Labriola on the win over the Jets

The Steelers wanted to see, and Sunday night at Acrisure Stadium was the right time because it was the first time the opportunity presented itself. And when time expired on what ended up being a 37-15 victory over the New York Jets, they had to be pleased with what they saw.

As the 2024 offseason began, after two years of wandering through the quarterback wilderness following the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers were presented with a path forward. The working relationship between Russell Wilson and Broncos Coach Sean Payton had soured beyond repair, and the Steelers saw an economical opportunity to add to the mix a 9-time Pro Bowl quarterback who had played in 2 Super Bowls and won 1. That action precipitated some unforeseen reaction, and over a two-week span they had re-made their entire depth chart at quarterback.

And that was OK, because the theme of the 2024 season had been set by Steelers President Art Rooney II a couple of months earlier when he said in late January that it was time for this group to win some playoff games. The word “now” never was spoken, but there was no mistaking the tone, because Rooney has always treated “rebuild” as a 4-letter word.

But the linchpin of the quarterback makeover was Wilson, and by the time the offseason program was to begin, Coach Mike Tomlin had assessed him as being in the “pole position” for the starting job. Things were just dandy during the football-in-shorts period, as they often are, and on the eve of training camp Wilson was becoming for the Steelers what he had been during his previous 12 seasons in the NFL.

All of that hope, all of the feel-good created by the aggressive approach to the most important position on a football team was crushed by a calf injury Wilson sustained during the conditioning test on the first day of the team’s summer retreat at Saint Vincent College. Wilson became nothing more than an interested bystander as Tomlin conducted the on-field work that always serves as the foundation for that year’s team.

When the preseason ended, Wilson had made cameos in two games, played 26 snaps, completed 13-of-19 for 118 yards, and the only touchdown during that time came when he handed the ball to Cordarrelle Patterson to start a 31-yard touchdown run. Still Wilson held onto the pole position, and the race was about to begin for real. But a tweaking of the calf injury a few days before the opener in Atlanta turned the offense over to Justin Fields, and the focus became winning games by using his unique skill-set.

Six weeks later, the Steelers were 4-2 and Fields was giving them everything they asked of him. He used his legs as a weapon. Protected the football. Played within himself. He was a hard worker, diligent, focused. And he was a teammate. But what was on video was a passing attack that was below the line, with the line being what was going to be necessary to navigate the final 11 opponents on their schedule, including all of the dates with AFC North opposition.

There were some sparks and some flashes, but as Tomlin said during a news conference 5 days before the appointment with Aaron Rodgers and the Jets, “Justin (Fields) has been really good, and we’ve been really good at times, but not to be confused with great. This is a competitive league. We’re trying to position ourselves to be that team, and we’ve got a player with talent who hadn’t had an opportunity to play, so we’re going to potentially explore those things. Sometimes it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with what Justin has done or has not done. Justin has been an asset to us … but we’re just looking at all the people at our disposal the same way that we do at any position … That’s what you’re doing in this thing, you’d better have your foot on the gas at all times. You better look to divide the labor up in the most appropriate way based on who’s available to you and healthy, and that’s just simply what we’re going to do.”

And so it was that after the Jets won the toss and elected to defer, the guy who in March had been in the pole position finally got the keys to the car. One of the traits Wilson brought to this job was an ability to work through adversity, and he sure got a chance to showcase that in his 2024 debut.

Fields had become a fan favorite, and therefore they interpreted Tomlin’s decision as a benching of Fields as opposed to giving Wilson an opportunity to take the offense to another level. And so there was some grumbling among the 66,956 customers when the Steelers went three-and-out in three of their first four possessions, while Wilson completed 2-of-8 for 19 yards and the offense was 0-for-4 on third downs.

But come halftime, Wilson had improved his numbers to 8-of-17 for 145 yards with 1 touchdown that came on what had “big-time NFL quarterback” written all over it. The decision was made pre-snap and the throw was on-time and perfectly placed so that George Pickens was given a chance to win his 1-on-1 matchup with the cornerback. A throw like that counts for more than the points it produces because it gave a teammate a chance to shine and feel included, which has a carryover value.

Then in the second half, Wilson was everything he was advertised to be. He completed 8-of-12 for 119 yards, passed for 1 touchdown and plunged for another. The Steelers scored on each of their 4 possessions – a field goal and 3 touchdowns – to turn that halftime deficit into a 37-15 TKO.

And the dagger came in the form of a 13-play, 75-yard drive that started with 7:53 remaining in a game with the Steelers leading, 30-15, and ended with 26 seconds remaining and the Steelers leading, 37-15. Twelve of the 13 plays were runs, and Wilson made sure to run the play-clock down to 5 seconds before calling for the snap. Tick, tick, tick. He passed only once, but it was an on-target strike downfield, but to Calvin Austin III instead of Pickens for a 36-yard gain. Tick, tick, tick. One third-down was converted, and the two that weren’t were converted on fourth down. Tick, tick, tick.

What it looked like on the surface was the offensive line taking care of business and Wilson giving the ball to the running back whose number was called by coordinator Arthur Smith. But what it meant was the quarterback was operating as the field general. He took snaps from under center or in the shotgun, no mistakes. Milked the clock. No administrative issues with communication from the sideline, or with the calls being communicated to the rest of the unit. Protected the lead, while ultimately adding to it. And rendered Aaron Rodgers harmless by keeping him on the sideline.

When time expired and the Steelers officially moved to 5-2, the players and coaches met in the middle of the field and engaged in the customary congratulations and well-wishes with their counterparts. As usual, there was a one-on-one moment shared by the two quarterbacks.

It was obvious who had played better, and it was clear the Steelers saw what they needed to see.