A primetime matchup. A halftime ceremony. Steeler legends in town. A former president in a suite. Career firsts on the offense and the defense. And the biggest decision of the season looming over the dark Pittsburgh sky.
This game truly had everything.
And at the end of the night, it had Najee Harris celebrating in the seats with the fans as he had just ran into the endzone to ice the game for the Steelers. That crowd looked electric tonight, as did much of the Steelers’ game plan. All that and more in my five thoughts this week, let’s get into it:
1: Beanie Baby!
How could I not start with Beanie Bishop, the man who was responsible for not one, but two interceptions of Aaron Rodgers – the first two picks of Bishop’s career.
Bishop balled out in his second chance opportunity on Sunday Night Football. Two weeks ago he looked like the undrafted free agent that he is, but he looked like a first rounder tonight, dominating the field.
Beanie’s first pick really shifted momentum towards Pittsburgh’s side, and it never really left the Steelers after that. What an incredible night for him.
2: The Revival Of Russ
Ok, enough burying the lede, let’s talk about the biggest story of the night, Russell Wilson.
He looked awful to start this game. He looked old, slow, clearly limited in the run game. His arm looked off, missing open receivers. He looked really rusty.
But the way he responded has to be commended. Going 16/29 isn’t terrific, but scoring 3 total touchdowns and passing for 264 yards absolutely is. That final mark is the highest passing yards by a Steelers quarterback in their debut – fitting for a veteran who is eager to prove he has a lot left in the tank.
That crowd at Acrisure Stadium, rowdier than ever, was ready to turn on Wilson in a heartbeat. But by the end he had those same fans roaring his name.
In the end, Mike Tomlin’s bet paid off. He staked a lot on the belief that Wilson’s accuracy in the passing game could outweigh what Justin Fields could do with his legs. With a battered and bruised offensive line, that was a risky bet for sure.
I’m happy for Russ. Very happy, in fact.
3: George Pickens Was The Biggest Beneficiary Of Russell Wilson, Just As The Steelers Planned
One of, if not the biggest aspect of Russell Wilson becoming the quarterback for the Steelers was how it could elevate George Pickens.
Pickens, who has been the subject of a lot of media attention this season, has had his ups and downs. I don’t think he necessarily had a problem with Justin Fields, but I do think Pickens welcomed with open arms someone who could throw the ball with more accuracy.
Wilson was as advertised for Pickens. The wide receiver caught 5 passes for 111 yards, the second highest yardage total of his season. Wilson’s deep ball to Pickens early in the second quarter marked the exact time Wilson shook off the rust and got more comfortable in the offense.
And that second deep ball to Pickens was even more beautiful, and it really set the tone for the Steelers in the second half, where the offense really caught fire and dominated the Jets’ defense.
Getting Pickens involved is so incredibly crucial to the Steelers’ offense. Throw him the ball and good things usually happen. Russ can do that very well.
4: How About Ryan McCollum?
Perhaps the most underrated hero of this game was center Ryan McCollum. He had big shoes to fill after rookie second rounder Zach Frazier went down with injury, but McCollum stepped up in a huge way for an offensive line that was getting one of their biggest challenges of the season.
Going up against the Jets’ pash rush is difficult enough as is, but doing so while having to protect an aging quarterback who was coming off a calf injury didn’t have many Steelers fans hopeful.
Give McCollum his flowers, and the offensive line as a whole. Wilson was protected and able to operate with time for the most part. We didn’t really notice McCollum once last night. That’s amazing.
5: The Big Man Gets Involved More
Weeks ago, after the Steelers lost to the Colts in Indianapolis, I wrote as one of my five thoughts that I wanted tight end Darnell Washington to get involved more.
Well, after three weeks of wishing, Russ granted my wish.
Washington provided Wilson with some comfortable check down routes to help ease the quarterback into the game. Wilson’s first pass of the game went to Washington, and the big man caught 4 total passes for 36 yards on designed catch and run plays.
Washington is an excellent option for those plays, because seeing a 6′ 7, 264 pound man running full speed is probably not what a defense wants to see. He is an absolute unit, and once he starts running downhill it’s gets harder and harder to get him down.
(Featured photo by Gene J. Puskar/AP)
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