Steelers Read & React: Does Russell Wilson make Pittsburgh true contenders?

This week, Ryland and Ryan evaluate Russell Wilson’s debut, assess where the offensive line stands through seven games, and look ahead to Week 8 against the Giants.

Russell Wilson’s Pittsburgh debut was a good time. This week, Read & React is here to break down what that means for the Steelers this season, plus a look ahead to Week 8’s matchup: the New York Giants.

Can Russell Wilson continue to play like he did against the Jets?

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RP: I think the answer here is “Yes,” but I’m also certain the Steelers shouldn’t expect 30-plus points every week. Wilson’s debut was a rollercoaster, which wasn’t unexpected. I’ve been telling you in this space for months that Wilson is a streaky passer who relies more on improvisation than his ability to execute a strict game plan. Following the win, the narrative surrounding Wilson’s abysmal first half has largely been that he was rusty after not playing in a game since last Christmas. Some of that is certainly true. Still, going 8-for-19 in the first half is less than ideal, and fans in attendance voiced their displeasure with a loud chorus of boos on multiple occasions.

But that changed in the second half. Thanks to a favorable game script, the Steelers actually asked Russ to do less after the break. After starting 8-for-19, Russ was much more efficient on fewer attempts in the second half, going 8-for-10 and 119 yards. That yardage mostly came from three completions: an underthrown ball that deflected off the defender’s arms and was plucked by George Pickens on the deflection for 37 yards, a perfectly placed 21-yard floater that fell into Pat Freiermuth’s outstretched arm, and Wilson’s final pass, a 36-yard catch and run by Calvin Austin III that came off of play action and was made possible by a well-executed rub route from Pickens. Russ also induced a 29-yard defensive pass interference penalty on another go-ball attempt to Pickens.

All told, it was a pretty typical Russ game. Like a shooter in basketball, Russ goes through periods of hot and cold play. As he gets older, he’s starting to lose some juice — as seen on several underthrown balls this game — but when he’s hot, the shot is still nice. As long as he maintains his deep ball accuracy, that’s a recipe for low turnovers, and is a similar plan to what the Steelers were using with Justin Fields. To use another basketball analogy, Russ passes like a modern basketball chooses their shots: mostly layups and three-pointers.

When the shots are falling, it’s the greatest feeling in the world. I’m skeptical we will see these hit on a consistent basis — downfield 50-50 balls are difficult to execute efficiently — but I’d be a fool to deny they were an element that was desperately missing from this offense. Fields has the arm to go deep, but it’s undeniable there is a harder degree of difficulty catching his passes. Russ’ patented “moonballs” are far more receiver-friendly than the line drives and lasers Fields throws, a fact Chris Collinsworth brought up several times during the broadcast.

The Steelers defense had an A-plus performance on Sunday night. The return of Alex Highsmith reinvigorated the pass rush and was crucial in shutting down the outside runs the Jets love to get star running back Breece Hall. Beanie Bishop’s two interceptions were also huge for the Steelers. His first allowed the Steelers to enter the two-minute drill near midfield and helped get Russ back in rhythm. Bishop’s second interception included a return that gave the Steelers first-and-goal on the 1-yard line.

In my opinion, some of those friendly bounces helped Russ’ night ultimately look more prolific than it was. He did complete just 55% of his passes, and there will be games against better opponents where the defense struggles or the running game is ineffective. Still, the energy around the team was hard to deny and it’s not like Fields’ wins were pretty either. The play-action game was demonstrably better. The deep shots weren’t perfect, but it felt like Russ’ throws gave the Steelers’ playmakers a better chance to come down with the ball. And whether Fields wasn’t able to or wasn’t allowed to, the fact that Russ noticeably had the ability to change looks at the line of scrimmage was another element that was underrated in the victory.

Can Russ keep this up? I hope so. I’m happy with the results even if the tape leaves plenty of room for skepticism. What I think we learned Sunday is the Steelers can find a way to win with either of these guys at quarterback. If Russ can keep “making the routine plays routinely” and consistently hit in the vertical passing game, the job will remain his. If he doesn’t, the Steelers know they can go back to Fields and find ways to win. We’ve been telling you here at Read & React since the schedule was released that regardless of who starts at quarterback, division play will ultimately decide how far the Steelers go this season. That begins November 17. Buckle up.

