Russell Wilson Makes Impressive History in His First Start for the Steelers

Wilson threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another in his Steelers debut.
Wilson threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another in his Steelers debut. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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Russell Wilson is already making history in Pittsburgh.

Wilson made his first start for the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night and led his new team to a 37–15 win over the New York Jets. In the process, Wilson became the first member of his franchise to reach an impressive milestone.

Wilson is the first quarterback to lead the Steelers to 30 or more points in his starting debut with the team since quarterback starts began to be tracked in 1950.

It was a rough start to the evening for Wilson on Sunday, as Pittsburgh's fans nearly booed him out of the stadium. Then he settled in and played pretty well.

Wilson finished the night 16-of-29 for 264 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for a touchdown. It was quite a debut.

The Steelers are now 5–2, after Justin Fields got them off to a 4–2 start. Head coach Mike Tomlin made a bold decision to go with Wilson on Sunday and it appears to have paid off.

He even made a little history.


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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.