Russell Wilson goes into orbit: 6 winners and losers from the Steelers Week 13 win

There’s plenty for the Black and Gold to celebrate from the final outcome of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 44-38 road win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Defensively we knew the Steelers could suppress an offense of Cincinnati’s caliber. However, Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase just kept firing, and Wilson continued striking back until the final whistle.

The Steelers passing attack operated in zero gravity and flew higher than they have in years. Before Week 13, I predicted that the 47.5 over would be demolished and that Russell Wilson would need to lead this effort for the Steelers to have a chance. The Steelers nearly scored that on their own while Wilson nearly surpassed his career-high in passing yards.

The Steelers also reinforced their stake in being a part of the discussion when the top five teams in the NFL are debated. After 13 weeks, they’re as close to a first-round bye as they are to the Ravens. Weeks 15 through 17 against the Eagles, Ravens, and Chiefs loom large now. Some concerns still exist though. Here are the biggest winners and losers from Sunday.

Winners: Russell Wilson

This also felt like the day when Russell Wilson slayed the final holdouts and non-believers. We’ve seen him lock in for a half, but eclipsing 400 is something the Steelers haven’t seen since Ben Roethlisberger in 2018. This was a lore game for the offense. 

Contemporary Pittsburgh Steelers offenses have come armed with water pistols for offensive shootouts.  Since 2021, the Bengals have the NFL’s best record when allowing at least 21 points. The Steelers have lost 19 of 24 in that span. Justin Fields is 0-23 in such games. Wilson’s 414-yard, three-touchdown effort against Cincy in the Steelers’ first 40-point game is the clearest sign yet that he’s the caliber of quarterback Pittsburgh has been looking for.

This was Wilson’s Apollo 11 game. He was throwing enough moonballs to Pickens, Austin, and Van Jefferson to power a lunar module. He delivered a laser between defenders to Pat Freiermuth while evading pressure which resulted in a 25-yard touchdown. He was immaculate after a pick-6 on the opening drive that was the result of a missed call. All the cacophony about his red zone woes has dissipated for now. He’s starting with a fresh slate and a tighter grip on the starting job at a time when the Justin Fields lobby was beginning to re-emerge.

Winners: T.J. Watt

T.J. Watt may be the only guy who shut more talking heads up this weekend than Wilson. Watt has heard his name besmirched more in the past 10 days than it has in his entire career. He responded by recording a pair of sacks, five quarterback hits on Joe Burrow, and forcing a fumble with the score tied and the Bengals driving to take the lead.

Watt responded to 10 days of critiques with his actions, instead of his words by registering two sacks, three tackles for loss, five QB hits, and a forced fumble. In doing so, he also injected life into his dormant Defensive Player of the Year candidacy. A reinvigorated Watt also makes his rematch against the Browns more consequential as the pass rusher’s equivalent of Showtime at the Apollo.

Winners: Nick Herbig 

Herbig has the Steelers’ highest pressure rate this season and he continued his star turn Sunday by showcasing his lightning-quick get-off against left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and stripping Joe Burrow from behind. Payton Wilson secured possession of the ball off the bounce to return the deposit for 6. Herbig’s becoming an even more lethal pass rusher as he picks up experience — 21 pressures, four sacks, and four forced fumbles, which rank second in the league behind T.J. Watt.

During the offseason, Herbig spoke glowingly about learning pass-rushing moves from Watt and using the ghost rush move Watt perfected to get to Burrow in the blink of an eye was the finest moment from his burgeoning career. He's looking more and more like an instrumental factor in the Steelers' success moving forward.

Losers: George Pickens

As usual, George Pickens served up big plays that Russ cooked up. He rebounded from a missed illegal contact penalty that led to an opening drive pick-6 to score a game-tying touchdown on the next possession. Unfortunately, he also allowed his worst impulses to hijack the game by getting slapped with a pair of unsportsmanlike penalties. Last week, Pickens waited until the final seconds to tussle with Greg Newsome instead of playing through the whistle.

Both unsportsmanlike calls resulted in a loss of 15, but one could have been the difference-maker in a tight game. Pickens’ second penalty was even costlier as it turned a 36-yard pick-up into a 21-yard gain, the Steelers failed to pick up another first, and Chris Boswell’s ensuing 42-yard field goal was blocked. Right tackle Broderick Jones, a teammate of Pickens’ since college at UGA was the first one to try and talk sense into Pickens during a brief conversation on the field, but after the game, Tomlin didn’t mince words.

'He's gotta grow up, man," Tomlin said. "It's an emotional game, man. These divisional games are big. He's got a target on his back because he's George. He understands that. "But he's got to grow up and he's got to grow up in a hurry."

Pickens has developed a Draymond Green-type reputation for his volatility and he only has his actions to blame. Green's habit of settling personal vendettas is selfish behavior that has cost his team at a championship level. The two penalties Pickens was flagged for were for minor peccadilloes, but officials have their eyes trained on Pickens and he typically delivers a show before and after plays. Tomlin’s words are a warning for Pickens to get his act right before he loses focus during a moment the Steelers can’t recover from.

Losers: Justin Fields 

A week after receiving a significant increase in his snap count, Fields was reduced to human victory cigar like the senior walk-on the home crowd wants to see score. After last week’s heavy usage, Fields was seen in small cameos and took just two snaps. His final one was a seven-yard gain on a zone-read keeper that picked up a game-ending first down that allowed Pittsburgh to run out the clock. 

Wilson demonstrated how effective he can be when he doesn’t have Fields breathing down his neck on every other third down. Fields is a luxury, but if Wilson is playing with a hot hand, his role gets diminished and his stint in Pittsburgh is beginning to resemble a layover than an apprenticeship for 2025.