“Russ Needs to Retire”: Steelers Fans Enraged After Russell Wilson’s Early Half Struggles Against NY Jets

This week, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin made the controversial decision to bench quarterback Justin Fields in favor of nine-time Pro Bowl signal-caller Russell Wilson. The Super Bowl XLVIII champion sat out the first six weeks of the 2024 campaign while working his way back from a calf injury. In his place, Fields went 4-2, giving the Steelers a share of the AFC North lead through six weeks.

Tomlin believes he made the right call, but many Pittsburgh fans disagree. Their thoughts were quickly “confirmed” when Wilson fired a terrible throw to wide receiver Calvin Austin to open the second quarter against the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football.

Steelers fans aren’t giving Wilson much time to get back in the swing of things because of the team’s early success. Even neutral observers, like former ESPN/FOX Sports personality Skip Bayless, noticed Wilson looked a bit slow out the gate.

One commenter took things a step further, and claimed the 35-year-old Wilson should hang up his cleats.

Despite his concerning opening, Wilson appeared to find his footing in the second quarter. On 2nd-and-10 from the Jets’ 11-yard line, he connected with George Pickens on a nicely thrown fade route for his first touchdown pass as Pittsburgh’s quarterback.

Wilson continued cooking on the Steelers’ first drive of the second half. He found Pickens for a 37-yard gain, then picked up 21 more yards on a pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth. Pittsburgh’s drive eventually stalled inside New York’s 5-yard line, but they regained the lead on kicker Chris Boswell’s 21-yard field goal attempt.

At the end of the day, he flipped the script as he led the Steelers to a comfortable 37-15 win over the Jets.