An 'excellent' performance: Coach Mike Tomlin didn't hesitate when asked about quarterback Russell Wilson's performance against the Jets on Sunday Night Football.
"I thought he was excellent," said Tomlin.
Wilson finished the night completing 16 of 29 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns in his first regular season game in a Steelers uniform, after dealing with a calf injury for the first six weeks.
"I thought he got better as the game went on," said Tomlin. "I'm not surprised by that. It's been a while since he played some ball, but I thought he settled in, knocked the rust off, man, and distributed the ball around and played well."
Wilson said it felt good to get back on the field, even if the game got off to a little bit of a slow start for him as he was shaking off the rust. He kept his head steady, knowing things would come around.
"I really believe in being neutral, not being too high, not being too low," said Wilson. "My old mental coach, who passed away a couple years ago, used to always say stay the course. I think coming into this game, we had a couple things earlier that we could have had. I felt like it was playoff baseball out there in the sense of I start off 0-2, but it felt like I was going to get hot. I kept telling Coach, hey, I'm going to get hot here and sure enough we did.
"We did a great job. The guys did a tremendous job up front giving me enough time to make throws. Guys made plays down the field. I think it's just the love of the game. I played so many games and every game is different. Every game has its own story, and every game has different moments in it, and you catch the wave and once you find it, you don't let go.
"I think the biggest thing is just knowing who you are, knowing the belief you have in yourself and knowing also, too, it's my first time back and I was like okay, I'm starting to feel it again. Here we go. It's been a while. It's been six weeks (since) really playing and I'm just grateful to my teammates. These guys did so much. They did so well. We all just gave our all. Defense was lights out against a really good quarterback, and I think we made a lot of plays. I think that crowd was unbelievable. I just think about the moments, just the moments being locked in the moment of time of saying this is my first game here, how special is this? I thank God for it, so that was a blessing itself.
"I feel a sense of just unbelievable gratitude. I think all the people that have helped me along the way just even transitioning here, just coming to an amazing place, when Coach Tomlin called me and Omar (Khan), I knew it was here. When I talked to Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt and Minkah (Fitzpatrick), I knew it was here. The men that we have in that locker room, the bible studies that we have, the communication that we have on the field, the time that we share together in Latrobe. Even though I was down and out a little bit there, just sitting on the back porch talking life, talking ball, talking moments. All that I think was in a way played into tonight in just the belief."
Wilson connected with receiver George Pickens for five receptions for 111 yards, but he also spread the ball around to seven players, each one who made their own impact.
"George is so talented, he makes it easy on the quarterback," said Wilson. "He knows how to get open. He knows how to make plays, his ability to make contested catches is remarkable. We got a lot of confidence in all the guys we have, man. I think Calvin (Austin III) made a huge play near the end. Pat Freiermuth on the big third downs, we started making some big-time plays and with Van Jefferson getting in the end zone there too.
"When it all works together as one, when the offensive line is doing a tremendous job like they did tonight, I think it's the second straight game for Naj (Najee Harris) going over a hundred plus.
"We're doing some good things, and the reality is there's so much more out there. That's the good news. There's so much more out there and we'll get better as we go. We're going to keep working. There's a lot more football left, but to be where we are is a good place."
Tomlin is the one who made the decision to go with Wilson as the team's starting quarterback on Sunday, over Justin Fields who led the team to a 4-2 record.
"We are in a tremendous situation where we are," said Wilson. "I think there's a lot of outside noise that makes it seem like it's a negative thing and this rivalry internal and it's not. We just want to win. That's what we're focused on.
"I got to give Justin Fields credit, all the things he was able to do, how great he's been playing. He inspires me every day how he works, vice versa. We have a great relationship. He's a tremendous quarterback. He's a franchise quarterback. He's a leader, he's got all the intangibles and whatever I can give to him and show him and just be around him, that's part of my job. I really believe that. Just being the second Black quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl, there's an obligation to make sure that I help him and not just him but everybody that I encounter. I love this game and I'm passionate about it. When you give, it comes back in return, and I think that we're just having fun winning.
"We're having fun playing ball. We're having fun going to practice. We're having fun being around one another and Coach Tomlin believes in all of us, and he does a tremendous job and this guy's a tremendous football coach and we trust him, and we know who he is and he's very transparent and everything else with us too.
"We just love winning, and we love being part of the process."
Making 'A-player' plays: With the lights on, the Steelers did just what Coach Mike Tomlin talked to his team about ahead of the game.
They played 'A-player' ball.
It was up and down the roster that 'A-player' ball was on display in the team's 37-15 win over the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football.
"Nothing like primetime football at Acrisure," said Tomlin. "I'm just really appreciative of the atmosphere and the quality of play. Thought we got stronger as the game went on in all three phases, man. We made plays in all three phases.
"We talked about A-player performance, particularly on stages such as this, primetime television and so forth. I just thought we had a lot of guys that displayed A-player characteristics.
"We're just appreciative of the work that was done tonight to make the night what it was. Hopefully there's growth in this as we move forward, man, but it's good to get a win."
