The Steelers wanted to see it, and Sunday night at Acrisure Stadium was the right time because it was the first time the opportunity presented itself. And as time expired on what ended up being a 37-15 win over the New York Jets, they had to like what they saw.

As the 2024 offseason began, the Steelers, after two years of wandering through the quarterback wilderness following the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, were presented with a path forward. The working relationship between Russell Wilson and Broncos coach Sean Payton had soured irreparably, and the Steelers saw an economic opportunity to add to the mix a nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback who had played in two Super Bowls and won one. unforeseen response, and in the span of two weeks they had remade their entire depth chart at quarterback.

And that was okay, because the theme of the 2024 season had been set a few months earlier by Steelers president Art Rooney II when he said in late January that it was time for this group to win some playoff games. The word “now” was never spoken, but the tone was unmistakable, as Rooney has always regarded “rebuild” as a four-letter word.

But the linchpin of the quarterback makeover was Wilson, and by the time the offseason program would begin, coach Mike Tomlin had him rated as being in the “pole position” for the starting job. During the football-in-a-short-season, things were just plain fun, as they often are, and on the eve of training camp, Wilson became for the Steelers what he had been during his previous twelve seasons in the NFL.

All that hope, all the good feeling created by the aggressive approach to the most important position on a football team, was crushed by a calf injury Wilson suffered during the fitness test on the first day of the team’s summer retreat at Saint Vincent College. . Wilson became nothing more than an interested bystander as Tomlin conducted the fieldwork that always serves as the foundation for that year’s team.

When the preseason ended, Wilson had made cameos in two games, playing 26 snaps, completing 13 of 19 for 118 yards, and the only touchdown during that time coming when he handed the ball off to Cordarrelle Patterson for a 31-yard touchdown start. walk. Still, Wilson retained pole position and the race was about to begin in earnest. But a calf injury adjustment a few days before the opener in Atlanta turned the offense over to Justin Fields, and the focus was on winning games by utilizing his unique skill set.

Six weeks later, the Steelers were 4-2 and Fields gave them everything they asked of him. He used his legs as a weapon. Protected the football. Played to himself. He was a hard worker, diligent and focused. And he was a teammate. But what was on video was a below-the-line passing attack, with the line indicating what would be required to navigate the final 11 opponents on their schedule, including all dates with AFC North opposition.

There were some sparks and some flashes, but as Tomlin said during a press conference five days before the appointment with Aaron Rodgers and the Jets: “Justin (Fields) has been really good, and we’ve been really good at times, but not to be confused with great. This is a competitive league. We’re trying to position ourselves as that team, and we have a player with talent who hasn’t had a chance to play yet, so we might do that sometimes something to do with what Justin has or hasn’t done. Justin has been an asset to us… but we just look at all the people at our disposal doing in any position in the same way… That’s what you do. in this thing, you better always keep your foot on the accelerator. You better look to distribute the labor in the most appropriate way, based on who’s available to you and who’s healthy, and That’s just what we’re going to do.”

And so it was that after the Jets won the coin toss and elected to defer, the man who had been on pole position in March finally got the keys to the car. One of the qualities Wilson brought to the job was the ability to handle adversity, and he certainly got a chance to show that in his 2024 debut.

Fields had become a fan favorite and so they interpreted Tomlin’s decision as benching Fields, rather than giving Wilson the opportunity to take the offense to another level. And so there was some grumbling among the 66,956 patrons as the Steelers went three-and-out on three of their first four possessions, while Wilson completed 2-for-8 for 19 yards and the offense was 0-for-4 on the third downs. .

But by halftime, Wilson had improved his numbers to 8 of 17 for 145 yards with 1 touchdown coming to what was labeled “a great NFL quarterback” all over the place. The decision was made in advance and the throw was timely and perfectly placed, giving George Pickens a chance to win his 1-on-1 matchup with the cornerback. A throw like that counts more than the points it scores because it gave a teammate the opportunity to shine and feel involved, which has transfer value.

In the second half, Wilson was everything he was advertised to be. He completed 8 of 12 for 119 yards, passing for 1 touchdown and collapsing for another. The Steelers scored on each of their four possessions – a field goal and three touchdowns – to turn that halftime deficit into a 37-15 TKO.

And the dagger came in the form of a 13-play, 75-yard drive that started with 7:53 remaining in a game with the Steelers leading, 30-15, and ended with 26 seconds left and the Steelers on the lead, 37-15. . Twelve of the thirteen plays were runs, and Wilson made sure to reduce the play clock to five seconds before calling for the snap. Tap, tap, tap. He only made one pass, but it was a charge on the goal downfield, but to Calvin Austin III instead of Pickens for a 36-yard gain. Tap, tap, tap. One third down was converted, and the two that weren’t were converted on fourth down. Tap, tap, tap.

What it looked like on the surface was that the offensive line took care of business and Wilson gave the ball to the running back whose number was called by coordinator Arthur Smith. But what it meant was that the quarterback was operating as a field general. He took shots from under center or in the shotgun, no mistakes. Milked the clock. No administrative problems with communication from the sidelines, or with relaying the calls to the rest of the unit. Protected the lead, but eventually added to it. And neutralized Aaron Rodgers by keeping him on the sidelines.

As time expired and the Steelers officially went 5-2, the players and coaches met in the middle of the field and performed the usual congratulations and well wishes with their counterparts. As usual, there was a one-on-one moment shared between the two quarterbacks.

It was clear who had played better, and it was clear that the Steelers saw what they needed to see.