RB: I’m a bit more bullish on Wilson than Ryan, but I agree with the gist of what he wrote. Wilson had a lot of lucky plays on Sunday night that aren’t guaranteed to work in the future. (And I’ll beat you to it: Justin Fields had a lot of luck early this season as well, but we’re talking about Wilson specifically, OK?)

I already wrote my thoughts on Wilson following the game, and Ryan covered a lot of bases above, so I’ll keep my thoughts short on this one. The luck aspect is big, sure, but it’s only part of the story. Wilson did a lot of the more subtle aspects of quarterbacking at a higher level than Fields, whether it was changing plays at the line of scrimmage, seeing the field better, putting more air under deep balls, or selling play actions more convincingly.

As I mentioned in my postgame column, we can reasonably expect Wilson to get better as the season progresses. Sunday marked his first full game since December of last year, and he’s been limited in much of his practice time with the Steelers and not running with the starters. He’ll gain more confidence and chemistry with his receivers with time, and with Zach Frazier expected back after the bye, his pocket protection will improve as well.

While Wilson’s luck might decrease, his sharpness might increase. At the very least, I think his ball placement will improve some from the Jets game.

Of course, it’s a very small sample size so I’m not guaranteeing anything yet regarding Wilson. From what we’ve seen, I have optimism for the rest of his season, although as Ryan points out, scrutinizing Wilson’s play reveals that he wasn’t quite as good as he initially looked on Sunday.

Is the Steelers’ offensive line playing better than we think?

Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images

RB: One sack allowed and over four yards per rush seems to say “yes.” I went back and watched the O-line’s All-22 for this, and came away pleasantly surprised.

A few things: There were still some atrocious reps from Broderick Jones, as well as a few times when center Ryan McCollum got plain overpowered by the Jets’ front. Miscommunications are still a fairly common problem.

But as a whole, the unit had a good showing. Mason McCormick is raw but he’s a brawler with plus athleticism who is developing nicely. Isaac Seumalo remains a monster in the run game. And Dan Moore Jr. could be playing himself into a contract extension this offseason. The rumors are true. He’s made strides since last season and looks like one of the better linemen on the field. Not flashy, but solid all around.

The Steelers weren’t dominant up front against the Jets, but they held their own. Look at this pocket on Russell Wilson’s first successful deep ball of the night. It’s just a four-man rush, but this is about as good as it gets:

Pittsburgh cleaned up some early struggles as the game went on and started to come alive late. Look at how perfectly the run below is blocked:

The play also serves to highlight a few other good things I’ve noticed with the Steelers’ blocking: The non-linemen are getting involved as well. Pickens bullies a defensive back to the ground. Pat Freiermuth seals off the edge defender. Van Jefferson clears out the middle. And although he’s not in this play, Jaylen Warren had a truly incredible game in pass protection against the Jets.

Also, check out McCormick always going full speed and being the greatest hype man. Just an incredible teammate.

All of that to say, the Steelers’ O-line and blocking in general are far from perfect. They won’t be among the best in the NFL this year. But despite the injuries, they’re getting the job done and will look even better once Zach Frazier is back in the lineup. There’s more to like than you’d think.

RP: The line was always going to be a work in progress. We live in an instant gratification society and I know a lot of fans like to think that simply investing high draft capital in a position should have immediate results. Unfortunately, that’s not really how player development works and the high rate of injuries the Steelers have suffered on the line this year does no favors for building chemistry.

Right now I’d say the Steelers offensive line is performing about as well as you’d expect a team with two starters on injured reserve and a third-string center starting games to be doing. Broderick Jones still has some bad beats and doesn’t look like the player he was last year, but he’s cut down on the number of disaster reps, even if he’s getting beat more than you’d like in pass protection. At just 23 years old, he’s younger than Fautanu and it’s too early to give up on him. Jones was considered a raw prospect, and reps are exactly what he needs to get better.

After this year’s draft, I viewed the line as a three-year project that began last season. It hasn’t gone as smoothly as we’d all like, but it’s far too early to make any long-term evaluations of the young guys. If the Steelers find a way to keep Moore in-house, they’ll know they at least have a startable option should either of the first-rounders falter. Frazier already looks like a building block at center. I’ve voiced my optimism about McCormick’s potential here previously as well.

