Former MVP Calls Out Steelers' Russell Wilson

Not everyone is buying Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson.

Oct 28, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) throws a pass against the New York Giants during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- Russell Wilson's start to his Steelers career has gone as well as anyone could have hoped for. The veteran quarterback took over a 4-2 Steelers team from backup quarterback Justin Fields and left fans concerned. How much better could the offense look after scoring 32 on the Las Vegas Raiders?

The answer is much better. With Wilson under center, the Steelers scored 37 and 26 points in their last two games and eclipsed 400 total yards of offense in both outings. However, many voices around the NFL are still loyal to their belief in Fields, or at least their belief the offense is equivalent no matter which quarterback takes the snaps.

One of those voices is former MVP quarterback Cam Newton, who isn't sold yet on the Steelers offense mostly because the Steelers beat both New York teams.

"I'm not sold yet," Newton said on his 4th&1 YouTube show. "Did Russell Wilson have an unbelievable game? Yes. Did he give his guys opportunities? Yes. Did he throw with anticipation? Yes. Did he allow his playmakers to make plays? Yes. But, we're still talking about the New York Jets. So I'm not sold yet. Over a six game span, in the next couple games they got going on, it will be hard for me to think that Russell Wilson can do what Justin Fields did with the six games that [Fields] played."

Newton's skepticism may be fair. Fields provided a six-game sample of what the offense could look like -- particularly the benefits created by Fields' running ability. But Wilson has unlocked a level of the Steelers' offense not often seen in that six-game sample -- explosive passing down the field.

The Steelers haven't seen this level of passing talent since Ben Roethlisberger retired. But Newton's skepticism is rooted in Wilson's opponents in his first two games rather than Wilson's individual and the team's performance.

"I’m still skeptical. I’m not saying Russell Wilson has not been playing good football. He’s just been playing good football versus inadequate teams," Newton said. “I’m not giving excuses. All I’m saying is you better win the games that you’re supposed to win. Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers were supposed to win these games. You ain’t showing me nothing any different than what Fields could’ve done.”

Newton is correct that both the Jets and Giants are inadequate teams. The Jets' record is 3-6 and the Giants' is 2-6. Those are likely teams the Steelers 'should' beat. But the NFL is often described as an 'any given Sunday' kind of league meaning anyone can beat anyone. The Steelers proved that true with tough back-to-back losses to the Colts and Cowboys, both teams markedly worse than the Steelers at this point in the season.

The Jets and Giants are also considered good defenses. Limiting the sample to the first eight weeks of the season (before the Jets played the Texans on Thursday Night Football), four of the Steelers' six wins come against teams in the top 16 of least points given up, meaning most of their wins come against above average defenses.

Even factoring in the Jets-Texans game, the Jets have given up the sixth-fewest passing yards and only six passing touchdowns this season yet two of those touchdowns and 18.5% of those passing yards belong to Wilson.

The Steelers can only play the teams scheduled. So far, they've taken care of business and sit atop the AFC North. If the season ended today the Steelers would enter the playoffs as the second seed in the AFC.

If decisive wins over the Jets and Giants isn't enough for Newton then Wilson and the Steelers will have to prove their worth over a gauntlet back-half of the season. A post-bye week game against the division-leading Commanders, all six division games, a Christmas Day game against the Chiefs and a trip to Philadelphia means the Steelers have no easy outs. But that's how this works. Wilson has to beat who is on the schedule.

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