Despite their 1-5 record, the Cleveland Browns refused to bench Deshaun Watson, while the Steelers shocked everyone by benching Justin Fields, who had guided them to a 4-2 record. Russell Wilson ended up dazzling the Steelers fan base, including NFL legend Ben Roethlisberger, and Mike Tomlin’s selection was fortunately validated.
Throwing for 264 yards and two touchdowns in his first regular-season game since Christmas of last year, Wilson proved to everyone why he had taken Justin’s spot as the starting quarterback against the Jets. Even though it wasn’t the best performance, Wilson’s quarterbacking ability wowed Roethlisberger, even after spending so much time on the sideline.
“I think there was still some rust on Russ that we saw early, which I think he would tell you the same thing… [Russ] missed some throws but he hasn’t played a game since Christmas ‘23, it’s been a while so you’re going to get that.”
“I thought that there were some deep balls that you know which is his MO, that were very good plays… the touchdown to Pickens was [also] a great catch.”
Despite Mike Tomlin’s vindication, Justin Fields’ benching following his season-long 1,106 yards and five touchdowns is difficult to defend. At Pittsburgh, Fields embodies the exciting new era of playmaking, which immediately made him a favorite among Steelers supporters.
Russell Wilson’s entrance into the field to a chorus of jeers from his own supporters was therefore not shocking. However, Roethlisberger finds that Russell’s performance is even more amazing in spite of this criticism.
