Veteran quarterback Russell Wilson will get his first start for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, facing Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets.

Starting Wilson was a decision by Steelers coach Mike Tomlin that drew quite a bit of attention as the Steelers are off to a 4-2 start with Justin Fields under center.

But for Tomlin, it was about more than his team’s record. He wanted to see more from an offense that ranks 26th in yards, and he hopes to find it in Wilson’s right arm, which Tomlin believes has more than enough life left to compensate for Wilson’s reduced mobility.

On Sunday, FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer said he spoke with Tomlin and the coach told him he had “gone to Lone Ranger,” with the decision to start Wilson.

According to Glazer, “(Tomlin said) look, if it doesn’t work out, I’ll take the heat, I’ll take the blame, no problem. The reason I did this is I knew I had two quarterbacks going to it camp who are very capable, but I wanted to see them both before making a long-term decision. Well, I haven’t seen the other one (Wilson) exhaust all options and then make a decision later.

Continued Tomlin, per Glazer: “I’m not trying to win matches, I’m trying to win a world title here. I have to see what I have in both.”

How Wilson performs could define Pittsburgh’s season. The same goes for New York, where the Jets have undergone a significant overhaul in recent weeks in hopes of providing a spark to the club and its 40-year-old quarterback.

The Jets fired coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 and reunited Rodgers with longtime running mate Davante Adams on Tuesday when they acquired the three-time All-Pro wide receiver from Las Vegas.

“It was strange, but really nice to see my friend,” Rodgers said of Adams, who is staying with Rodgers for the time being.

Rodgers would like to see Adams on the field and preferably in the end zone. A little bit of scoring can go a long way for a team that boasts the league’s second-best defense.

Jets’ Davante Adams will debut, Steelers’ Russell Wilson will start

It’s much the same for the Steelers, who have allowed the second-fewest points in the league. Tomlin believes his team has been good, but not great. If Wilson can rediscover some of the “let Russ cook” magic from his prime, Pittsburgh believes it can close the gap between itself and the teams at the top of the AFC that it has strived to reach in recent years.

Curiosity and respect led Tomlin to turn to Wilson. Wilson plans to make a decision that looks risky on the outside.

“I came here for one reason (and) that was to win a Super Bowl. I think we have that opportunity,” Wilson said. “But we have to do the work. There’s a lot more to do.’

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Get more out of the National Football League Follow your favorites for information about games, news and more