Russell Wilson’s Standout Return: An Analysis
Veteran quarterback Russell Wilson has made a dominant comeback this season after a series of unfortunate events disrupted his career. Following 10 years with the Seattle Seahawks, he was traded to the Denver Broncos, where he would play in just 30 games over two seasons before getting benched. After the decision to bench Wilson, the Broncos promptly released him as well, leading the quarterback to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers for what is now his 13th season. However, Wilson’s time with the Steelers started poorly as he suffered from a calf injury during preseason that held him off the field up until Week Seven. Despite these deterring and limiting factors, Russell Wilson has made an incredible comeback, putting out two incredible performances in Week Seven and Week Eight.
In just the two games he’s played since his return, the veteran has been able to rack up 542 yards and three touchdowns, statistics that are vastly different than those from his previous seasons. A contributing factor to these impressive statistics is the fact that Wilson has been able to work with wide receiver George Pickens to create a chemistry that was simply not present under former quarterback Justin Fields. Wilson and Pickens have consistently matched each other’s efforts and have worked together to connect passes and run the ball, evidenced by Wilson finding Pickens nine times over the past two games. While Fields put up strong passes as well, he struggled to create this chemistry or flow with any wide receiver, which greatly limited the offensive team’s effectiveness. Under Wilson, the offensive team has been able to improve tremendously, easily scoring points and taking pressure off the defense.
In just two weeks, Wilson has proved to fans and speculators that his poor performances on the Denver Broncos weren’t because of a lack of skill. During his incredibly limited time on the Pittsburgh Steelers, he’s managed to dominate and revive the offensive team coming off an injury, with factors such as his age and previous seasons working against him. It seems as though the quarterback has instead used his experience to his advantage, and throughout the past two games he’s shown off decision-making skills and plays that typically only come with time. Ultimately, Wilson has the ability to make good players better and is a top contributing factor to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ current position at the top of the AFC.
