Russell Wilson Makes Steelers History in Debut

Russell Wilson showed out in his first start for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Oct 20, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) throws pass while being pressured by New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (95) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson turned in a memorable regular season debut for the team as they trounced the New York Jets 37-15 in Week 7.

Wilson's 264 passing yards on Sunday night broke a Steelers franchise record for the most by a quarterback in their first game with the team, passing Earl Morrall, who previously held those honors with 249 since 1957.

Russell Wilson now has 264 passing yards on the 36-yard completion to Calvin Austin III, giving him the most passing yards by a quarterback in their first game with the Steelers in franchise history. https://t.co/46zbiuWWem

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 21, 2024

Furthermore, the 35-year-old is the first Pittsburgh signal caller to eclipse the 30-point mark in his first start for the team since 1950.

Russell Wilson is the first QB to lead the Steelers to 30+ points in his starting debut with the team since QB starts were first tracked in 1950 (via @ESPNStatsInfo)

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 21, 2024

Wilson finished the night with 16 completions on 29 attempts to go with three touchdowns, a pair of which came through the air while the other was on the ground.

Additionally, he helped put the Jets away by leading five-consecutive scoring drives to close out the contest, four of which resulted in touchdowns.

Wilson and the rest of the offense came out a bit cold, scoring just six points over their first six series while punting at the end of four of them. It didn't take too long to get Russ cooking, however, and the Steelers never ceded momentum to New York once he did.

He pulled out a number of clutch plays on possession downs during a single third-quarter series that put Pittsburgh up for good. He first connected with wide receiver George Pickens for a 37-yard catch on 3rd-and-7 from the Steelers' own 24-yard line before hitting tight end Pat Freiermuth for a 21-yard gain on 3rd-and-5 from the Jets' 34-yard line that brought them into the red zone and set Chris Boswell up for a 21-yard field goal.

Wilson made quite the first impression and played about as well as anyone could've hoped, perhaps shifting expectations for what Pittsburgh's offense could look like for the rest of the season.

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