• Steelers head into Week 14 with a 1.5-game AFC North lead: Wilson finished Week 13 against the Bengals with a season-high 80.3 PFF overall grade and helped extend his team's division lead after the Ravens' loss.
• Wilson's “moon ball” remains potent: The veteran's ability to throw deep has never wavered. His 95.7 PFF overall grade on throws over 20-plus yards this season ranks second among quarterbacks.
• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all of our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now!
Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers got back on track with a big win over the divisional foe Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13. They now have a 1.5-game lead in the AFC North, and quarterback Russell Wilson is back to his old, Super Bowl-winning ways.
Wilson finished the game with an 80.3 PFF passing grade and an 85.7% adjusted completion percentage — both season highs. While it’s a small sample size, Wilson’s 78.4 PFF overall grade would be the highest season grade for a Steelers quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger in 2018. It would also be Wilson’s best mark since 2020.
Steelers' QB Grades Since 2018 |
|||||
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024* |
| Mason Rudolph (53.5) | Mason Rudolph (75.4) | Mason Rudolph (74.2) | Mitch Trubisky (76.6) | Kenny Pickett (70.6) | Russell Wilson (78.4) |
| Ben Roethlisberger (49.0) | Josh Dobbs (70.0) | Ben Roethlisberger (53.0) | Kenny Pickett (75.5) | Mason Rudolph (64.8) | Kyle Allen (73.2) |
| Devlin Hodges (45.8) | Ben Roethlisberger (69.0) | Mitch Trubisky (43.3) | Justin Fields (71.0) | ||
*Through Week 13
The Steelers have been searching for a quarterback for years now, trying to get over the hump of being an eight- or nine-win team with a great defense and a struggling offense. They seem to have found that quarterback in Wilson.
The Bengals' game plan was to keep everything underneath, which they did, leading to Wilson’s 4.8-yard average depth of target. However, when given the opportunity, Wilson made them pay with some fantastic deep throws.
Russell Wilson ripping seams with anticipation in 2024. pic.twitter.com/WWIrPxSPb1
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) December 2, 2024
In the above play, the Bengals come out in a two-deep look — but it’s not a typical two-high coverage where everyone is playing zone. They’re playing a mix of man and zone principles. The safety at the bottom is bracketing George Pickens, while the safety at the top is looking to match the innermost route. Wilson picks up on it and knows that, because of the footwork from the safety at the top, he has no shot of staying over the top of the seam route by Calvin Austin. He knows Austin will win on this route based on the cornerback having his hips closed to the field. Wilson throws the ball with perfect anticipation for a touchdown.
One thing that’s never changed with Wilson’s game is his ability to throw deep. His 95.7 PFF overall grade on throws over 20-plus yards this season ranks second among quarterbacks.
Russell Wilson patented moon ball pic.twitter.com/uJRejkfWYA
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) December 2, 2024
His “moon ball” is talked about a lot, and rightfully so, with the high-arcing passes almost always landing perfectly in receivers' hands.
Pre-snap in the above clip, Wilson knows exactly where he wants to go with the ball. The motion shows the Bengals will play man coverage, meaning he’ll have George Pickens one-on-one on a deep fade against a rookie cornerback. He confirms that it’s man coverage post-snap, and with the safety having to work from the far hash, it’s an easy decision that leads to a perfect moon ball for a massive first down.
The Bengals then decided to switch things up on defense and started to show a lot more pressure looks. Wilson took advantage of those, as well.
Russell Wilson ripping seams with anticipation in 2024 (part 2) pic.twitter.com/SUBUnGxV36
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) December 2, 2024
With eight defenders at the line of scrimmage, Wilson knows he’ll need to get the ball out quickly. In the above clip, the Bengals end up dropping out and playing Cover 3. The Steelers have a perfect play call for it. They run four verticals, which attacks one of the weaknesses of Cover 3: the seams. Wilson knows that once they drop out, they have no chance of picking up the seam route. And with the safety on the opposite side of the field, Wilson just has to beat him. He does so with great anticipation while having a free pass rusher in his face.
When Wilson was in the prime of his career, his ability to perform out of structure was among the best in the NFL. Clearly, that hasn't dissipated.
DangeRuss pic.twitter.com/dDU57WOUo1
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) December 2, 2024
In this clip, the Bengals drop eight defenders into coverage and Wilson feels like he needs to scramble. He could have stayed in the pocket longer and gotten to the backside of the concept, but he chooses to make a play out of the pocket. Pat Freiermuth sees him scrambling and breaks off his route, finding the open zone. Wilson makes a great throw while falling with a defender in his face, and Freiermuth does the rest for the touchdown.
The Steelers are rolling right now and are in a great spot to win the AFC North. They have a tough remaining schedule, with three more games against the AFC North and contests against the 10-2 Eagles and 11-1 Chiefs. You could look to that as a reason why Pittsburgh might start to slow down, but Russell Wilson has the Steelers looking like a legitimate threat in the AFC.
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