpick about Wilson’s game, flaws that could be exposed in a close postseason matchup. But he has offset some of his traditional shortcomings – and has proven deft enough to manage close games. He is, once again, a winning quarterback.
Wilson moved to Denver seeking respect. In Pittsburgh, he has found vindication.
