The Pittsburgh Steelers improved to 10-3 on the season via a 27-14 home win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday that wasn’t nearly as nervy as the final score might suggest.
Following that victory, Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth explained how Russell Wilson won the locker room over as he recovered from a lingering calf injury that kept him out of the lineup while backup Justin Fields notched four wins over the season’s first six weeks.
“Not that we ever didn’t have respect for Russ,” Freiermuth told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “It was tough when he was hurt, but he did a great job when he was hurt of being involved and helping Justin any way he could. That’s what helped him when he came back — guys knew that he had our back. He had Justin’s back. There was no animosity between the two. It was all about winning. It couldn’t really happen without both of them and how they handled it.”
Many outsiders criticized head coach Mike Tomlin for replacing Fields with Wilson when the Steelers were 4-2. Wilson has since won six of seven starts, is clearly the undisputed leader of his team’s offense and has first-place Pittsburgh playing like a team that could do damage during the playoffs.
According to ESPN stats, Wilson ended the weekend ranked 19th in the NFL with a 56.7 adjusted QBR for the campaign. Over his first seven games with Pittsburgh, he tossed 12 touchdown passes and only three interceptions.
“It’s just his experience and his leadership,” Freiermuth added. “Being there, being that vet, he’s seen a lot of things on the football field. Just him being able to rely on that and get us into great looks for situations, he’s a hell of a quarterback. Any time you can mix that with the playmakers we have on offense holding us accountable, it’s a recipe for success.”
Wilson and Co. will be tested in a big way when the Steelers play at the 11-2 Philadelphia Eagles this coming Sunday. As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Eagles as five-point favorites for what could go down as a Super Bowl LIX preview.