The Steelers will have a decision to make with at least one guard spot next year. They declined to negotiate an extension this offseason with James Daniels — who was unquestionably the Steelers’ best lineman during September — and Seumalo will be entering the final year of his deal in 2025. Fautanu will essentially be a redshirt rookie and Pittsburgh could draft or sign another interior lineman to throw into the mix.

It may not be pretty right now, but I still believe the Steelers’ line is on the right trajectory long term.

Are the Steelers contenders?

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RB: The Steelers team that showed up in the second half against the Jets sure is: stifling defense, powerful run game, passing game with big play potential. Plus, winning the turnover battle.

But a lot of this question has to do with the quarterback situation. We’ve only seen a single game with Russell Wilson so far — a good one, but still just one. The running game has also only recently caught fire, and the defense has had some rough collapses over the last few weeks.

You also can’t ignore strength of schedule. The Jets had a lot of weapons on offense, but they were still 2-4 entering Week 7. Although the Steelers have played a few solid opponents, they’ve yet to take on one of the NFL’s better teams this season, and their losses to the Cowboys and Colts were not the most quality matchups.

At 5-2, the Steelers are solidly in the playoff picture. If they can make it to the postseason, anything is certainly possible. But does the team look like a Super Bowl contender? No. They’ll have to play well against a team that matches that description first. But back-to-back blowout wins has them on the right trajectory, even if I still have a tough time seeing Pittsburgh beating a team like the Chiefs, Lions, or Texans.

RP: I tend to agree with Ryland here. I’m not poo-pooing a 5-2 start, but the Steelers do have a strong stench of “But who have you played, really?” Of the teams Pittsburgh has played, only the Colts, Falcons and Broncos have a winning record at this point in the season.

That said, has the AFC ever felt more wide-open?

Kansas City is undefeated, but they’re only averaging 24.3 points a game — Pittsburgh has 24-plus in three of their last four — are 25th in turnover differential (-3), and Patrick Mahomes is tied with Jordan Love and Gardner Minshew for the most interceptions thrown this season (8).

Baltimore looks like a buzzsaw, but Pittsburgh always plays them tough and could gain a seeding advantage if they handle business in division play.

Buffalo’s defense has taken a step back after some cap and age-induced turnover this offseason. Josh Allen hasn’t had a true game-changer at receiver, though the jury is still out on how well the newly acquired Amari Cooper will integrate himself into their offense. Buffalo is far more focused on the run this year anyway, and that plays into a strength of the Steelers — assuming their front seven remains healthy.

I don’t consider the Steelers a top-tier Super Bowl contender, but the magical thing about the playoffs is sometimes a team gets hot at the right time. The three teams I listed are more logical choices to represent the AFC in February, but the Steelers have the kind of defense that should keep them in most games. If they can find some consistency on offense, anything could happen.

Week 8 preview

What to expect vs. the Giants’ offense

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RP: One of my best friends is a Giants fan, and if my conversations with him are any indication, watching a personal highlight reel of every major regret in your life would be more enjoyable than spending a Sunday afternoon with the Giants offense.

In 2024, only the Miami Dolphins — who have played one less game than the Giants —have scored fewer than the 99 points (14.1 PPG) the G-Men have mustered. In an equally depressing stat, only the Browns’ Deshaun Watson has taken more sacks than the 21 Daniel Jones has taken. Jones was benched during last Sunday’s 28-3 loss to Philadelphia and former Giant Saquon Barkley, though head coach Brian Daboll has stated Jones will get the start again this Sunday. Oh, and the Giants also recently lost starting left tackle Andrew Thomas — their best lineman — to the IR. It’s bleak in the Big Apple.

While the Giants rank near the bottom of the league in rushing (101.6 YPG/25th) and passing (189.1/23rd), they do have a pair of rookies worth keeping an eye on in this game.

The headliner, of course, is wide receiver Malik Nabers. He got off to a historic start to the season, registering the second-most receptions (35) ever through a player’s first four games in the league before a concussion sidelined him for two weeks. The Giants line him up at all three wide receiver positions and target him heavily. If there is any player that will give the Steelers’ trouble, it is him.

