Steelers QB switch despite a solid start worked

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin talks to quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Durisko)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A dominant defense. An offense heavily reliant on a running game. A steady start to a season brimming with promise tinged by uncertainty at quarterback.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been here before. Even if Mike Tomlin and Russell Wilson haven’t.

Fifty years ago, the original “Steel Curtain” defense led by Joe Greene was in its prime. Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier provided a one-two punch in the backfield. Rookie wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth were the downfield threats the passing game so desperately lacked.

Yet something was off. Coach Chuck Noll could feel it even as Pittsburgh went 4-1-1 over the opening six weeks. Joe Gilliam, who started in Week 1 after Terry Bradshaw was injured late in the preseason, threw four touchdowns against eight interceptions across those first half-dozen games, leading Noll to turn back to Bradshaw and even take a glimpse at third-stringer Terry Hanratty.

The constant jockeying at the game’s most important position could have divided the team. In some ways, it did. Greene grew so frustrated late in the season following a loss to the Houston Oilers that he cleaned out his locker in a huff only to have wide receivers coach Lionel Taylor talk him out of quitting.

Bradshaw eventually settled in and the season ended with the Steelers winning the franchise’s first Super Bowl.

Looking back, Swann doesn’t linger on the bumpy road Pittsburgh took to the top, only the destination. Asked during a 50th-anniversary celebration of the 1974 team on Sunday night just hours before Wilson guided the Steelers to a surprisingly easy 37-15 win over the New York Jets that pushed Pittsburgh to 5-2 what he remembers about the turbulent season five decades ago, the Hall of Famer just smiled.

“Chuck was going to do what Chuck was going to do,” Swann said. “As players, we knew we just had to do our jobs for whoever the quarterback was. I caught my first career touchdown pass from Joe. I was with Joe just like I was fine with Terry or (Hanratty).”

Standing inside the Acrisure Stadium locker room just after Sunday night turned to early Monday morning, inside linebacker Patrick Queen echoed a similar thought when talking about Wilson and backup-turned-starter-turned backup Justin Fields.

“We have got a lot of faith in both of those guys,” Queen said. “Justin did a great job and now Russ has come in and done a great job. We know whoever we have back there, they’re going to give us a chance to win.”

Maybe, but Wilson’s performance in his first regular-season game in 10 months showed a glimpse of what Tomlin and first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith believe the Steelers can be.

Wilson completed 16 of 29 passes for 264 yards, throwing for two scores and running for another. Wide receiver George Pickens finished with five receptions for 111 yards and his first touchdown of the season. Running back Najee Harris topped 100 yards for a second straight week and the Steelers went over 30 points in consecutive games for the first time since 2020.

Suddenly, all the external angst about Wilson’s return from a calf injury disrupting whatever the Steelers believed they were building with Fields disappeared.

Funny how winning convincingly does that.

“We’re having fun playing ball,” Wilson said. “We’re having fun going to practice. We’re having fun being around one another and Coach Tomlin believes in all of us.”

His 35-year-old quarterback perhaps most of all.

What’s working

Developing what Tomlin calls a “block culture.”

The Steelers got their hands on a kick for a third straight game when defensive tackle Dean Lowry deflected Greg Zeurlein’s 35-yard field-goal attempt late in the third quarter that would have drawn the Jets within five. The offense drove 75 yards for a touchdown on the ensuing possession to put the game out of reach.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who put a lot of efforts into the techniques that are required to deliver (blocked kicks),” Tomlin said. “So I am appreciative of that, it’s pretty awesome, and it’s significant.”

What needs help

The slow starts remain an issue. The Steelers have one first-quarter touchdown through seven games. For a team that prefers to jump out in front and let the defense do the rest, falling behind regularly against teams with playoff aspirations — such as most of their opponents in the second half of the season — is playing with fire.

Stock up

Beanie Bishop was supposed to be a fill-in at slot corner until Cam Sutton comes off the suspended list in early November. The undrafted rookie free agent’s fearlessness and playmaking in Sutton’s absence — capped by the first two interceptions of Bishop’s career on Sunday night against Aaron Rodgers, both of which set up touchdowns — means he has likely carved out a role for himself in some capacity even after Sutton returns.

Stock down

Tomlin’s critics. The NFL’s longest-tenured coach could have played it safe and stuck with Fields considering how solidly the Fields had performed while filling in.

Yet Tomlin understands his offense needs to reach another gear if it wants to be a legitimate contender in the AFC.

While plenty of work remains to be done, the victory over the Jets provided a solid foundation Tomlin expects his team to build on.

Injuries

Defensive tackle Montravius Adams left in the first half with a knee injury. Cornerback Donte Jackson injured his shoulder in the second quarter.

Key number

201 — games played by longtime defensive tackle Cam Heyward, tied with Hall of Fame cornerback Donnie Shell for the most by a defensive player in franchise history.

Next steps

Try to complete their sweep of the Big Apple (OK, northern New Jersey) when the struggling New York Giants (2-5) visit for “Monday Night Football” on Oct. 28.