Russell Wilson gave Steelers fans more ammo against Matt Canada and Kenny Pickett

The Pittsburgh Steelers won a rare AFC North shootout against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon. Pittsburgh was fresh off a loss to the Cleveland Browns, so they needed to avoid back-to-back defeats to losing divisional opponents.

The Steelers offense is surprisingly capable this season. Pittsburgh's quarterbacks, Justin Fields and now Russell Wilson, are the most-talented passers the Steelers have had since Ben Roethlisberger. Sure, that's not saying much when looking at the caliber of quarterbacks Mike Tomlin has trotted out each and every week, but Wilson in particular has changed everything.

In Week 13 against the Bengals, Wilson threw for 400 yards. He's the first Steeler to achieve that feat since Roethlisberger in 2018. Yes, the Steelers have been down bad for that long.

Russell Wilson makes Matt Canada and Kenny Pickett look even worse

The difference between this season's Steelers offense and last year is obvious. Pittsburgh fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada in the middle of last season. He was atrocious. Arthur Smith isn't amazing by any means, but he's a professional and can adjust on the fly. Frankly, he is exactly what the Steelers need.

At quarterback, Wilson is an improvement over Pickett, which also is not saying much. Pickett was selected in Kevin Colbert's final draft to replace Roethlisberger. As a Pitt product, he was dealt a tough hand. It's rare for one team to successfully replace a future Hall of Famer on the first try. Sure, the Packers make it look easy, but Pickett was no Aaron Rodgers.

Pickett managed to put together a few game-winning drives, and surely had some memorable moments in black and gold. However, he never wanted to compete with Wilson, and now we know why. Russ is a better player and has a lot to prove. He's also playing for a new deal this offseason, whether that be in Pittsburgh or elsewhere.