Russell Wilson's leadership paid dividends on Mike Williams' game-winning touchdown

We didn’t understand why Russell Wilson was immediately thrust into the starting lineup after missing the start of the season. Justin Fields wasn’t playing bad, the team was winning and it just seemed a bit forced. 

But dive a little deeper into Mike Williams’ game-winning touchdown to help the Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Washington Commanders, you’ll fully understand why Mike Tomlin made the move. 

While Wilson looked like his best days were behind him in Denver, Sunday’s game was proof he’s not as washed as we may have thought. According to Chris Adamski on X, Williams talked about how he hadn’t run that route since arriving in the Steel City at the trade deadline. 

Williams came in for an injured Calvin Austin. Wilson told him what route to run. Williams did, made the catch and sealed the win for the Steelers. It’s why Wilson is the perfect quarterback for the Steelers right now as they get a firm hold as AFC North division leaders. 

Russell Wilson breathes new life into a Pittsburgh Steelers team starving for competent quarterback play

When the season started, the Steelers made two key decisions to move on from the chaotic quarterback situation in the post Ben Roethlisberger era that saw little production. They made a low-cost trade for Fields to lock up their signal caller for the future and signed Wilson to mentor Fields while breathing new life into Pittsburgh’s offense. 

It’s the best of both worlds for the Steelers as they’ve put the Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph era behind them. 

When Wilson took over for Fields, he made an instant impact. He’s undefeated in three starts this year with 737 passing yards. He also has six touchdown passes and threw his first interception of the season against the Commanders. 

This is why the Steelers went and got Wilson. He’s not necessarily lighting up the box score, but you can’t coach leadership. When he trusts players to make game-winning plays and they trust him to follow him, it makes the whole team better. 

This seems to be the season of quarterbacks reviving their careers. First it was Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield continues to shine despite Tampa Bay on a losing streak and now Wilson. Maybe there’s a new trend hitting the NFL and Wilson is making Tomlin and the Steelers' brass look brilliant for signing him.