The Seattle Seahawks may have not looked dynamic on Saturday night against the Tennessee Titans, but their 16-15 loss felt a lot better than how former quarterback Russell Wilson fared. Making his preseason – and Pittsburgh Steelers – debut, Wilson took the field against the Buffalo Bills. Unfortunately, it was a typical performance we’ve come to expect from Wilson in recent years.
Statistically, Wilson appeared to have played well. On the night, he completed 8-of-10 passes for 47 yards. Fine, but in the five possessions Wilson helmed, the Steelers scored a grand total of zero points against a Bills team that surrendered 33 points to the Chicago Bears last week.
Wilson also took three sacks for a loss of 21 yards, and they looked an awful lot like this:
I’m sure Russell Wilson steps up into a clean pocket and doesn’t try to scramble out of the pocket at the age of 35 pic.twitter.com/08g080Pn5L
— Michael 🇲🇽 (@RespectMyCos) August 18, 2024
#Bills sack Russell Wilson for the third time. pic.twitter.com/6KS8ewbhXm
— Tanner Phifer (@TannerPhiferNFL) August 17, 2024
No, the Steelers offensive line is not great. It is a considerable weakness for this team. However, they provided ample protection for Wilson to step up into the pocket and make some kind of throw, even if it is dumping it off or throwing it away to live to fight another down.
Far too often, Wilson seems hellbent on trying to scramble around like he did in his early years, which made him one of the most unique dual-threat quarterbacks we’ve seen. However, I suppose at age 35 there really isn’t a way to teach an old dog new tricks. His default insticts are still causing him to take far too many sacks… something Seahawks fans saw plenty of in his last two years, and tried to warn overeager Denver Broncos fans about.
Right now Wilson’s saving grace is his experience, veteran leadership skills, and the fact backup Justin Fields hasn’t looked any better. Fields was 11-for-17 with 92 yards passing, and no touchdowns. In the possessions Fields led, Pittsburgh only managed a field goal, unable to outscore a Bills team that held on to a 9-3 victory. Fields also grossly overthrew his receiver for what should have been, at minimum, the tying score (PAT pending, of course).
Justin Fields misses a wide open TD even though this guy jumped off a trampoline to try & get it pic.twitter.com/4nIKQPZlOX
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 18, 2024
Overall, the outlook for Wilson in Pittsburgh should still be fine. He is not the player he once was, but if there is a place to help find some late success it is going to be with the Steelers. Their defense is solid, and they need a quarterback who can play efficient football.
But his first action in the black and yellow of Steel City was not exactly the most inspiring.
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