How Steelers' Russell Wilson is proving Mike Tomlin right

Numerous reporters and fans criticized Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin for starting quarterback Russell Wilson over Justin Fields in Week 7 after Fields helped the Steelers win four of their first six games as Wilson recovered from a lingering calf injury. 

Wilson has since proven Tomlin right for reasons that go beyond the veteran's 2-0 record as Pittsburgh's QB1. 

"The Steelers managed to record at least 400 yards of offense in consecutive weeks for the first time since the 2018 season," ESPN's Brooke Pryor wrote shortly after Pittsburgh improved to 6-2 on the season via a 26-18 win over the New York Giants on Monday night. Additionally, The Athletic's Mike DeFabo noted that the Steelers produced nine pass plays of 20-plus yards over Wilson's first two starts. To compare, Pittsburgh had nine such plays through six contests with Fields in the lineup. 

According to ESPN stats, Fields began Tuesday tied for 19th in the NFL with a 53.6 adjusted QBR and tied for 14th with a 93.9 passer rating on the season. Wilson has thus far posted a 54.3 adjusted QBR and a 111.9 rating. 

There's more. StatMuse shows the Steelers accumulated what was a season-high 409 offensive yards when Wilson made his first start of the campaign against the New York Jets on Oct. 20. The Wilson-led offense then piled up 426 yards against the Giants. 

Perhaps Pittsburgh's Week 9 bye is coming at a bad time with Wilson needing to still shake off the understandable rust that built up over the season's first month and a half. He completed 16-of-29 passes for 264 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions to go along with a rushing score against the Jets. Wilson then connected on 20-of-28 pass attempts for 278 yards with a touchdown and no picks versus Big Blue. 

The Steelers signed Wilson to a team-friendly contract this past offseason hoping he could turn the clock back to his best days with the Seattle Seahawks if only for a handful of months. While he'll still have plenty to prove beginning with the matchup at the Washington Commanders (6-2) on Nov. 10, Wilson has thus far silenced doubters who wanted Fields to play as recently as the first half of the Jets game.