The Pittsburgh Steelers sit on top of the AFC North at 8-2 following a close 18-16 win against the Baltimore Ravens. As Pittsburgh's defense continues to be dominant, the offense continues to play better and get enough done for a win. Since Russell Wilson took the starting quarterback job back in Week 7 against the New York Jets, he has been proving Head Coach Mike Tomlin's decision to be right. Wilson has thrown for 942 yards, six touchdowns and only two interceptions through four games. He has clearly opened up the passing game and has even helped boost George Pickens' receiving yards to 728, which is fourth in the NFL through 11 weeks.
The Steelers' offense did have a noticeable flaw Sunday and it was the zero touchdowns scored. Chris Boswell led the way with six field goals, his second time being the only scorer for Pittsburgh all game since their season opener against the Atlanta Falcons. Tomlin did recognize that was something that needed to be worked on in his postgame press conference Sunday. Wilson also took accountability during his media availability Tuesday afternoon, stating that every week is a "new story," but there needs to be consistency in the red zone.
Wilson did have a chance to score a touchdown when he threw the ball up to his 6-foot-7 tight end Darnell Washington. However, the pass got easily intercepted by Marlon Humphrey. Former quarterback and Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger talked about Wilson and the interception on his podcast Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger Tuesday night.
"He's giving his guy a chance to make a play. A big guy, whether he can jump or not, if he puts one arm up he's 13-feet in the air," Roethlisberger said. "So, he's giving his guy a chance - like it'd be one thing if Russ threw that jump ball to Calvin Austin... I can't put all the blame on Russ because I didn't see Mount Washington make a play."
Roethlisberger at first said Wilson shouldn't have thrown the ball in the first place, but was quick to take back his comment and instead went to why Washington didn't reach up for the jump ball. Of course, Roethlisberger didn't know what was going through either of the players' minds and said he's had that turnover mistake a few times before. With Wilson's interception in the middle of the fourth quarter, Roethlisberger thought the Ravens had made that big play to finally take a lead.
"I'll be honest, I thought 'it's over.' I was nervous," Roethlisberger admitted.
Luckily for the Steelers, the defense stepped in and made a huge play. Payton Wilson miraculously stole the ball from Ravens running back Justice Hill and came up with the interception. Although not entirely Lamar Jackson's fault, that was only his third interception of the year.
Steelers' Russell Wilson Has A Tough Road Ahead Of Him
Although a lot of fans are confident in Wilson, he still has a tough schedule ahead of him. One of the most grueling games on the schedule is coming up when the Steelers have to play the Philadelphia Eagles on the road, then travel to Baltimore that following Saturday. Pittsburgh then hosts the Kansas City Chiefs four days later on Christmas. Wilson has been through a lot in his 13 seasons in the NFL, but this may be a new challenge he hasn't faced yet. Tomlin has shown this season he knows how to get his team ready and he'll have to mentally and physically prepare them.
Wilson got his first taste of AFC North football Sunday against the Ravens. Besides not throwing a touchdown, Wilson still threw for over 200 yards. He'll have a quick week as the Steelers travel to take on the Cleveland Browns for Thursday Night Football. Wilson continues to be confident in his team and will look to finish out this season strong and make it deep into the playoffs.
