Russell Wilson began his Pittsburgh Steelers’ tenure on a high note. His offense scored 91 points in his first three starts: all victories. The veteran also threw for 414 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-38 shootout victory against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13.
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From there, though, Wilson’s Steelers career has dropped off. He tossed just six touchdown passes across Pittsburgh’s final five games. His offense averaged a mere 14.3 points per contest over the last four contests: all losses. That’s not the type of momentum you want heading into a playoff matchup with the high-flying Baltimore Ravens.
Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe, and Jeff Saturday discussed Wilson’s future with the Steelers during Monday’s episode of First Take. Sharpe attributed some of Wilson’s troubles versus the Bengals in Week 18 to offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s lack of adjustments. The Hall of Famer particularly focused on Smith not helping Wilson avoid the wrath of edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
“You see your left tackle is getting it handed to him [in Week 18]… you don’t chip, you don’t help. You do nothing… once Trey Hendrickson gets it going, if you don’t help him, he’ll get killed. I don’t care who your left tackle is; who your right tackle is… once he gets a sack, and he beats him consistently, good night Irene… we’re not gonna put this at the feet of Russell Wilson.”
Hendrickson recorded 3.5 sacks of Wilson in Pittsburgh’s regular season finale, a 19-17 Cincinnati triumph. Moreover, Wilson’s sack rate from week 16-18 was 10.6%. His season-long mark, 8.9%, was sixth-worst among qualified quarterbacks.
Can the Steelers upset the Ravens on Super Wildcard Weekend?
Baltimore’s defense began the year in atypical fashion, failing to resemble a historically good 2023 unit. First-year coordinator Zach Orr’s group played much better from week 11-18, allowing 15.1 points per game (excluding a Week 17 safety) down the stretch. The Ravens ended the season with 54 sacks, second-most in the NFL.
If Arthur Smith can’t prevent Baltimore from getting to Wilson this weekend, the Steelers will be one-and-done in the postseason. Stephen A. Smith shared Sharpe and Saturday’s opinion on Pittsburgh’s OC contributing toward Wilson being sacked. However, he noted Wilson must play beyond himself like his postseason opponent has if the Steelers are to advance to the AFC Divisional round.
“I don’t disagree with a single syllable y’all uttered… nobody is saying Russell Wilson is to blame. You’re asking the question… is he good enough to overcome the maladies that exist around the franchise? When we look at Lamar Jackson… he’s so electrifying that there’s a lot he can cover up in terms of what Baltimore was lacking throughout the years.”
The Ravens are 9.5-point favorites for Saturday’s game. Baltimore thumped Pittsburgh 34-17 in Week 16 but had lost eight of their nine previous meetings. The Steelers, historically, have contained Jackson better than every other NFL team. If Wilson can avoid sacks while his own defense plays to its usual standard, Pittsburgh can end its losing streak and Baltimore’s season this weekend.