It was all three phases that came through on the night, including special teams that made a splash play when Dean Lowry blocked a field goal in the third quarter. Minkah Fitzpatrick had a blocked PAT in the game, but it was nullified by a penalty for leverage.
It's the third straight game the Steelers have blocked a kick.
"We've got a block culture here that we embrace, and we embrace it with our work during the course of the week," said Tomlin. "We've got a lot of guys that put a lot of effort into the techniques that's required to deliver and so I'm just appreciative of that.
"It's pretty awesome. It is significant, and it has been. I'm appreciative."
Sign here, please: Rookie defensive back Beanie Bishop, who was undrafted out of West Virginia, had a night to remember against the Jets.
Bishop didn't just have his first career interception, but had two interceptions against Aaron Rodgers, a future Hall of Fame quarterback.
"Can't say enough about young Beanie Bishop," said Coach Mike Tomlin. "That's an awesome evening for him to get his first two interceptions versus a Gold Jacket guy like Aaron Rodgers.
"He's grown in all areas, there's a lot to cover when you're a rookie, but the one thing I'll say about him is he never shrinks. The situations aren't too big for him, and he's learned and he's open to learning. He has good questions. I meet with him every Friday morning as we lean in on situational ball. He's doing a lot of the little things well. He's on a good trajectory."
Bishop's first interception came in the second quarter, when he picked off Rodgers at the Steelers 46-yard line, down 15-6. The offense was able to capitalize, with Russell Wilson engineering a four-play, 54-yard drive that ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens, sending the Steelers into the half down just 15-13.
After the Steelers took a 16-15 lead early in the third quarter, Bishop came through again. He intercepted Rodgers at the Jets 42-yard line, returning it 41 yards before getting caught at the one-yard line. Wilson took it in from the one on a quarterback sneak to extend the lead to 23-15.
"He's one of the Hall of Fame quarterbacks," said Bishop. "Got a lot of respect for that guy and just to be able to get not one but two of them off of him is crazy."
Bishop has so much respect for Rodgers that he would like to have one thing happen. He wants to get Rodgers to sign the football from his first interception.
"We didn't have a silver Sharpie for me to be able to ask A-Rod to sign it (after the game)," said Bishop. "I don't know where he went after the game. It was just so hectic."
He is hoping, though, that it still can happen.
"I know a couple of dudes on that team, so try to get in his ear," said Bishop. "Maybe those guys will talk to him for me. And hopefully, he'll be a nice guy and get it signed."
Showing that potential: Receiver George Pickens is one of those players who turned in an 'A-player' night against the Jets, catching five passes for 111 yards, a 22.2-yard average, and one touchdown.
Pickens said during the week that he and Russell Wilson were spending time together after practice last week getting in some extra work, and the results showed.
"A guy going to back-to-back Super Bowls (Wilson), he knows when guys are blitzing, his cadence is a little more dominant with guys jumping offsides, you know what I mean?" said Pickens. "They played a lot of man-on-man situations. You know when you get those situations, you got to most definitely capitalize. Like I said on third down and second down, they play a lot of man-on-man and we took opportunities.
"When it's third and four, third and five, second and eleven, they're playing man-on-man, we're taking opportunities for sure.
Pickens also had a flair for the dramatic, making an incredible catch that deflected off the helmet of Jets defensive back Isaiah Oliver.
"Just concentration," said Pickens. "For a minute, he had it, for a minute I had it, bounced up in the air, got my eyes back on it.
"Made the catch."
Pickens, who is in his third season out of Georgia, said there is still more as his potential shows on game day.
"I'd probably say my potential is very high," said Pickens. "I work day-in and day-out. I don't really look at my potential for real. I just stay on the grind, stay working and my potential kind of shows on TV."
And it shined bright on primetime TV.
Love for the O-line: Running back Najee Harris had his second 100-yard game of the season against the Jets, with 21 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown.
Harris was relentless all night, turning in his second straight 100-yard performance, on a night that was about a full team effort, especially giving love to his offensive line, who have been hit with injuries all season.
"That's what you want to see," said Harris. "To see GP (George Pickens) get into the end zone. You see Russ (Wilson) in there in the end zone. To see the O-line meshing. They're out there talking too, and they're out there holding each other accountable, that's the main thing. They were out there holding each other accountable.
"This is the O-line. I think that this game offensively should be…the O-line should be more talked about. We're down injuries, we're down guys and it's the next-man mentality and someone always steps up and performs and makes a play. They're all held at the same accountability, so I think that the O-line, going in two weeks now, I think me personally, I had like 100 yards, and it's all dedicated to them in giving me opportunities. So, shout out to them."
All phases worked for the offense, with a 100-yard rusher and receiver, and others getting their fair share as well. Harris was asked if it's the most efficient he has seen the offense since he has been with the team and his answer was easy.
"100 percent," he said.
He went on.
"This is the most efficient that I think in my years being here," said Harris. "Usually we turn it around, I guess, we'll say later in the season. But to happen so early and to have this momentum going, I think that's just a sign of what's to come in the future. Us coming in early and starting fast, this early in the season, this is my fourth year and us starting off the best we've started off.
"I think that's a dedication to the guys we got in the quarterback room and to the O-line and the coaches too, that we have."
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