The other rookie worth looking out for is running back Tyrone Tracy. Originally a wide receiver in college, Tracy has gained more playing time over the past three weeks. He gained 129 yards on the ground against Seattle in Week 5 and had 107 scrimmage yards against the Bengals in Week 6 before coming back to earth last week in a blowout loss to the Eagles. Tracy will not be mistaken for Saquon Barkley any time soon, but he’s slipperier than you’d give him credit for at first glance, and he has a quick burst that can make a defense pay for taking a bad angle on him.

Elsewhere on offense, Wan’Dale Robinson has gotten a high volume of targets, but he’s mostly been utilized in underneath routes and check downs. Darius Slayton is a name that we’ve mentioned as a possible trade target for Pittsburgh. Slayton is a solid X receiver and he put up 14 receptions for 179 yards and a touchdown in Nabers’ absence, but his target share cratered last week upon Nabers’ return.

And what about the defense?

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RB: I genuinely feel bad for Steelers center Ryan McCollum. After a long wait he finally gets another chance in a starting lineup, just to face the Jets’ Quinnen Williams and the Giants’ Dexter Lawrence in back-to-back weeks. Williams is good. Very good. But Lawrence is on a level of his own this year.

The 6’4, 340-pound nose tackle already has nine (!) sacks on the season. Yes, that’s the most in the NFL. As a nose tackle! Lawrence is legitimately playing some of the best defensive football I’ve seen in a while.

The Giants’ defensive front will be a challenge for the Steelers’ offensive line as a whole, with the G-Men leading the NFL with 31 total sacks on the season. Kayvon Thibodeaux is on injured reserve, but Brian Burns and Azeez Ojulari each have four sacks thus far; safety Jason Pinnock has added another three. New York has a lot of ways to get after the quarterback.

However, the Giants are middling when it comes to points and yards per game rankings as a defense. They’re top ten against the pass but bottom ten against the run. However, a lot of the latter is due to the absurd 269 rushing yards allowed last week to Saquon Barkley and the Eagles. In general, the Giants have been a solid group in 2024.

Interestingly, the Giants rank first in the NFL in light box percentage, with six of fewer in the box a whopping 66.9% of the time. For a team hoping to establish a bully ball identity like the Steelers and Najee Harris, that sounds like good news — but Lawrence complicates things.

What actually succeeded against the Giants last week was the speed and explosiveness of the Eagles’ running backs. The light boxes meant they could knife through the defense if they were quick enough to get past the first level.

We’ve seen what happens when Najee Harris is doubted this season, but based on the Eagles game, this will be the week for Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson (if healthy).

Against the pass, the Giants’ corner room isn’t exactly full of big names (but Adoree’ Jackson is a name to watch on the injury report). However, they held up solidly against a talented Eagles receiver room last week, largely keeping the plays in front of them in zone.

Former first-round pick Deonte Banks has been a bit of a wild card this season, with his effort leading to calls for him to be benched — he also held D.K. Metcalf to a mere 55 yards earlier this season. Matched up against another up-and-down player in George Pickens this week, Banks will be an interesting name to watch.

But it always comes back to the Giants’ D-line. Lawrence and co. had Jalen Hurts in hell last week, sacking him five times and allowing just 114 passing yards. And Hurts is one of the more mobile quarterbacks in the NFL. I’m concerned about how well Russell Wilson holds up on Monday if the Steelers O-line has similar struggles.

As for how I’d go about taking on this Giants defense: Use lots of tight ends and double-teams to keep the pass-rush at bay. Utilize Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson’s explosiveness. Lots of short, underneath throws to attack the zone defense. Try a few deep shots to Pickens against a cornerback room that might struggle with his contested catch ability.

All in all, it’s not too far off from what the Steelers were doing already. This defensive matchup is one of the tougher ones so far this season, but if the Steelers can survive Dexter Lawrence, they have a good shot at success.

Join in on Steelers R&R by sharing your takes on this week’s topics. Is Week 7 Russ here to stay? How do the Steelers match up against the Giants? Let us know in the comments! Feel free to pitch future questions in the comment section or on Twitter/X: tag @_Ryland_B or @RyanParishMedia.